Over a decade ago, my husband found the most beautiful esrog that I had ever seen. It was perfect! All Sukkos, I thought about the concept of perpetuating those fantastic esrog genes. After Yom Tov, I brought it to school and we had a project/lab. We cut open the esrog, noticed how different it was from a lemon, and planted the seeds. Everyone said that it couldn’t be done, and even after it sprouted, they said, “So, even though it started growing, what will you do now? You can’t grow an esrog tree in Rochester! It’s never been done. We get snowstorms!”

Just like our flourishing community, our little esrog tree grew and grew, spending winter inside and summer outside. Finally, five years ago, our tree found a permanent home in the front hallway of Derech HaTorah, Rochester’s Torah elementary school. It started to blossom and flower, but wouldn’t bear fruit. We turned to our favorite consultant, “Zaide Reuven,” Dr. David Wiseman of Dallas, Texas, a medical research scientist and esrog grower. He advised us that our tree needed nitrogen. Shortly thereafter, our tree once again flowered and, at long last, started to grow fruit!

Imagine the excitement of coming to school each day in the spring, getting off the bus and checking on the budding fruit. Envision watering the tree and helping the principal “buzz” around the tree with a mini-brush, spreading the pollen and helping new esrogim grow. Then, picture the thrill of returning to school in the fall and seeing beautiful, full-grown esrogim hanging on the tree. Is there another school in the country (or the world) with such fortunate talmidim?

Our next step was asking shailos. We checked with Rav Shmuel Feurst, dayan of Agudath Israel of Illinois, to make sure that there were no issues, since our tree is not attached to the ground. After extensive research, the rov assured us that our esrogim are completely kosher and that he himself would make a bracha on one of our esrogim. Finally, we invited the rosh yeshiva, Rav Menachem Davidowitz, to visit the school to personally inspect the esrogim. We were honored with not only a visit and inspection, but – with the whole school assembled – the rosh yeshiva gave a mini-shiur about esrogim and then, with the help of several Derech HaTorah talmidim, he cut down three beautiful esrogim. The rosh yeshiva also brought along a bais medrash bochur, Yehuda Greenberg, who also happens to be an esrog dealer in Queens. He helped evaluate, inspect and grade our esrogim.

All yeshivos are struggling in today’s economy, but how many can add a budget line (in the revenue section) from esrog sales?! The esrogim are up for auction and the thrill driving the auction is not only for the zechus of purchasing a beautiful esrog and supporting Torah education, but also the idea – especially for Rochesterians – of being able to fulfill the mitzvah of Arba Minim by using an esrog grown in Rochester!

{Matzav.com Newscenter}

1. Assemble your lulav bundle before the start of Yom Tov.
2. Hold the lulav with the spine (smooth side) towards you and slide it into the middle hole of the koishekle (holder).
3. Place one ring around the holder and one or two rings on the lulav itself so that the lulav rustles slightly when shaken gently.
4. Place the three twigs of Hadas (myrtle – small leaves like eyes) in the pocket on the right of the holder with the tops about 4” below the top of the shidra (the part of the spine where the topmost leaves emerge from it).
5. Place the two leaves of Arava (willow – long leaves, like lips) in the pocket on the left of the holder. Their tops should be a little lower than the tops of the hadassim.
6. Tighten the rings.
7. Caring for your lulav and esrog
8. Cut a rectangle of aluminium foil large enough to cover the willow and myrtle. Lay it flat and cover with a paper towel or newspaper slightly smaller.
9. Moisten the paper slightly and wrap the paper and foil around the lulav bundle.
10. Place the lulav bundle in the plastic bag and store in a cool place, preferably the refridgerator.
11. When not in use, keep the lulav bundle wrapped with the moist paper/foil. Periodically moisten the paper.
12. Keep the esrog in its plastic bag within the foam-lined box.

To order download the order form by clicking the pdf file below.

Last year (5765) as I reunite the seasonal center of operations for Zaide Reuven’s Esrog Farm with its more regular tenant, my motor vehicle, I have in my hand the last box. A long beaten up and perforated cardboard box about four feet long, ten inches wide and six inches tall. And as I contemplate the disposition of this box, I think about its origin. It is an Egyptian box. It came from Egypt. And in it were lulavs. Lulavim. Unopened fronds from the center of the palm tree. And I wonder.

