PSA: fruit/veggie picking on chol hamoed:

amother

OP ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 2:14 pm

DH just learnt that one can only pick fruits & vegetables on chol hamoed, if it will be used for yom tov! I didn't know this.
We thought of taking the kids fruit picking on chol hamoed but we won't be able to use all fruit for yom tov so we scratched that.

Elfrida ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 2:30 pm

Pocking fruit and vegetables is a melacha, which should not be done on Chol haMoed. I'm always puzzled at how it became a Chol HaMoed activity.

You can do a melacha for the needs of the chag, but not just because you feel like it. So if you go fruit picking, you need to use at least the majority of it for the needs of the chag, which means s eating it either during Chol haMoed, or on Yom Tov.

amother

Nasturtium

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 3:05 pm

people don’t ask.
they see other people doing something and they just do the same.
they don’t want to hear that it isn’t permitted.

yes, it says in shulchan aruch that one may not pick fruits and veges on chol hamoed.

amother

Broom

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 3:45 pm

amother Lotus wrote:

I know. I remember dh told me this and I was so disappointed. produce picking is such a chol hamoed thing to do.

We go and use the vast majority for yt. Was told it’s totally fine.

amother

↑ Lotus

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 3:46 pm

amother Broom wrote:

We go and use the vast majority for yt. Was told it’s totally fine.

dh said we can pick as much as we think we'll use but we don't use much. my kids prefer picking to eating.

amother

Oatmeal

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 3:47 pm

My dh says it says in Sefer “chol hamoed kihilchasa” that if you are going fruit picking for the enjoyment of it, you are allowed to go on chol hamoed. If you are going fruit picking because you need the food, like a farmer does, then it’s forbidden

amother

Nectarine

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 3:51 pm

amother Oatmeal wrote:

Yes, that's what I'm familiar with. If you're doing it for enjoyment, it falls under a different category. It's not the same as doing it as per the required food growing process.

Molly Weasley ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 3:53 pm

amother Oatmeal wrote:

That must be a misquote. It's literally the opposite of what the halacha is.

watergirl

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 3:58 pm

Elfrida wrote:

This is a major ask your LOR thing. To me, if one needed fresh fruit or veg on chol hamoed and the only option was to go and pick it from a stem, then that's one thing. But to davka make this an activity is another thing. You really have to ask. Because if one needs apples or strawberries for chag, they can go "pick" it from the produce section at the store. Same reason my rav said we can not paint pottery on chol hamoed - it's one of the things one is not supposed to do. I go to work on chol hamoed because I have to. Painting pottery, fruit picking - all really fun activities but it's a shailah for your own rav.

↑ Elfrida

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 4:18 pm

amother Oatmeal wrote:

Can he give a reference? Because I just looked it up, and this is what I found.

Last edited by Elfrida on Mon, Oct 14 2024, 4:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

↑ Molly Weasley ↓

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 4:18 pm

watergirl wrote:

You are allowed to pick fresh even if you could buy it at the local grocery, or have bought it before Yom. tov

Btw, some hold little children can go apple picking as long as older children and adults don't participate

↑ Molly Weasley

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 4:24 pm

Elfrida wrote:

Can he give a reference? Because I just looked it up, and this is what I found.

https://I.imgur.com/nBgp3OW.jpeg

https://I.imgur.com/yRnUr93.jpeg

I checked her actual source. she must have gotten it mixed up.

amother

↑ OP

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 4:31 pm

amother Oatmeal wrote:

We asked this question from our Rav. If we can go for enjoyment. The answer was only if we'd eat most on yom tov.
It's considered melacha even if we enjoy it.

amother

Snow

Mon, Oct 14 2024, 4:31 pm

According to my Rav, all 39 melachos are Asur on Chol Hamoed EXCEPT what one needs for Chol Hamoed itself or for the last days.
His example was tearing toilet paper on the lines for Chol Hamoed - mutar.
Tearing for the last days- mutar.
But tearing on Chol Hamoed for the rest of the year- 100% Assur.

What gets complicated is doing melacha for enjoyment of Chol Hamoed.