Page 18 - HaMizrachi # 23 Sukkot Simchat Torah 2020 USA

GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu ל”צז

The Ethics of Etrogim

SHORT ETROG STORIES

The $1,000 Etrog pride come to me). “This etrog did not kasher?’ I said. ‘Not mehudar?’
(Heard from the etrog dealer who used match its mnemonic.” ‘Kasher.’ I kissed his hand and left.
to bring etrogim to Rav Eliahu.) The Rav’s Own Etrog I’d barely closed the door when some-
av Eliahu was famous for being When the dealer brought Rav Eliahu one came out and said,” Excuse me, the
able to assess an etrog in sec- Rav asks you to come back inside.’
Ronds. He would check hun- etrogim for himself and his family, he The Rav smiled at me and said, ‘Let’s
dreds of etrogim yet despite the huge would bring him the very best he had. do an exchange deal. You give me your
quantity, he never once said “pasul”) The Rav would select a few, lay them etrog, the kosher one, and I’ll give you
invalid), but only “take another one.” all out in a line and say, “This one’s the mine, the mehudar one.’
most beautiful, but I won’t take it. I’ll
Only once did I hear him say “pasul.” take this one or that one.” I blushed and couldn’t stop the tears. I
A man came in and proudly told the gratefully accepted the Rav’s offer and
Rav: “I paid $1,000 for this beautiful When the dealer asked him why he I was the happiest boy in town.
etrog!” The Rav looked at it and asked didn’t take the most beautiful one for The next day, I went to daven in Rav
the man: “If this etrog is pasul, will himself he replied, “So as not to make Eliahu’s shul. I wanted to see what
you get your money back?” “Yes,” said Jews feel bad. When they see the Rabbi etrog he would make the beracha on.
the man, “I bought it on condition the has an etrog with a slight dent – that Lo and behold… mine!
he too is not perfect – they will value
Rav says it’s kosher.” “Tell me,” replied Suddenly, I understood.
Rav Eliahu. “Have you bought your their own etrog more. They won’t
wife some jewelry for the chag? That’s think it’s sub-standard. And they won’t Zionist Etrogim
also a mitzvah – ךגחב תחמשו!” The think that Rabbis take the best for “Once I visited Rav Eliahu and we
man mumbled something and the Rav themselves and leave whatever’s left were talking about Rabbi Yisrael Abu-
decreed: “Pasul!” for everyone else. “ hatzeira, the Baba Sali zt”l. ‘Come, I’ll
“Pasul?! How can it be pasul?” Fair Swap show you something,’ said the Rav,
and took out what looked like some
The Rav turned the etrog over and “When I was eight, my father was very thin sticks. ‘What are they?’ I
showed the man a very small hole near tragically killed in an accident. When asked. ‘Dry etrogim originally grown in
the stipe, partially covered by the stipe I reached bar mitzvah, I really wanted Morocco. The Baba Sali used to send
itself. And when the Rav moved the my own etrog but my mother couldn’t me some every year.’
leaf, he revealed signs of a caterpillar afford it. I saved up, little by little,
burrowing into the fruit. until I had enough to go to Machane Then he added: ‘I never made a bera-
cha on them though. I only say a
“You don’t need to splash out $1,000 Yehuda and buy my very own etrog in beracha on etrogim from our holy
on an etrog. It’s fine to buy a mehu- a sealed box which said “mehudar” on Land. I told that to the Baba Sali and
dar (halachically beautiful) etrog like the lid! I was overjoyed. he still sent me his Moroccan ones.
everybody else for 100 shekels and go But when I opened the box, the etrog But there’s nothing like the sanctity
make your wife happy with the rest really wasn’t that beautiful. I didn’t of Eretz Yisrael and the etrogim of our
of the money. That’s a positive Torah know whether I’d been deceived or holy Land.”
mitzvah!” that I just didn’t know the halachot, so Translated and adapted from www.
After the man left, we asked the Rav I decided to knock on Rav Mordechai yeshiva.org.il.
how he had managed to spot that Eliahu’s door (he lived very close to
tiny hidden hole. He told us that in us). Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu ל”צז was the
Chassidic tradition, גורתא stands for The Rav studied my etrog from all Rishon LeTzion and Sephardi Chief Rabbi
הוואג לגר ינאובת לא (let not the foot of angles… ‘Kasher (kosher).’ ‘Only of Israel.

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