Fast forward eight months and we hear that the Egyptians have decided to ban the export of lulavim. After thousands of years of growing date palms, (and probably thousands of years of cutting lulavim) someone has just realised that cutting the lulav damages the tree.

So what now? My partner reminds me to trust in the Almighty who will see to it that His people will not be without the materials to perform the mitzvah of the Four Species. I opine that perhaps this is a wakeup call to Am Yisroel on the subject of unity. After all, the mitzvah of the Four Species is about unity – recall the Midrash that relates each of the Four Species to a particular segment of the Jewish People. Those with taste and smell (they know and perform mitvot – esrog), taste but no smell (they know but don’t perform – lulav), smell but no taste (they perform but do not know – hadas), and neither taste nor smell (no knowledge or performance – aravos). In taking all Four Species together we unite the Jewish People in the service of God.

In jeopardy this year are the lulav Jews. Those who know their responsibilities, but fail to keep them. But they stood to jeopardize all of us. Our unity. Was this a wake up call that had something to do with the some focus of infighting? Perhaps the Disengagement/Expulsion from Gush Katif? Am Yisrael was certainly disunited over that one. Were we being given a message that went something like this: “So you want to perform a mitzvah that has to do with unity?, You must show Me some unity first.”?

So with these thoughts circling around in my head, like the circuits of Hoshana Rabbah, I set off for Israel, among other things determined once and for all to find a good source of Israel lulavim. This would alleviate the expected shortage and would also develop a way to support the Israeli economy. In Israel of late August the talk was of the Disengagement and the devastating effect it was having on Israeli (Jewish) unity. Driving from Jerusalem up the Jordan Valley to Bet Shean I marveled at the spectacular scenery of date plantations verdantly punctuating the desert landscape. As I encircled and then approached Jericho, climbing up the incline from the Jordan before turning north, I could not help but imagine my ancestors marching up this same slope preparing for the encirclement that would bring Jericho’s walls crashing to the ground. They were unified. They were together. Look what they could accomplish when they were unified. More thoughts of Hoshana Rabbah and wonderment about whether we (and our Four Species) would be unified this Hoshana Rabbah.

Outside of Bet Shean I visited one date farm. The ride to the top of a palm 50 feet in the air to cut a lulav was spectacular. I can see why the Talmud says (Eruvin 19a) that if the entrance to the Garden of Eden is in Israel, it is in Bet Shean, because of the quality of its fruit.

A short drive further north and I met another date farmer who really knew lulavim. Here was a good source. Mission accomplished (at least I thought).

Driving back to Tel Aviv I called my partner, Yacov Shlomo Rothberg, who told me that our lulav supplier (Rabbi Wilman) had manage to secure one of only two shipments of 100,000 Egyptian lulavim that were just released to the United States. No need to worry. No need for the Israeli lulavim.

Back home and still with a knawing feeling inside, I made arrangements to obtain some of the fine Israel lulavim that I had seen on my trip. Rabbi Braunstein had no Californian lulavim this year because his trees were being relocated, but he was extremely helpful in verifying that my Israeli lulavim were good. Confident about our Egyptian lulav supply and with all of my arrangements in place I was ready for the 5766 season…

Until Erev Rosh Hashana. About 3pm my partner called to tell me we have no lulavim. Zero. Not one. The expected shipment had vanished into thin air. So I called my travel agent. Get me on the first plane to NY on Tzom Gedalia. I will come back with lulavim. Called the chap in NY who was bringing in the Israeli lulavim to confirm that I would be picking some up from him.

And then Rosh Hashana. Boy did I daven well!! Motzei Yom Tov Bed at 12.30am, up at 4.30 and on the plane at 6.30am. The stewardess was not crazy about me secluding myself in the back of the plane to wind some strange leather straps and boxes around myself, but I managed to say Selichos, daven Shacheris, finish a daf and get some sleep.

