Opinion & Comment
Choosing a Kosher Esrog

Victors in Battle

Two litigants stand before a judge to hear the verdict in their longstanding legal battle. After months of deliberation, the judge pronounces his final ruling. How should we publicize who won the case? The medrash says that the triumphant side is presented with a "boyan," a special seal that identifies the victor.

Similarly, continues the medrash, before Yom Kippur there is a fierce battle in the heavens between the prosecuting angels of the Jewish people and the defending angels. We do not know which is the winning side until the Jewish people leave their homes on Succos. They come to shul bearing their trophy of victory: Hashem's royal seal, the daled minim.

Why did Hashem choose the lulav and esrog as His "medallion"?

Each of the four species represents a different sector of the Jewish people. The lulav, which bears fruit but has no smell, parallels the Jew who has Torah but is not as strong in mitzvos. The hadassim, which have a beautiful fragrance but do not yield fruit, parallel the Jew who is filled with mitzvos but less strong in Torah. The esrog, a beautiful fruit with a beautiful fragrance, represents the Jew with both Torah and mitzvos. The arovoh, which lacks both fruit and fragrance, corresponds to the Jew with neither Torah nor mitzvos (Yalkut Shimoni, Emor 23; see also Rosh, Sukkah 3: 26).

Our Sages tell us that victory in this spiritual battle can only come if the Jewish people are unified. Therefore, the four species are the most appropriate symbol to function as Hashem's royal seal. By bringing them together, we hint to the underlying reason for our success in battle. In this light, the daled minim portray Hashem's ultimate hope of unity among His people.

Colored Dots

Black, white, purplish-green, or blackish-brown dots are the number- one enemy of an esrog. Even the most exquisitely formed, strikingly colored, elegantly shaped esrog is completely unfit for use if it possesses a single noticeable disqualifying dot on its chotem (upper section). Why are the halachos on the chotem more stringent than those of the rest of the esrog?

Rashi makes a fascinating observation. A major change takes place in the formation of the esrog at the point where its upper part starts to make a radical slant upwards. The human eye is naturally attracted to anything out of the ordinary, so it notices this part of the esrog first. Our Sages were therefore especially stringent with regard to this part of the esrog.

Two or three such dots below the chotem also render the esrog unfit, if they are spread out on most of the surface of the esrog. Since whichever way the esrog is held a black dot will always be noticeable, the esrog is considered spotted and is labeled menumar (leopard-like). A slight variation in the positioning of these dots can determine if the esrog is kosher or not; one should show such an esrog to a rov (Shulchan Oruch 648: 9-12).

Since these halachos are all guidelines to determine the beauty of an esrog, they only apply to dots that can be seen at first glance by someone with average vision (i.e. from a distance of forty to fifty centimeters). If one has to stare at an esrog to see the dot, it is as if the spot is not there and the esrog maintains its status of mehudar (Mogen Avrohom 648: 18). Certainly one should not use a magnifying glass to determine whether a black dot is noticeable. (This is in contrast to a choseir [i.e. part of the esrog is missing] which renders the esrog invalid and applies on the first day of Succos. An esrog may be considered choseir even if only a small piece is missing [Shulchan Oruch 648: 2]).

Blotches and Splotches

Other blemishes that mar the beauty of an esrog include the tan-colored scars referred to as bletlech. These scars are often caused by the thorns on the leaves of the esrog tree that prick the esrog during its growth. Since these scars are part of the normal development of the esrog and people are accustomed to seeing them, they do not render the esrog unfit for use. However, an esrog that is clean of these marks is considered to be more mehudar, especially if the chotem is clean.

Wear-and-tear inevitably cause brown blotches to appear on an esrog. Once again, these marks do not invalidate the esrog, but they certainly take away from the exquisite splendor that is natural to this fruit. These blemishes can be reduced significantly by always holding the esrog carefully between one's fingertips, even while shaking the lulav.

Imagine how an esrog looked in a large community that only had access to one set of daled minim. In one such case, the esrog was so worn-out from handling that it was almost unrecognizable. When the Chasam Sofer was asked about the kashrus of this esrog, he replied that not only was it kosher, it was a hiddur mitzvah to make a brochoh over an esrog that had been used by so many Jews. However, since this ruling is not accepted by all poskim, one should do everything he can to avoid using such an esrog.

