Birchas Ilanos – Can it still be said this year- what has to be seen for the brocha?

The Friday Shiurim are generally either overview on the daf, something that's in Yahrtzeit Yoma or Parshas Hashavua. So, technically today's topic is really something that was in Yahrtzeit Yoma or really should have passed it. It's really something for Nissan already a year. But, we'll see how we're still before where obviously we're holding still before before it. The Gemara says, the Gemara Rosh Hashanah that we learned a couple of weeks ago, the Gemara daf yud alef amud alef. The Gemara says, "Haiman d'nofek b'yomei Nissan, one who goes out in the days, the month of Nissan, v'chazi and he sees ilaniya, tree, d'malavli, that's blossoming, omer he makes a brocha, "Boruch Doesn't say Baruch Atah Hashem. Do we shine himself? Of course, you make a brocha b'shem umalchus. She'lichisa mal ilamai klum. U'varah b'riyas ilanois. L'hisno'is. The Tur Orach Chaim we say l'hano'is b'hen b'nei Adam. So, that's the din of Birchas Ilanois. This is a din in Chodesh Nissan when the trees start to blossom, you make a brocha, a brocha Birchas Ilanois. So, there's many dinim. There are There's a whole siman in Shulchan Aruch, but there's many dinim to this Birchas Ilanois. We'll try to move along one by one. We'll go out seder the words in the the Gemara. The Gemara says, "Haiman d'nofek, one who goes out, the mashmo'is would be Haiman d'nofek that you have to go out. You have to go out of the city. And the Kaf Hachaim brings Al Pi Kabbalah, when a person makes the brocha Birchas Ilanois, he should go out of the city. L'ma'aseh, l'halacha, we're not makpid on it. The Tzel Elokim brings that especially if it causes bitul Torah to make a whole trip to go out of town to make the bracha. A person doesn't have to be zar to dafka nofic. And in Sits Eliezer brings the he's madayak from the Rishonim. Three Rishonim say the loshon when the Gemara says high man did nofic. The Gemara they say what the when the Rishonim are madayak when they taitch the Gemara, they say the loshon of haroya. Which means as long as you see the tree, if you see the tree blossoming, you make this bracha. You don't have to go You don't have to go out of out of the town to make the bracha. Out of the city. So the Gemara says biyomei Nisan, in the days of Nisan, the month of Nisan. So what's not in the month of Nisan? First we'll speak about not our case over here this year and months. We will speak about in general there are places in the world that actually now fall is coming. In Australia, they actually just finished the summer. They're about to go into the winter fall. Which means there's no it's not biyomei de Nisan. There's no blossoming now. It actually happens in Tishrei. So do they miss out on the bracha? The Gemara says biyomei Nisan, which means Nisan. So could they make a bracha in Australia in the places over there that now is fall and the the spring actually was six months ago. It's going to be in six months. So when do they make the bracha? Do they make the bracha? So the Ritva says I'll read the loshon of Ritva. Biyomei Nisan lav dafka. This that the Gemara says that you make the bracha in the month of Nisan is lav dafka. Ela kol makom umakum lefi mashihu demalavlav. Every place and area where the it blossoms, that's where that's the time that you make the bracha. So for an instance in Australia that it blossoms in the Tishrei time, so for them when the Gemara says you make the bracha, for them it's in Tishrei. Now, let's take a look and see nigaya to us these two questions that we could ask and want to know the gavi de bracha. One is a year like this year that there was no trees nigaya to make a bracha in the month of Nissan even though somebody said it was a tree the pashus the the most of the trees the trees were bare literally bare was cold it's still cold doesn't look like we can anyone can make a bracha as of now yet. So what's about a place like over here which means in Australia the malavlav time is Tishrei but let's see a place like New York that the time that it blossoms is a Nissan. So did we miss out did we lose out? The Gemara says in Nissan so you have to make a Nissan. Australia the time is in Tishrei you can make it in Tishrei but what's about over here that the time is a Nissan could you make and it's not Nissan could you make the bracha? You could also clear a little further but let's do one step at a time. First we want to know is a year like this year that it didn't blossom yet did we miss out are we onus and we can't make the bracha or could we still make the bracha? The Mishna Berurah brings I'll read the lashon from Achareinim that when it says Nissan ulcha the milse knock out Nissan sha as derech eretz sha cham ulavlav elanus that's the time when it blossoms but who hadin b'choidesh acher even a different month doesn't have to davka be Nissan kol she'roya ulavlav pam rishon mevarech. The first time you see it blossom and you make the bracha. So we see that Nissan is lav davka very clearly even a different month so that's pretty clear it is clear that a year like this year even if the if you weren't able to make it a Nissan you could still make it this month you could still make it a year. What's about mamash a minute you'd see? What's