In NY the phonecalls started. The disappearing lulavs had, it seemed, somehow shown up with another big lulav dealer. The price was through the roof. $8 a piece unchecked. Where to go first? I decided to secure my Israeli lulavim at least. A long ride to Monroe, NY, Kiryas Joel and the Satmar community. Still Tzom Gedalia and tired and hungry, and my contact was running several hours late. Mincha in the big Satmar shul and almost another daf grabbed before Maariv. Maariv over and I headed for the grocery store where a Satmar gentleman opened a juice box for me from his shopping cart and offered me a drink. Still a couple of hours to go before I could meet up with my contact. Finally about 10pm I entered the refrigerated basement of an ordinary house in Kiryas Joel and began sorting through Deri lulavim. Beautiful lulavim. Almost all of them completely closed. To speed things up the son of my contact handed me each lulav so that I could quickly inspect and sort the pile. A number of them looked a little strange and so I called Rabbi Pinchas Braunstein to ask him his opinion. He put my mind at ease and I continued with the sort. Boxing up the lulavim and loading them carefully into my car, I returned to the house to settle the bill. 12.30pm. My contact and her daughter had warmed some soup for me and had prepared a tasty dinner. What Chesed. Turns out we had a lot of people in common and a friendship was struck.

Now driving home I took a wrong turn. Managed to find my way back in the darkness of rural NY and a deer jumped out at me. I broke and the lulavim (that I had placed at an incline) slid forward. Would the tops get damaged?

Finally back in my bed at 3am, 22 hours after waking up in Dallas. Turned the AC down to 60 degrees to keep the lulavim fresh and reduce the chance of mould. But we still need another 300 or so lulavim.

Friday morning (late) my Spanish lulav guy who had previously told me that he would begin selling that day, started (and finished) selling all of his lulavim the night before. Now what? We received word from our Rabbi Wilman that we should go buy the lulavim from the other chap, to whom “our” shipment apparently went. Was this a case of lulav hagazul? No I was told.

So after arranging a loan from an Israeli Esrog dealer friend in Boro Park, I set off reluctantly to buy Egyptian lulavim from Mr. L (not his real name). Even though this was not exactly a case of stolen lulavim I was buying, and even though we received unsolicited “permission” from the intended importer of the lulavim, I still felt uneasy about the whole thing. (I certainly would not have purchased these had we not received the “permission” that we had). But perhaps I was there to return the lost property to its rightful owner. A lot of complicated Halacha there.

So turning my attention to Shabbos I set out for the Verrazano Bridge and Lakewood. Curious that I should receive a call just then about lulavim from Rabbi Sholey Klein of Dallas, in whose Succah on Hoshana Rabba (there we go again) of 5756 (1996) my esrog career began. The story I related to Rabbi Klein was remarkable enough at that point and as I approached the 2/3 mark down the Garden State Parkway an hour before Shabbos and thankful that I had accomplished my mission (I never once doubted that I would not succeed), my partner and Shabbos host, Yacov Shlomo Rothberg called me to tell me about the Ikul.

So it turned out that Rabbi Wilman had a partner, Halberstam, to whom he had signed over his share of the partnership the day before. Rabbi Halberstam had spent 12 hours in the Bet Din establishing his claim to the lulavim in question. Wire transfers, bills of lading, papers, papers, papers. The Bet Din were convinced that there was enough of a case that an Ikul was issued. A sort of restraining order preventing anyone from selling, buying or using (for the mitzvah) not just the 100,000 “misplaced” lulavim, but all other Egyptian lulavim too. So now I have 200 very expensive and useless lulavim.

Twenty minutes before Shabbos the neighborhood kids helped me unload the car. I jumped in the shower. On the way to shul I told Yacov Shlomo that we must not be tempted to talk about this for the whole of Shabbos. I instructed his 10 year old son that he must make sure that if our conversation gets anywhere near lulavim, he must stop us at once. So we managed to speak about everything except lulavim, except once when I was introduced to a Spanish lulav dealer (Mr. Flohrs) who just happened to be sitting behind us in shul. But we limited the conversation to the fact that this was his business and left it at that. But a very restful Shabbos in which I managed to grab another daf or two and finish off Mishnayos Maaser Sheni.

But now Havdalah and Yacov Shlomo showed me the Ikul and the summons to attend the Bet Din. Since I needed to get on a plane Monday morning, no alternative but to get my money back and get some Spanish lulavim from the guy in shul, if there were any left. Managed to contact Mr. L who agreed to refund my money. Either come back to Boro Park tonight or tomorrow at 10am. Well despite getting up very early the next morning I just could not get out of Lakewood. Picked up my supply of Moroccan esrogim from my Moroccan esrog contact and made my way back to Boro Park.

