CHOCOLATES FOR TU B’SHVAT

 

Some Poskim have difficulty understanding why our Minhag is to make a שהכל on chocolates when Halachically it should have been a פרי העץ Harav Y.S. Elyashiv zt”l & Harav S.Z. Auerbach zt”l both hold that the appropriate Bracha for chocolate should have been פרי העץ    but since the velt (the common practice) makes a שהכל we follow Minhag Haolam and make a שהכל. They both hold* if a פרי העץ was made on fruits and chocolates were at the table, then you shouldn't make a שהכל on the chocolates, being you were Yotzei with the פרי העץ. The ספר מקור הברכה (My uncle, Dayan Rav Gavriel Krausz Shlita) claims, The minhag of the velt is a mistake, It came about from the שערי תשובה ר”ב ס”ק י”ט who writes to make a שהכל  on שעקלדי (chocolate) R.G. Krausz claims the שערי תשובה  was referring to a chocolate drink and the velt mistakenly assumed he meant chocolates (solid) R.G.Krausz holds, לכתחילה to make a פרי העץ on chocolates.  * Igros Moshe 3:31  argues