Halocho #725 - Kilayim; Grafting trees

It's a Torah prohibition to graft trees with branches from a different type of tree or plant. One may not own a grafted tree; it needs to be uprooted.

One may graft a tree with a branch of the same type of tree. One may take a branch from a grafted tree and plant it.

One may eat the fruit from grafted trees.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Oruch 174:1-2

- Danny
Sunday, 11 Shvat 5771

Halocho #638 - Tell me about the Etrog

On Sukkoth there's a Mitzvah to shake the four species; a Lulav, 3 Haddasim, 2 Aravot and an Etrog.

The Etrog is a citron; Citrus Medica.

It is held in one's left hand when shaking the four species, with the stem (where it was cut off the tree) facing downwards.

By nature the Etrog tree is very soft (mine buckled during a light Jerusalem snow storm), therefore it is often grafted onto other trees to make it stronger. An Etrog from a grafted tree cannot be used when shaking the four species.

(Grafted fruit is Kosher to eat, despite the prohibition against grafting trees.)

The Etrog needs to be whole; scratches and dents may invalidate it.

The Etrog should not have dark dots on it, though it may have light scabs that are a result of leaves and thorns brushing against it while it grows. (Etrog trees have thorns that grow to about 2" long.)

The "nose" of the the Etrog - from where it starts getting narrow - should be perfectly clean.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 174:2, Shulchan Aruch 648

Ktiva Vechatima Tova

- Danny
Monday, 13 Elul 5770

Halocho #560 - May one eat the fruit from grafted trees?

It's a Torah prohibition to graft trees with branches from a different type of tree or plant.

One may not own a grafted tree; it needs to be uprooted.

However, one may graft a tree with a branch of the same type of tree.

One may take a branch from a grafted tree and plant it.

One may eat the fruit from grafted trees.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 174:1-2

- Danny
Monday, 19 Iyar 5770 - 34th day of the Omer

Halocho #56 - Grafting trees – Kilayim

It's a Torah prohibition to graft trees with branches from a different type of tree or plant. One may graft a tree with a branch of the same type of tree. One may not own a grafted tree; it needs to be uprooted. One may take a branch from a grafted tree and plant it. One may eat the fruit from grafted trees. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Oruch 174:1-2 Thanks to everybody who invited their friends to join. We're now a group of over 120 people on Facebook's Halocho a Day group! Thanks! - Danny Schoemann

סימן קעד – הלכות כלאי האילן

סעיף א - כלאי אילנות הרי הם בכלל מה שנאמר שדך לא תזרע כלאים. ועל כן אסור להרכיב מין בשאינו מינו, כגון ענף של תפוח באתרוג, או אתרוג בתפוח, ואפילו מינים הדומים זה לזה, כגון תפוח בתפוח יערי וכיוצא, כיון שהם שני מינים אסורים זה בזה, ואסור לישראל להניח לאינו יהודי שירכיב לו אילנו כלאים. סעיף ב - אסור לקיים המורכב כלאים אבל הפרי הגדל ממנו מותר, ומותר ליקח ענף מן המורכב ולנטעו במקום אחר