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Esrog / Etrog: The Etrog is used with the
Lulav, Hadas (myrtle) and willow branch (Arava) at the Feast of Tabernacles,
or Sukkot . Of the Four Species of plants enumerated in Lev. xxiii. 40 , on
which the carrying of the lulav is based, tradition takes "the fruit of the
goodly tree" ( , properly "the fruit of a fair or noble tree") to designate
the citron.
The citron (κίτρον, κίτριον); Citrus fruit of a tree of the orange and lemon
family. It is oblong in shape, and sometimes as much as six inches in
length. The skin is thick, some what hard, fragrant, and covered with
protuberances; the pulp is white and subacid. Modern naturalists assume the
north of India to be its native home; but it passed to the countries of the
Mediterranean from Media or Persia ; hence the name of the tree, "Citrus
medica," and of the fruit, "Malum medica," or "Malum Persica"
It is therefore possible that the Jews brought the tree with them from
Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael on their return from the Babylonian Captivity.
 What to Look for In An Esrog
1.
A beautiful esrog
should be shaped like a tower, wide at the bottom
and narrow at the top.
The esrog should also be straight; it should be
recessed
inward at the bottom where the stem grows; it should
have
a 'pitim' on the end opposite from the stem; it
should be free of spots
and blemishes; and it should
be covered with bumps and depressions. |
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"and you shall take of yourselves on the first day (of
Sukkot) the fruit of a goodly tree, a palm branch, the myrtle branch,
and the willow of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the L-rd your
G-d seven days"
Leviticus 23 |
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(Esrog
grown
without pitim)
Click on the image for a larger view.
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2. If the esrog does not have all of these
features, it may still be valid for the sake of
the mitzvah. Therefore, if an esrog is not
recessed, the esrog is still valid, and an esrog
that is smooth - without bumps - is also valid.
And if the esrog does not have a 'pitim' it is
also valid, unless it originally had one and it
came off.
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3. If
part of the esrog's skin came off, or if it is dry, rotten,
or punctured, it is not valid. If there are spots or
blemishes that do not come off when a gentle rubbing, then
it should be shown to a Rabbinic authority.
4. An esrog must be a pure bred, and not grafted from
different species.
5. An
esrog can be quite large in size, but it should not be
smaller than an average egg. |
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The Festival of
Sukkot
begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day after Yom Kippur. It is quite a
drastic transition,
from one of the most solemn holidays in our year to one
of the most joyous.
This festival is sometimes referred to as Zeman
Simkhateinu, the Season of our Rejoicing.
Sukkot lasts for seven
days. The two days
following the festival are separate holidays, Shemini Atzeret and Simkhat Torah, but are
commonly
thought of as part of Sukkot.
The word "Sukkot"
means "booths," and refers to the temporary
dwellings that we are
commanded to live in
during
this holiday. The name of the holiday is frequently
translated
"The Feast of Tabernacles," which, like
many translations of technical Jewish terms, isn't
terribly useful unless you already know what the
term is
referring to. The Hebrew
pronunciation of
Sukkot is "Sue COAT," but is often
pronounced as in Yiddish,
to rhyme
with "BOOK us."
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Each day of Succos we
take the Lulav and Esrog and wave it gently
in every direction; right, left, forward, up,
down, and to
the rear, to show that Hashem is truly everywhere.
The
Blessing on the Lulav
Take the Lulav in your
right hand and say the blessing:
Boruch
Atoh Ado-noi E-lo-hei-nu Melech Ho-olom Asher Kid’shonu
B’mitzvoisov V’tzivonu Al Netilas Lulov.
The first time you do
this, also say the blessing “Sheh-heh-che-yonu:”
Boruch
Atoh Ado-noi E-lo-hei-nu Melech Ho-olom Sheh-heh-che-yonu
V’kee-monu
V’hi-gi-onu Lizman Hazeh.
During the morning
service, we take the Lulav and Esrog and
hold them during the Hallel prayer, waving them at
certain
points. Then we take out a Sefer torah and stand with it
in the center of the synagogue (on the Bima),
and circle
it, holding our Lulav, as we recite a special
prayer for blessing in the coming year. This is called
Hoshaa-nos. |
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