about if let's say not a year like this year, really it blossomed in Nissan. However, you didn't get around to it. You didn't make your way to the tree. You didn't see the tree yet and now it's in Iyar. Could you still make the bracha? So in Aish Shel Moshe, the Yismach Moshe has a teshuvah that somebody asked him the question a year like this year that you can't make the you weren't able to make the bracha in Nissan. And he was asked, could you still make the bracha in Iyar? The Gemara says biyomei Nissan, so maybe biyomei Nissan is dafka. Could you make the bracha in Iyar as well? So first he brings from the Acharonim, the Pri Megadim, the Aish Shel Avraham that are medayek from the Shulchan Aruch. The Shulchan Aruch says that once it the the tree already grew fruits to the extent that it's already the fruits are ripe, you can no longer make the bracha. We're going to speak about a little later also when is the time exactly to make the bracha. But the Shulchan Aruch says when the fruits are ripe, you can no longer to that extent it's fully ripe, you can't make the bracha. But earlier, they're medayek, the Mishna Berurah, the Poskim are medayek, earlier you could make a bracha, which means even if the fruit started growing. The fruit does not start to grow in the month of Nissan. It's too early. It blossoms, but the fruit still has time takes time till the fruit grows. And then maila, so you see that the Shulchan Aruch says you could still make a bracha even after Nissan. So for the time being we have clearly that not only a year like this year, the din is you can make a bracha on the trees even after the month of Nissan, whether it's a year like this year that it wasn't possible and even a year that it's possible, you can make a bracha in Iyar as well. Mon- a month You can do it even out of the month of Nissan as well. So I you're going to ask me, yes, Yitzi. If if if Pashut, Yitzi wants to know if Nissan is dafka as opposed to you could could you only go later or could you go earlier or so? Let me move along and drop in the svara what the Yismach Moshe says, which I would think very clearly so. I haven't seen when everybody says chodesh acher We'll we'll get to it back to it shortly, but let me move along in the Yismach Moshe itself, which will will chaire address Yitzi's question what's about a month earlier. He explains, first of all, he says the reason why you could do it not in Nissan as well. He says a svara. Even if Nissan wasn't possible or you missed it, you could still make the bracha cuz l'maaseh the bracha is giving a shvach to the Ribono shel Olam. He says, you always have to give a shvach to the Ribono shel Olam. Doesn't make a difference if it's Nissan or it's in Iyar. You have to be meshabeiach. You have to l'honis man b'nei Adam. You're being meshabeiach the Ribono shel Olam. You got to do it all the time, anytime. And the meila, you don't make the bracha all the time, but the meila, you when you make the bracha, it's lav dafka Nissan, who had it in Iyar as well. I the Gemara says Nissan. The Gemara says Nissan. What are you going to say? The Gemara says Nissan. The Gemara's lav dafka. Who had it in a different month? So, why? He asked a very good question. So, why does the Gemara say Nissan? The Gemara could have just said lashon ha Gemara. Hai man d'nafik v'chazi lani d'malavli. Went out. In Australia, it's in Tishrei. Over here in New York, Nissan is lav dafka. So, whenever you go out, that's when you make the bracha. Why does it say Why does it say Nissan if Nissan is lav dafka? Which means lav dafka means that whenever it blossoms, you make the bracha. So, he says like this. He says that the Gemara's coming to tell us at the end the following. That a person only makes the bracha once a year. Once a year, you make the bracha. There are some cases, let's say a a really makom she nasa by ness. Seven reshus chass. A really makom she nasa by ness. If you pass by 30 days later, you make the bracha again. By the tree, you don't make the bracha again. Once you made the bracha once, once a year, you don't make the bracha again. And he's medayek like that in a Rashi on the Rif. Rashi on the Rif in this Gemara over here in Rosh Hashanah, the lashon of Rashi is V'chazi, says Rashi, pa'am rishona b'shanah. The first time in the year. Once a year you make the bracha, k'shehe mitzi paruch, once it blossoms, when the flower comes out. So he explains, what's Rashi saying? Pa'am rishona. Pa'am rishona means once a year, you don't make the bracha more than once a year. Where is it negaya more than once a year? It's very negaya. If Very good. From very good you see, if let's say you have somebody coming from Australia. I have an aunt and uncle that lived in Australia. They came now for Pesach. Their daughter from Australia came. And they made the bracha already 6 months ago in Tishrei. Now they come to New York. Now this year, what is it negaya? They couldn't really make the bracha, but let's say they would come to New York and the tree is blossoming. Would they make a bracha again? Or the other way around, if in 6 months from now you go to Australia for Sukkos and right after Sukkos it's starting to become spring, the trees are blossoming, do you make the bracha? You make it once a year and