Comments on: Pomegranate physics for Passover http://www.torahflora.org/2008/08/pomegranate-physics-for-passover/ Plants and nature in Bible and Jewish tradition Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:01:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Jon http://www.torahflora.org/2008/08/pomegranate-physics-for-passover/comment-page-1/#comment-40 Jon Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:36:25 +0000 http://www.torahflora.org/?p=130#comment-40 Good points! Thank you for helping to clarify this issue. It is interesting to see that the gemara's concept of a cost-benefit analysis was so practical and effective for well over a thousand years before Robert MacNamara brought it to the US Defense Department in the early 1960s. To avoid confusion, we should also point out that the Noda b'Yehudah does not actually condone sport hunting by Jews. He forbids it in strong language, although he does make clear, as Rabbi Brody points out above, that it is not forbidden for reasons of "bal tahschit" (needless destruction). Jon Greenberg Good points! Thank you for helping to clarify this issue. It is interesting to see that the gemara’s concept of a cost-benefit analysis was so practical and effective for well over a thousand years before Robert MacNamara brought it to the US Defense Department in the early 1960s.

To avoid confusion, we should also point out that the Noda b’Yehudah does not actually condone sport hunting by Jews. He forbids it in strong language, although he does make clear, as Rabbi Brody points out above, that it is not forbidden for reasons of “bal tahschit” (needless destruction).

Jon Greenberg

]]> By: Rabbi Moshe Brody http://www.torahflora.org/2008/08/pomegranate-physics-for-passover/comment-page-1/#comment-37 Rabbi Moshe Brody Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:27:36 +0000 http://www.torahflora.org/?p=130#comment-37 Just a two comments: On the issue of the Korban Pesach being roasted on Pomegranate wood and not being included in the issur of cutting down fruit trees, I would suggest that they wouldn't cut down the whole tree but rather a branch or two in which there is no issur since the Torah's prohibition is cutting down a whole tree- not parts. Secondly and more importantly the issur (as the Ramba"m describes in Hilchos Melachim (6:8,10)is to cut down Derech hashchasa-for the purpose of destruction not if one has a purpose in cutting it down. This is clear since the issur Ba'al tashchis comes from this as the Ramba"m states there. Thus if there is a purpose it is mutar. [note the famous teshuva of the Noda Biyehuda about hunting which is brought down in the PT in YD (i forget the source now) which says that there is no ban of ba'al tashchis when it comes to hunting as a sport since it gives pleasure to the hunter and thus not included in the act of hashchasa). Secondly the source for the Raba"m is Hilchos Korban Pesach 8:10-not 10:8 Just a two comments:
On the issue of the Korban Pesach being roasted on Pomegranate wood and not being included in the issur of cutting down fruit trees, I would suggest that they wouldn’t cut down the whole tree but rather a branch or two in which there is no issur since the Torah’s prohibition is cutting down a whole tree- not parts. Secondly and more importantly the issur (as the Ramba”m describes in Hilchos Melachim (6:8,10)is to cut down Derech hashchasa-for the purpose of destruction not if one has a purpose in cutting it down. This is clear since the issur Ba’al tashchis comes from this as the Ramba”m states there. Thus if there is a purpose it is mutar. [note the famous teshuva of the Noda Biyehuda about hunting which is brought down in the PT in YD (i forget the source now) which says that there is no ban of ba’al tashchis when it comes to hunting as a sport since it gives pleasure to the hunter and thus not included in the act of hashchasa).
Secondly the source for the Raba”m is Hilchos Korban Pesach 8:10-not 10:8

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