[Avodah] concord

[Yitzhak Grossman]

On Mon, 30 Mar 2009 1:59am EDT Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org>
wrote [to Areivim; I'm also providing more context than RYG sent in his
original email -mb]:
> All this started because I semi-jokingly questioned the use of concord
> wine for the 4 cups.

> Concord grapes (Vitis labrusca) are new world grapes, one of a totally
> different set of species than the grapes known by our ancestors (Vitis
> vinifera). For kelayim, the definition of a min is the inability
> to crossbreed and produce fertile young. In which case, concord is
> a different min than old-world grapes; crossbreeding them produces
> infertile, seedless, grapes.

> Thus, how can concord wine qualify lehalakhah as yayin, and usable for
> the 4 kosos?


I am aware that that is the exact definition of modern biology for species
differentiation, but what is your source that that is the definition of
'min' in the context of Kilayim? On the contrary, the criteria that
I see all seem to refer to similarity of appearance (of leaves and /
or fruit) or taste, and there's even the phrase "ein holchin be'kelayim
elah ahar maris ha'ayin" (see commentaries of Rash, Rambam and Tosfos
Yom Tov to Kelayim 1:4-5 and Hazon Ish Kelayim Ch. 3).

Yitzhak
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