Noon and my Egyptian lulav refund looks very remote. Mr. L was now in the Bet Din and his colleagues in the store knew nothing about a refund. All they could tell me that the Ikul would soon be lifted and we could all get on with things. Just 15 more minutes. Another 15 minutes. Another 20, another hour and I need to make a decision. Someone suggested going to the Bet Din. One of the store guys said they would call over to Mr. L in the Bet Din, and let him know I was coming to get my refund.

Climbing the stairs of the old house on 49th St., it was clear from the commotion that no one was about to come to an amicable settlement. In and out of side rooms. Side negotiations and mediations. Could they even agree to reconvene in a different Bet Din tomorrow? Mr. L saw me and assured me that it would all be over in 20 minutes. A short discussion with one of the onlookers suggested otherwise and I stepped outside to call Yacov Shlomo. Let’s wait another 30 minutes and then we would have to go to plan B, or C, or D (if we could think of one). So back up the stairs to at least get a first hand view of the mechanics of a Bet Din.

As I reached the top of the stairs I could see Mr. L standing in the doorway to the room where the Dayanim were sitting. For no obvious reason he turned towards me and beckoned me to come into the court room. I have no explanation as to why. I had nothing to contribute to anyone’s case. But here I was in the middle of, let us say, a highly emotional proceedings and everyone is looking at me. I was asked to verify that I had purchased two boxes on lulavim the previous Friday. Why this was relevant I do not know. But in the next 30 seconds I turned to Rabbi Halberstam, shook his hand gently, conveyed through him my thanks to his partner Wilman who had provided excellent service to us in the past, and asked him if there was someway, that should the Bet Din rule that the luylavim that I had procured turn did in fact belong to him, that he could permit me to keep my lulavim without any reservations. He agreed, and a corresponding agreement was made with the other party.

I copied my receipts for Rabbi Halberstam so that if appropriate he could recover the money that I had paid, from the other party and the leading Dayan dictated to me a document memorializing the transaction that had taken place. I typed this up on the computer in the court room and one of the rabbinic students (a distant cousin of the litigant Halberstam) helped to ensure that all the appropriate signatures were collected.

This surreal experience could not have lasted longer than 15 minutes and I floated out of the Bet Din with the knowledge that I was in possession of what were probably the only kosher Egyptian lulavim in the entire United States. A nes. Here is a copy of the ruling of the Bet Din.
Zaide Reuven’s Bet Din Ruling

Mr. David Cohen, an Esrog seller from Flatbush, who had kindly driven me to the Bet Din could not believe it. Neither could the people in the store when I returned to pick up my lulavim. So now reciprocating the favor to Mr. and Mrs. Cohen I set out to procure for them some Spanish lulavim from Mr. Flohrs (from Lakewood) at his store in Boro Park. Seeing the quality of these lulavim I decided to buy another box which I would share with someone in Dallas and then finally set off back to my Newark hotel. But not before a stop at Boro Park lumbar where I obtained twine, tape and a knife for what would be a very long night packing my precious cargo.

A very long night it was to 3am, tying the lulavim in bundles so that they would not get damaged in shipping. Again the AC turned down to 60 degrees. Returned my rental car and then shlepped the boxes to the hotel gym to weigh them and then figure out which boxes to tape together.

So another two hours sleep and I finally checked in my excess and overweight baggage. When I finally arrived home I found that only one lulav had been damaged. And that was only because the security folks had cut open a box to see what was inside.

Rabbi Schick came over to check the lulavim (I did’nt want to be the one to determine their kashrut). Remarkably out of 300 Egyptian and Spanish lulavim only about 25 or so were posul. We normally expect about 50. Another nes.

So they next several days were the same unremarkable hustle bustle of distribution, shipping, last minute orders, very last minute orders and so on. Rabbi Feigenbaum had very kindly made reference to our efforts in shul at Ohr Hatorah and many people kindly volunteered to contribute to my additional costs.