that's it. Once you made it once, you don't make the bracha again. And the Amshitz it's That's what comes out from this. And in the notes of Rav Nosson Zstadter has a teshuvah that somebody asked him this exact question. He was traveling from Australia to Australia on Sukkos or Pesach and he was asked, he's going to The person is going to see the blossom again, does he make the bracha? And the answer is you make it once a year. >> I'm sure the whole Nissan thing is is seems 100% love Dafka. That's what comes out so far. We'll see soon a little bit more Mar Makaymis that maybe it is Dafka, but as of now Nissan is love Dafka. Like we saw in Australia it's Tishrei. Even over here the point that the Gamara is saying Nissan is since Ur the Miltsa that's the regular time. So you do it in Nissan, very good. Just a Mamasha second what even before we move on to the Sam Sofer that seems to want to go on Nissan. The Laheras Nasan himself that we just said that he says in Australia you only do once as we as the Yitzchak Moishe says that you do it once a year. That's why it says in Nissan. He says the reason why it says Nissan cuz that's L'chatchila. L'chatchila you should do it in Nissan. I don't know in a year like this year the L'chatchila is an year or not, but you you still do it in year. But the Gamara says Nissan cuz L'chatchila you should do it in Nissan. At the very end of Nissan you really should do it then before it becomes the year. Very good. Yeshua is saying what was where is the negay the L'chatchila? Let's say we would have been able to get this year the last two days you saw a tree. You should make sure make an effort put an extra effort to try to make the Bracha then rather than year. That's that would be where the L'chatchila comes in. But this is this is on Nissan or to do it as soon as Cuz I heard this is to do it as soon as possible. Is that what it means? Is that what the emphasis on Nissan is or is it something with Nissan? So far we saw Nissan means once a year. And even when he says L'chatchila the time in Nissan that's the better time. We'll see a Pika Bala also the Kafa Chaim says to do it in Nissan. And therefore and he says after Nissan not to make not even to make a Bracha. He says do it at a Sham Malchus. The Piskim say that we do it in year. But just to point out that would be an idea of Nissan. I haven't seen the right away what is like a Zrizim Makdimim. Whenever the time is we're going to get to it soon. What's exactly the time? But whatever the time is, that bracket within that time, you should do it. Is once a year and once every 12 months, or if there's 13 months in between, it's coming up precious. So, how come we have to hear it once every 12 months? I mean, how does this work? I mean, if it's like 13, 14 months since the time you said it last. I hear the shaila. Yitzy wants to know what is a year, once a year being year means a calendar year, 12 months, 13 months. I >> need some Nissan so you you normally in your Nissan. And if you got one year, you didn't get a chance to say it. You went to Australia for Tishrei, you said it then. You then say it the next Nissan of the year, do you have to wait till the next? So, Yitzy wants to know in the time that you you missed it here in Nissan, if you go to Australia, could you do it? I would one thing what I was wondering is the other way around. If let's say you made the bracha now in Nissan or in Eyar, and then you go for Sukkos, you go to Australia. So, is that already the next year? It's Taf Shin Ayin Tes. I don't know. I don't know what means exactly a year. But one thing we for sure see is that when it says Nissan once a year, it's to say that Nissan is love dafka. But I'm not exactly sure what the once a year means. You're asking good. 12 months, parshas zachor, 13 months. But you Here where I was wondering also if you said about if you missed it, but even if you didn't miss it, you made the bracha now, and then you went for Sukkos to Australia. So, it's the next year already. Should you make it in Australia, and then the next Nissan, you won't make it cuz you already made it in Taf Shin Ayin Tes, or it's every 12 months? But that's the idea. You make it once a year as opposed to ro'eh makom shenasa benes, and then you go back 30 days later, you make the bracha again. The same din lo choyr would be applicable is there are different fruit trees that blossom at different times. So, I think that almond trees are earlier, there are trees that are later. So, technically, you don't even have to go to the case with Australia. The whole era would be negated. You saw a tree that blossomed in Nissan. And then, 30 days later, you saw a different tree that blossomed. That would also be negated this then, that Yemei Nissan loved after, but it's common to say once a year. You make the bracha once a year. But, like the Yisrael Moshe says, of course, even if we didn't do it in Nissan, you should still make the bracha cuz the Ma'aseh it's a Makom it's a we give our cards we thank, we praise Hashem with the bracha shebe'ela. You say the bracha. In Agoyis Chasam Sofer on Shulchan Aruch, but negated to this thing, the Chasam Sofer's really goes that Nissan is dafka. Nissan is dafka. But, he says like this. He says, he brings this from his Rebbe, Reb