[Avodah] tu beshvat

[Eli Turkel]

> Since there are shittot in the Gemarra who hold that an Etrog's kviut
> maaser goes after Rosh Hashana like a vegetable, even though we pasken
> l'maaseh that an etrog *does* follow Tu B'shvat, it still seems that the
> etrog is the least relevant fruit of the holiday. Do you know what the
> original source of this idea is?

I don't know the original source. ROY quotes the author of Ben Ish Chai who
says it in the name of chassidei Ashkenaz


[Email #2. -micha]

Based on a shiur I heard this week.

There is a famous medrash that G-d told the earth to issue forth trees
that had the taste of the fruit but the trees sinned and only issued
trees bearing fruit.

Rav Kook explains that the trees stand for the ways to achieve a goal
while the fruit is the goal. VaYomer in Breishit signifies what G-d
set as the ultimate goal that one should have the same outlook for the
ways to achieve the goal and for achieving the goal itself. In real life
people frequently suffer through a process in order to achieve a final
goal both physically and spiritually. This is the VaYaas of the Torah as
life is presently but the ultimate goal is given by the VaYomer. Hence,
as is obvious the earth did not sin (it doesnt have free will) but
rather G-d gave both the realistic way and the way one should strive to
reach perfection.

The Chatam Sofer explains that R. Yishmael insisted on the importance or
work because in Israel agricultural work itself is a mitzvah. Hence, Boaz
even though being the gadol was threshing the wheat. He also assumes that
this applies to all types of work that is needed by a country. Hence, just
as one cannot ignore tefillin in order to learn one cannot ignore yishuv
ertetz yisrael for learning, one needs a balance. However, outside of EY
there is no special mitzvah to work only what is needed in order to live.
Hence, one can rely on R. Nehorai and R. Shimon Bar Yachai who stress
learning over working because they were refeering to outside of Israel

(BTW this teshuva has been censored out of some recent reprints of the
teshuvot of Chatam Sofer).

This is connected to the statement of the Bach that fruits and vegetables
that grow in EY have an extra kedusha in them because they got their
sustenance from EY and so it is special to eat produce of EY.

-- 
Eli Turkel