But I was still left the prospect of having a number of very expensive lulavim left over. Then I received a call from Houston. The community there had received a shipment of lulavim, but they had all been damaged. It was the last minute and Rabbi Gelman remembered that he had spoken to a fellow in Dallas a month or so earlier in connection with helping members of the community in regards to Hurricane Rita. Somehow in that conversation it had come out that I was in the lulav/esrog business, but this was a side remark and not related to the issue then at hand. (We had managed to help house some people from Houton who were leaving in anticipation of the hurricane). Anyway, as “luck” would have it, there was a group of kids in Dallas about to return to Houston after a Shabbaton and could they pick up some lulavim?

I tried to calculate exactly how many lulavim I could spare, but somehow I arrived at the number 15. Off they went and Houston had some lulavim.

Motzei Yom Tov and the first day of Chol Hamoed. Four lulavim left. Someone calls to replace a lulav that had gone mouldy. Three left. Three phonecalls for complete sets – can they be shipped overnight?

Every lulav gone. Not one left over and no more last minute requests either. I had the exact number of lulavim for my customers. Not one more and not one less. Another nes.

We may never know exactly what happened in this saga. One version has it that a particular Israeli lulav dealer had persuaded the Egyptians to cut production on the grounds that it damaged the trees, and to give him the small remainder that he could sell at a high profit. He then, allegedly double sold the same shipment to the two US dealers.

So as Hoshana Rabba approached I marveled at the events that had unfolded for me. Not once did I doubt that there would not be lulavim for us. Not once did I panic. I just moved from one scene in this whole drama to the next.

As I recall my feelings of gratitude to Hashem as we circled the bima seven times on Hoshana Rabbah, I recall how focused I was on my prayers for unity of Am Yisrael as I benched lulav and esrog every day this last Succos. I recall my thoughts when driving though the Jordan valley about how unified our People must have been to merit destroying Jericho by circling it seven times.

And so for me the biggest miracle in this story was one of unity. To pull all of this off I had to get the collaboration of people from almost every (and often diametrically opposed) segment of Jewish life. Satmar Chassidim. Chabad Chassidim. Litvish, yeshivish Mitnagdim, Yerushalmi, Ashkenazim, Sephardim, non-religious kibbutzniks, religious kibbutzniks, Modern Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and me, just a poshute Yid.

In the merit of our efforts to observe the mitzvah of the Arba Minim, may the Jewish People be granted unity and peace and the privilege to rebuild the Temple. Bimhera Byamenu.

PS My plans are, IYH, in future years to develop my Israeli supplier of lulavim. The Deri lulavim are spectacular (some could retail for $100 each) and the Sudani (another variety) and superior to the Egyptian lulavim. Let’s work to mehudar the mitzvah by supporting our fellow Jews, even if it is a little more expensive. If you are an esrog/lulav delaer and would like to collaborate on receiving a large Israeli shipment of lulavim next year, please contact me at esrog@esrogfarm.com or 972 931 5596.

For more information on the Deri Lulav see this excellent article:
http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5760/succos/features.htm

To explain this, let’s remind ourselves of the famous Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 30:12) which regards each of the Four Species as one of four kinds of Jew who comprise the Jewish people:

• The Esrog (smell and taste) is the Jew who combines Torah study with good deeds.
• The Lulav (taste but no smell) is the Jew who studies Torah, but does no good deeds.
• The Hadas (smell but no taste) is the Jew who performs good deeds, but does not study Torah.
• The Arava (no smell, no taste) is the Jew who neither studies Torah nor performs good deeds.

According to this Midrash Hashem said “I do not want to destroy even the last group; let all four groups unite so that one can atone for other”.

According to this interpretation, the essence of the Four Species is Jewish Unity, Achdus Yisroel, and Ahavas Yisroel (love within the nation).

Let’s think about that. We take the lulav and esrog to invoke Hashem’s blessing that we, as a nation, should have Unity and Love.
Unity and love. We need both more than ever.

So what are we selling? A piece of fruit and some expensive branches? No. We are selling , rather, providing, a means to attain Achdus Yisroel. Jewish Unity.

So how can we turn around the minute Yom Kippur is over (or even earlier) and start knifing every other esrog dealer in the back (or even in the front on occasion)?

What is the point of selling an item that (among other things) is supposed to invoke Hashem’s blessings for Achdus Yisroel while in the process one damages another’s parnassah and damages Achdus Yisroel?

