To The Editor:
With regard to "Meoros Daf Hayomi - 15 Elul":
When the Maharil wrote about tapuchei adomo he did not
mean potatoes.
As your feature states, potatoes only came to Europe after
Columbus discovered America. That was in 5252 (1492). The
Maharil was niftar on 22 Elul 5187 (1427), 65 years
earlier.
My late father, R. Yosef Halpern zt'l, used to say
that the lack of knowledge of these dates was a factor in the
consideration of all those poskim who quote the
Maharil, and that in his opinion the Maharil may have
been referring to the kohlrabi which is of a similar shape to
the apple.
Yours faithfully,
D. M. Halpern
