הלא דבר הוא
According to Kabbalah, the ברכת האילנות are to
be said only in חודש ניסן. In many cities in North America ,
the trees haven’t started
blossoming yet. Some will make the
Bracha Iy"h in אייר. According to Halacha, most Poskim hold, it
is perfectly acceptable to make the Bracha in the months of אדר or אייר.
In
Shas Bavli & Yerushalmi, Zohar, Poskim (Tur Sh. Aruch 233) and all Sidurim printed
over 300 years ago, the Nusach of the Bracha ends "Shelo Chisar Bo’olamo כלום".
Most Siddurim today have the Nusach
is "Shelo Chisar Bo'olamo דבר".
Why the change?
Fruit trees do not all bloom at the same time. They bloom over a long period of time.
ReplyDeleteSome species, such as peaches and apricots, bloom quite early, while others, such as apples, typically bloom later. There is also a difference between different varieties of the same species, for example, some varieties of apples bloom (and ripen) earlier than others.
Another factor is where the trees are located. There is something called microclimate. That means that even if two trees are the same species and variety, if one is in a sunnier location, or a warmer spot than the other, for example, it is closer to a building/concrete which absorbs heat and makes its immediate vicinity warmer, it will/can bloom earlier.
Based on the above, I suspect that even in North American cities that are colder than NYC for example, if you search diligently, keeping in mind what I wrote above, you might nevertheless yet find trees (e.g. early blooming ones) blooming within Nissan this year. At least for places in the USA, places in Southern Canada, such as Toronto for example. Maybe not for places further north and in Midwest Canada though.