Nosson Adler, that the year this Chesber in the dinner of Yemei Nissan of the Shulchan Aruch, the year is made out of four seasons, winter, spring, summer, and fall. Each of the three seasons have three three months. So, now, Nissan, no, that's the math that comes out. Four seasons. Four seasons, three months. So, that's the 12 months in a year. Now, Nissan, Nissan, Iyar, and Sivan, those three months are months of spring. Now, the which means it's the Tekufah of spring. And it doesn't dafka mean Nissan, Iyar, and Sivan. It's the three months of Nissan. Technically, if the season of spring starts in mid-Nissan, so then it would go from mid-Nissan to mid-Iyar to mid-Sivan into Tammuz. That would be the three months of the season of the of of spring. Mamela, says the Chasam Sofer, that when the Gemara says Yemei Nissan, it doesn't mean Chodesh Nissan, the literal month of Nissan it actually means the season of spring the first month in the season of spring the days of Nissan which means if spring would actually start let's say test of Nissan see even if Nissan is after you have to test of year I don't know when the koofer this year is but past this the koofer is later cuz it's colder but the higher even like the sun cycle you would be able to accomplish being on time in Nissan cuz the mice if the spring let's say the month the three the chunk of spring only started in mid Nissan test of Nissan so then you would be able to make the brocha even if you mark but on the 30 days of Nissan even if you hold the higher maybe even if you hold up pick a ball you supposed to do it in Nissan the mice of the koofer is Nissan would be in halfway into year the Gamora says so we have so far high mound and off the Nissan the past this Nissan is love the after and the mailer we're going to still be making the brocha the burgers the loners even now as we're in mid year oh the koofer their koofer is I don't know if it's exactly tishrei and kiss love but it's in that area I would think so cuz the some say for not arguing on the with war the with war says you may Nissan love the after because you may Nissan means each place where it is and how the some say for explains you may Nissan doesn't mean the after roish choidish Nissan it means the days of Nissan the month of Nissan but in the koofer of spring so the mailer is after it war love the after in Australia you would do it actually in tishrei the higher would be the same thing how the some say for explains it's the first 30 days of the tkufa of the spring, which the idea is that in spring is when the tree start to blossom. So, in Australia, it's when it starts to blossom like the samsaif of the first 30 days. And over here, the first 30 days of spring. The Gemara says, "V'chazi." V'chazi and you saw. Is it the first time you see it? Or even if you saw the tree already once, but you didn't make the bracha, could you still make the bracha? I think this is very common and this is a good question, cuz people sometimes go to the tree to check out to see if it's blossoming. We'll get to it shortly what exactly you have to see, but to check out if the tree is ready, especially like a year this year, but even not, you want to know, you pass by the tree, you check to see if it's ready. And then, either you want to go back to bring your siddur to say it if the tree doesn't have a sign hanging with a bracha, or if you want to go back to bring your your family, your wife and kids to make the bracha together, so you saw it already, could you still make the bracha, the birchas ilanot, could you still make the bracha? The answer is you could still make the bracha. That's the answer, you could. You could still make the bracha. That's the answer. The The Maril says you could. The Mishna Berurah brings a halacha you could still make the bracha. Just to speak about it and clarify a bit on this topic of once you saw it already, if you can make a bracha, if we take a look by a place by makom she'nasa b'nes, ro'eh makom she'nasa b'nes, that you make a bracha, the din is that it's the first time you see it. If you see it and then you didn't get a chance to make the bracha and then you Oh, you didn't make the bracha, you want to go back to make the bracha, it has to be the first time you see it. The first time you see that place, obviously every 30 days you could do it, but it's the first time. And then and the same din not the same din, but that's the din over there. What's the din by Shehechiyanu by fruits? By fruits, the din is there's a shaila about what making the Shehechiyanu because there's a din in re'ah. And the Machtzis Hashekel says the Machtzis Hashekel says that the fi what the Magen Avraham says, there's a shaila on a fruit, could you only make it the Shehechiyanu the re'ah only the first time or even afterwards as well? Says the Machtzis Hashekel fi what the Magen Avraham says that you can only make it the first time. Says the Machtzis Hashekel, I hold the same thing should come out by Birchas Ilanos also only the first time that you see the tree could you make the bracha. The same din and even more says the Sha'ar HaTziyon, the Mishna Berurah says that I would think that here it's even worse by Birchas Ilanos, which means even if you'll tell me that by Shehechiyanu you saw the