Q&A: 🎷🎻Grapes, grapes 🍇 has the time of our redemption arrived?
🎷🎻Grapes, grapes 🍇 has the time of our redemption arrived?
Question
At the moment, in honor of Tu Bishvat, there is an abundance of fruits from all over the world.
Also fresh grapes 🍇.
They come from South Africa.
Is there any reason to be stringent and not buy produce from antisemites?
More generally, what is the force of the custom to eat all kinds of fruits?
Answer
Is this a Jewish law question? There is no halakhic prohibition against buying from antisemites. But logically, there is certainly a reason not to buy from them, although the effect of that is probably negligible.
There is a custom to eat fruits because it is the New Year for the tree. People hang this on various kabbalistic books, for those who believe in that.
Discussion on Answer
Even if the effect is negligible, it could be that morally one still should not do it, like the Rabbi explained regarding the fact that Moses did not strike the Nile—not so as not to offend the Nile, but so that he [Moses] would become more moral—and so too here.
I saw that some claim this is a tradition starting from the time of Shabbetai Tzvi and onward.
People eat grapes because they are one of the Seven Species.