mechael benton asked:
on your insights page it states that trees weaken the land. I wonder how this could be so, when in fact we know that trees help the land to stay solid and help to avoid runoff and mud- (I live in Southern California where we have mud-slides).
mechael benton, los angeles, usa
The Kollel replies:
It is all a matter of context. When the Gemara and Rashbam here say that trees "weaken the land" around them, they are referring to vegetable farming. Trees can have a bad effect on vegetables planted in their immediate vicinity (by blocking light etc.). That is the only way trees adversely affect the land around them in our Gemara.
Best wishes,
Mordecai Kornfeld
Kollel Iyun Hadaf