fruit once twice, you could still make a bracha. Says the Sha'ar HaTziyon, I hold that here it's worse and if you saw the tree once, you no longer can make the bracha the Birchas Ilanos. Why? Because by Shehechiyanu the shita is that the ar shita is and that's what we do, you make the bracha we do. We the ar shita is to make the bracha the Birchas Shehechiyanu when you eat the fruit. So mamila, when you eat the fruit, it's not worse than if you saw the fruit you saw 10 times. You make the bracha when you eat it, even though the bracha is on the re'ah you make it when you eat it. So therefore, it's fine even if you hold that you can make a bracha on the fruit after you saw it a few times. Toka l'achila. Masha'inkein over here by the Birchas Ilanos, the bracha is the re'ah. The first time you see the tree you make the bracha, afterwards you should not be able to make the bracha. That's what should come out. L'ma'aseh, l'ma'aseh what comes out is says the Mishna Berurah says the Sha'ar HaTziyun, even though I hold that it's even worse over here that you should need to make the brachah only the first time, says the Sha'ar HaTziyun, L'ma'aseh, like what I wrote before in the Mishna Berurah, l'halacha, that you can make a brachah even after the first time you saw the tree. So, the maila, this is very nigeya. People sometimes you pass by the tree, you see it, whether intentionally you go to check to see if the tree uh the if it if it blossomed, and you see that it blossomed, the maila, you could and then you don't make the brachah, yet still the din is you can make the brachah. One more din for now, there's still quite a bit more, and maybe we'll make a part two to the shiur. One more din which is mamash nigeya, just to understand, we'll skip a few lines a few words in the Gemara, we'll go into Malavlevi. What exactly and when exactly do you make the brachah? So, the Gemara says the Malavlevi, when is Malavlevi Malavlev? So, the Shulchan Aruch says Malavlevi means shemoitzei perach. Shemoitzei perach, you take a look in Parshas Korach, by the story with Korach, and they put the the mattos, and it says that a perach came out, and Targum over there says the Malavlevi. Livluv. Livluv means a flower. This is more or less what happens when the tree grows, a fruit tree, when in the season. First, the green leaves come out. After the green leaves come out, a flower grows. After the flower grows, the the flower falls down. And after the flower falls down, a fruit After the flower falls off, then there's a fruit. The most l'chatchila time to make the brachah is when the flower is there. That point of time, which is not a long time, but it's the time when the tree has when the tree the flower comes out, that's the that's the most time to make a to make a bracha when the flower comes out. Before that say the post come you cannot make a bracha. So it was important people were asking me they wanted to try to get Nissan especially they wanted to be marked but I pick a ball to make the bracha. You have to be careful when the tree is bare you for sure can't and the post come say even when the leaves come out the green leaves you still can't make a bracha. We'll speak to about we'll speak better to some in a future maybe in the next year about what type of trees is rock but let's just foreign finish up with what what you have to see. When it's bare you can't make when you I don't think it has to be a full flower but I don't Moitzi Parach you want to know if it has to be a full flower even the flower itself when it comes out first it's like a bulb it's a it's like a closed thing it has to open a little bit. Parach it says a flower so somewhere along the line of a flower you want to know if you have a beautiful huge flower you have to make sure cuz once it's big the next step is that it falls down. So the when it's a flower We see that not to make it when it's bare and even not when these leaves the Mishnah Berurah says the not enough it has to be a flower. What happens if the flower falls off? That's like a short period of time if you miss that period of time and now it's already now that the flower fell off so as we mentioned earlier you could still make the bracha. Close man that the the fruit is not big enough some say to the sheer that you already can make a but it's not big enough fully ripe you could still make the bracha but of course you should make it only you should only you should make it when when a flower but flat the Kafa Chaim he says he doesn't he says that after Perach means Perach Lav Lavi and once the flower falls if you can no longer make a Bracha. And he says you should make a Bracha without a Shem Malchus. Lamaisa the Shulchan Aruch the Mishna Berurah the Pasha says that you can make a Bracha even afterwards cause once the fruit is not completely done. So just to summarize what we have over here, the Gemara says Yomi Nissan Yomi Nissan the Pasha this is Lav Dafka and who had in besides of you for sure if you're in a different place in Australia but even over here even not Yomi Nissan you could still make the Bracha and the Bracha should be made Lichatchila Lav Lavi which means Motzi Perach when a flower comes out not before and B'dieved you can make it afterwards also. Have a wonderful Shabbos. Oh yeah.