Siman 646 – The Haddas

וChelek 6

16. Some haddasim have berries growing on them. Green ones are okay but red or black berries disqualify the haddas if there are more berries, then leaves. You can remove berries to reduce the number and the haddas will become kosher. If you need the haddas for your bundle, you aren’t allowed to reduce the berries on Yom Tov – it’s like tikun. (ShA 2 – MB 7)

17. A proper haddas has three leaves emerging from each level, so the twig appears to be covered by braided leaves. One leaf should not be lower than the other two. (ShA 2 –MB 10)

18. A haddas whose leaves grow staggered – two on one level and then one lower, two and then one etc. – is not a true haddas. It is called a “haddas shoteh” and is possul. The Rama brings a minhag in his country that accepted a haddas shoteh. The Gr”a says that this is not to be relied upon. (ShA 3 –MB 13, 15)

19. The best mitzva is for the haddas to bear a three-leaf formation along its entire length. (ShA 5)

20. As long as the majority of the haddas’ length bears this 3-leaf formation, the haddas is kasher. It does not matter whether the minority of the length is “shoteh” (see above #18) or if the minority of the haddas is completely missing its leaves, the haddas is kasher. (ShA 5 – MB 18)

21. The majority is counted anywhere along the length of the haddas—even from the bottom—even interspersed. (MB 19 – BeH “ul’ikuvah”)

22. Many Acharonim agree that if one leaf falls off from each group of three, the haddas is still kasher since it still has the majority of leaves. (MB 17 – BeH “ul’ikuvah”)

23. The “majority” must be only from the minimum shiur. Later in Siman 650 we will learn that the minimum shiur for a haddas is 3 tefachim. So the majority of the shiur is 1.6 tefachim. Therefore, even if the haddas is 4 tefachim long, the requirement to be 3-leaved is only on 1.6 tefachim of your haddas. (BeH “ul’ikuvah”)

24. A haddas that has lost its green color and the leaves have turned pale is possul. If you are not sure, you can make the following test: steep it in water for a day or two—if it comes out still brittle and pale, it is possul. (ShA 7 – MB 20)

25. A dried haddas whose top three leaves are still green is kasher. (ShA 8)

26. If the top three leaves are wilted, there is a dispute whether they redeem the entire dried stem. Don’t use it on the first day since it is a sofek d’oraisa. (ShA 9 – MB 27)

27. The top of the haddas stem is covered by the extending leaves. Therefore, there is an opinion that if the very top of the stem is clipped off, it’s still “haddar” and kasher because the leaves cover the clipped stem. Rely on this only if you have no other haddas. (ShA 10 – MB 32)

28. Let’s say the top of the stem is clipped and the top leaves are also missing—exposing the clipped top—you can fix the haddas by clipping the stem even shorter so it will be hidden among the next set of leaves. Two caveats: don’t shorten below 3 tefachim, and do not fix the haddas on Yom Tov. (ShaH 32)

29. The “clipped-top” disqualification does not apply to the top leaves of the haddas , nor to the small stems jutting out from the side of the main stem. (These should be clipped off.) (Rama 10 –

30. The opinion that disqualifies clipped-top hadas also disqualifies a dried top—dried to the point of losing color. Therefore, dried top leaves should be fixed by just removing them; the hadas is kasher lechatchila. (MB 31, 34)