For three whole years we wait with baited breath for fruit to grow in the new orchard or garden. When the fruit finally grows, we don’t eat or benefit from the fruit in any way. Finally, in the fourth year, we bring the high-quality fourth-year fruit to Jerusalem.

The word in Hebrew for waiting is הַמְתָּנָה (hamtanah),
which is similar to the word הַמַּתָּנָה (hamatanah), meaning “the present.”

Waiting for three years reminds us to thank Hashem for the wonderful presents He gives us!

Orlah years are counted from the time the tree is planted in the ground, not its botanical age. If you transplant a tree with its original clod of soil, it’s not considered replanting the tree. That means we don’t need to wait another three orlah years.