[Avodah] 15 different fruits on Tu B'shvat

[Michael Makovi]

>It's a relatively interesting challenge to try and find 15 different
fruits with a haEtz beracha >since obviously pineapple, banana,
strawberry etc. don't count. Additionally, one cannot eat all >of the
7 minim since wheat/barley are not haEtz either. In fact, at this time
of year it might not >even be possible unless you either go for very
exotic expensive fruits, or treat different kinds of >oranges as the
different types or to go with fruits like nectarines which a Jew
shouldn't be >making (although eating is fine).
>
> ~Liron

I suggest the exotic fruit route. Go to a large health food type
supermarket, and you'll see rows and rows of basket after basket of
vast amounts of fruits you never even knew existed. My mother has
lamented that Hashem created so many wonderful fruits, of which the
vast majority, the average person, even an affluent Westerner, never
tries. She's commented that of the strange foods she's tried, there
are many she hasn't liked, but she'll be able to tell Hashem she at
least tried it. It reminds me of Rav Hirsch's visiting the Alps so
that he'd be able to answer Hashem in the affirmative when asked about
seeing His wonders.

Mikha'el Makovi