Jerusalem – An ancient plum tree growing in Tiverya’s ancient cemetery has lately been attracting believers from all over the world. They have been picking its fruit as a segula to recover from illness and live long.
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Tiveryans say that the tree was planted 270 years ago near the graves of 4 famous tzadikim: Rav Chaim Abulafia, who renewed the Jewish settlement in the city (d. 1744), Rav Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, the primary disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch who was instrumental in spreading Chassidism throughout Belarus (d. 1788), Rav Yitzchak Smadja, and Rav Nachman of Ordinka, the grandfather of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav.
Moshe Krauthammer, who runs the Chevra Kadisha and is director of the Tiveryan cemetery, says, “My family has been living in Tiverya for 8 generations. We have a tradition passed down by each generation that one may not touch the tree or cut it down, and it must be left to grow.
“But Jews from all over the world have been visiting the tree, and taking its leaves and fruits as a segula for a recovery. Word got around and now the cemetery is swamped with visitors.”
What is the halacha regarding fruit grown in a cemetery? is it allowed to be eaten?
Once again, we look for every segula in the world except the one that really works, “V’atem hadevekim bashem elokeichem, chaim kulchem hayom”.
Its osur To Cut Down ANY Fruit Tree , And That Tradition Is In MY Family Going Back To matan tora !
Think of the money you could make selling this stuff on Ebay! This is almost as weird as the goyim who see “images” of their idols in pieces of toast.
What is next? Are we going to see people preserving towels used by gedolim like the Elvis worshipers do? Will there be creepy people with half-eaten sandwiches in their freezer because it was leftovers from a particular gadol? Where does this end?
It is deffenitly a SEGULAH for ARICHAS YOMIM if you eat these fruit for the next 70 years !!!!!!!
Just make sure the figs aren’t full of bugs like most figs are..
I think yiddin are beginning to act more and more like goyim with all this nareshkiet about eating fruit from a tree in a cemetary or making pilgrimages to the kevers of
less-than-gadolim to seek their Zchus…..this is borderline avodah zorah and those who engage in such behavior should be aware
What’s wrong with eating the cherries?
Devarim 20:19. It’s from the Torah, not from R’ Yehuda Hachassid.
check gemarah megila page29 side a third tosfot on page
Number 13. Please see CHumash Parshas Shoftim. Perek 20, verses 19 & 20.
To number 4. You asked :
“What is next? Are we going to see people preserving towels used by gedolim like the Elvis worshipers do? Will there be creepy people with half-eaten sandwiches in their freezer because it was leftovers from a particular gadol? Where does this end?”
Yes people do similar things. I was in crown heights a few years ago and a street vendor was selling honey cake made from the dough of the same original batch that made a cake that the Rabbe had eaten from. This was several years after the Rebbe’s petira. They said that they kept making a new dough from the old, and they sold it to a non jew for Pesach. And they were selling vials containg “holy” water that was from the mikvah that the Rebbe had been in.
A few readers asked if it was permissible to eat fruits that grew on a cemetery:
It seems that it is permissible:
Please see:
שולחן ערוך יורה דעה הלכות אבילות סימן שסח
וכן מותר ליהנות מהעשבים שעל הקברות או פירות אילנות שעליהם לצורך הקברות
Also the “Beiur Hagr”a” regarding if a Kohen’s father asks him to go to cemetery (which is forbidden for a Kohen), the Gr”a explains that the father didn’t just ask to go to the cemetery for nothing, but to bring him fruit.
ביאור הגר”א יורה דעה סימן רמ
יכול א”ל אביו היטמא לא לחנם אלא להביא פירות מבית הקברות
So, it would seem indirectly that Gr”a is of the opinion it was permissible to eat fruits that grew on a cemetery.
I personally know 3 cases, one man dug up his fruit tree in his back yard and moved it to another location and the tree died and shortly afterwards at the age of 55 he got cancer and died 2 weeks ago! I also know of two ladies who just TRIMmed the fruit trees and both of them got cancer and almost died! They have been fighting the disease for the past 8 years! Nebach, so there is definitly something about cutting fruit trees!!
i am familiar with a wild berry tree that was almost on top of a private home and creating damage. the rabonin were matir trimming the tree and not let it grow wild and create damage.
Greetings
I am assuming that many of the above writers are city dwellers and know little about fruit tree cultivation. Especially Nebach.
With many fruit trees, if you do not trim the branches, you are harming the tree. It becomes too dense, hard to harvest, problems with insects, etc.
Does the prohibition against cutting down include trimming for the health of the tree?
Klal Yisroel needs parnossoh. Everyone looks for his niche according to his abilities. These people are no worse than the chai rottel scam artists.