Compendium for Tu B'Shvat

THE FOUR QUESTIONS  FOR ט"ו בשבט       1) Which פרי העץ fruit, if you made a האדמה on it, you were not יוצא? A fruit that was grown in a flower pot with no hole at the bottom. (based on the Chaya Adam Hl. Birchas Hanehenin 51:17- Harav Hagaon R, Dov Landau Shlita) 2) He ate from the שבעת המינים, the ברכה ראשונה was פרי העץ yet the ברכה אחרונה is בורא נפשות. A fruit salad consisting of 1/3 pomegranate(שבעת המינים) and 2/3 assorted other fruits. The רוב is a  פרי העץ and the רוב is a בורא נפשות. ( Harav Hagaon R. Avrohom Ganchovsky zt"l Sefer Bar Almogim #148:2) 3) When is the appropriate time to Daven for a nice Esrog? According to the בני יששכר on Tu B'shvat According to the Gemoro on Shavuos (בעצרת נידונים על פירות האילן) 4) There is only one single הלכה in Shulchan Aruch re Tu B'shvat, which one?   Not to say תחנון on Tu B'Shvat. (O.Ch. 131:6) Eating fruits is not mentioned in S.Aruch. It is the Mogen Avraham, who quotes this Minhag Ashkenaz. ------------------------------------------------------------         THE PITS A simple way to memorize  דין קדימה (priority in making the Bracha) on fruits of the שבעת המינים. The fruit with fewer seeds comes first. 1) Olive - 1 pit 2) Date -  pit with a line in the middle looks like 2  3) Grape - 3-5 seeds 4) Fig -  seeds plus fruit 5) Pomegranate - only seed ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   PINEAPPLES FOR ט"ו בשבט   Many Chassidic Rebbes have at their פירות טיש (ט"ו בשבט סדר) pineapples,bananas,melons etc. (פרי האדמה). The מקור for the מנהג of also adding פרי אדמה, is from the  ספר חמדת הימים* who writes to also have פרי האדמה  and have כוונה when eating them " העץ הנחמד בן ישי חי על האדמה"  Some claim there are hidden messages in the Sefer. גמטרי' 807 + words7 =  814 -שבתי צבי                            The same Gematria as שבתי צבי by adding 7 for the 7 words (כולל). Also  בן ישי חי = 390 the same gematria as ש"צ  The publisher of the Amsterdam edition  who was aware of the controversy*, wrote poetically in the הקדמה,               אם תמצא בו פרי שאינו נחמד למראה",               "השלך הקליפה ואכול תוכו  (If you find in it (Sefer) a fruit that doesn't look good  throw away the peel and eat the inside) *Some claim theמחבר to be נתן העזתי, the right hand man of שבתי צבי & his נביא שקר Others claim it was an unknown holy man. The Steipler Zt"l wouldn't touch or look into a Sefer who quotes from the Chemdas Hayomim.     CHOCOLATES FOR ט"ו בשבט 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 agree 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. The ספר מקור הברכה (My uncle, Dayan Harav Hagaon R. 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