Missing Esrog

"And you shall take (ulekachtem) [the daled minim]." Our Sages expound: "velokach-tam," and you shall take something whole, meaning that an esrog must be complete and not choseir (missing part of its flesh). Even a small nick, which removes some of the esrog's surface, could render it invalid if it penetrates deep enough (Sha'ar HaTzion 548: 27). [This is in contrast to the bletlech caused by prickly thorns, where the surface of the esrog grows back.]

"Rebbe Chanina took a bite out of his esrog and then used the remaining portion for the mitzvah of daled minim" (Succah 36b). At first glance, this gemara is baffling: how could Rebbe Chanina use his esrog after taking a bite out of it? Was it not invalid? Rebbe Chanina wanted to teach the halochoh that the disqualification of choseir only applies on the first day of Succos -- when taking a lulav and esrog is a Torah obligation -- and not on the remaining days. Nonetheless, it is preferable to try to find a complete esrog for the remaining days of chol hamoed, since some say that in this instance the esrog is rendered invalid for the entire festival.

Other examples of chaser include damage to the oketz (stem at the bottom of the esrog) or pitum (the stick that juts out from the top of the esrog). [According to some poskim this is considered a problem of hadar and disqualifies the esrog on all days.] In many cases, in which part or all of the oketz or the pitum is damaged or broken, the esrog is invalid. However, if the pitum fell off at the early stages of its development and its lack is no longer noticeable (i.e. the skin of the fruit grew over it), the esrog is kosher.

Size and Shape

Chazal question whether an esrog that is smaller than the size of an egg (about one hundred cubic centimeters) has completed its growth. They answer that if the fruit reached this size before the holiday but shrank later, the esrog should still be considered kosher. However, since some poskim require that the esrog maintain its size for the duration of the festival, one should make sure to choose an esrog that is a little bigger than this size, to allow for some shriveling.

"Rebbe Akiva once walked into the beis haknesses with an esrog so large that he had to carry it on his shoulders" (Sukkah 36b). Theoretically, there is no maximum size for an esrog, as Rebbe Akiva so vividly portrayed. However, aside from the great probability of finding an invalidating blemish on a large esrog, it could be difficult to hold such an esrog together with the other species during Hallel. Therefore, even if they are technically kosher, undersized and oversized esrogim are not considered mehudar by most poskim.

Taste and Aroma

As mentioned previously, the lulav, whose fruit has a taste but not an aroma, is compared to the Jew who is strong in Torah but lacking in mitzvos. A person who excels in mitzvos but is weak in Torah is compared to a hadass, which has a fragrance but doesn't produce fruit. Why did our Sages equate learning Torah to the sense of taste, and performing mitzvos to the sense of smell?

Food that tastes good but that has no aroma is pleasurable to the person eating it, but gives no pleasure to those sitting near him. Food that smells delicious but is tasteless gives both the person eating and those around him pleasure from the aroma, but no one experiences the entire pleasure of eating the food.

Correspondingly, a Jew who learns Torah but who does not actively involve himself with mitzvos may feel tremendous self-gratification, but others cannot feel the direct benefit of his toil. Similarly, someone who is fervently involved with mitzvos but does not learn Torah may help many people, but he is missing the true taste of Divine service. Only the exceptional individual who synthesizes both Torah and mitzvos can be considered a complete Jew.

An old man once walked into the Ponevezh yeshiva and asked for "Elozor Menachem." Shocked that someone would refer to the Rosh Yeshiva by his first name, the talmidim asked him what he wanted from Rav Shach. He replied that eighty years ago they had studied together in yeshiva, but had not been in contact since.

Delighted at the opportunity to hear about the Rosh Yeshiva's youth, the talmidim asked the elderly man what Rav Shach had been like as a young bochur. He replied that although the Rosh Yeshiva was unbelievably diligent in his Torah study, there was not a single student in the yeshiva who did not benefit from Rav Shach's tremendous acts of kindness. The Rosh Yeshiva was an esrog according to all standards.

In the merit of strengthening ourselves in both Torah and mitzvos, may we merit to carry Hashem's seal of the daled minim on Succos, to see the ultimate unity of the Jewish people that these plants represent, and witness the coming of Moshiach, speedily in our days.

(This article was taken from Days of Majesty -- Experiencing the Royalty of Elul, Tishrei and Shabbos, a new sefer published by Feldheim).

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