[Avodah] FRUITFUL QUESTION

[Micha Berger]

About apples and the Middle East, wikipedia says the center of diversity
of the genus Malus is in eastern Turkey. Alexander the Great found dwarf
apples in Kazakhstan, and winter apples have been an in important foor in
Europe and Asia. Interesting also was the line, "The apple tree was perhaps
the earliest tree to be cultivated", although the source wiki points to
didn't strike me as particularly authoritative.

In any case, we have a mesorah with a list of logical candidates, and
as RZS already pointed out, the apple has nothing to recommend it other
than an accident in Latin.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             We are great, and our foibles are great,
micha at aishdas.org        and therefore our troubles are great --
http://www.aishdas.org   but our consolations will also be great.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                        - Rabbi AY Kook