Of course this idea was not foreign to Rabbi Levi who has, for a number of years, helped us not only in the hidur of our produce, but also in the hidur of our business. So we set about asking questions, making sure we would not get in the way of established suppliers, and B”H those in the Valley area of LA will be able to obtain beautiful sets of Arba Minim (please call Rabbi Cash at 818-761-7239 ).

I received a call the other day from an agent of some of the major esrog pardesim to see if I was interested in buying esrogim from him. I explained my situation and my approach to the Arba Minim and Achdus Yisroel. He had never viewed the esrog business in quite those terms and agreed that we, as suppliers of Arba Minim, have a special responsibility to ensure not only the physical yichus (pedigree) of our produce but also its spiritual yichus.

When you make a bracha (blessing) on your lulav and estrog, please make sure that no one’s parnassah was harmed in the process.

So wherever you are, if you have an established supplier of Arba Minim from whom you obtain good quality merchandise at a reasonable price, PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT HIM, and in the zechus of your action, may Hashem grant us Achdus Yisroel and Ahavas Yisroel.

ST. PETERSBURG – It has always been Louisa Benjamin’s favorite holiday, the eight days that follow soon after Yom Kippur, when Jews gather in temporary outdoor shelters to celebrate the fall harvest and commemorate the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness to the Holy Land.

Sukkot, the festival of thanksgiving, began Monday at sundown. For the second year in a row, the Largo artist, her husband and two young children put up a three-sided shelter in their back yard and festooned it with paper chains, fake fruit, gourds, shells, pictures, and palm and banana leaves. Throughout the holiday, the Benjamins, friends and family will gather under the sukkah for festive meals.

Benjamin said she wants to carry on the traditions with which she grew up. The family built a bigger sukkah this year, 8 by 16 feet.

“I wanted to be able to seat more people,” Benjamin said. “I grew up in Atlanta and growing up, I would always go to my teacher’s home and other friends’ and families’ homes to celebrate.”

It’s a religious obligation to “dwell” in the three-sided outdoor shelter during Sukkot. Another requires the recitation of blessings with four species of plants, which together make up the lulav and etrog. A lulav is made up of palm, willow and myrtle branches. The etrog is a citrus fruit native to Israel.

The second religious obligation appeared in jeopardy this year. Jewish newspapers carried stories about a shortage of the date palm frond from Egypt that is mostly used for the lulav.

Reports said the Egyptian government had decided to limit exportation because of concerns that harvesting the thousands of green fronds for the holiday would be detrimental to that country’s date trees. It was also said that an Israeli supplier of the important date palm fronds had persuaded the Egyptian government to ship only to him.

Congregation B’nai Israel in St. Petersburg, which has used the same New York vendor for years, was short only a few lulav and etrog sets, Rabbi Jacob Luski said.

David Wiseman, a lulav supplier from Dallas, spent Monday frantically preparing the last of his lulav and etrog sets for overnight shipment. He told a complicated story of how he managed to cobble together his supply from Israel, Spain and Egypt.

Wiseman, who sells the items from his Web site, www.esrogfarm.com said he didn’t know if reports of shortages were true. But he said he understood that a container containing 100,000 palm branches might have been sold twice, meaning dealers had 25 percent fewer of the fronds than needed to fill the typical nationwide demand of 400,000.

“All the people, including me, who were supposed to get the lulav from that container found out that we were in trouble,” Wiseman said.

Wiseman eventually got a supply of Egyptian palm branches, which he put together with others from Israel and Spain to meet this year’s demand. Next year, he’ll import them from Israel.

“It just makes sense,” he said.

Explaining the significance of the lulav and etrog, Luski of Congregation B’nai Israel said a biblical commandment states that Jews should say special prayers with the lulav and etrog each weekday morning during Sukkot. Like the temporary shelters built during the festival, the four species of plants help believers connect to nature, he said.

Using the lulav and etrog is a favorite part of the holiday for her two young children, Benjamin said.

“My husband stands with each child in front of him and shows them how to shake the lulav correctly and say the prayers,” she said.

Luski described Sukkot as “a predecessor of the American Thanksgiving.” The festival also “commemorates the travel in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt, where we lived in temporary booths until the children of Israel arrived in the promised land,” he said.

“Another take on this is we leave our comfortable, safe habitats and structures and for a week dwell in temporary, fragile shelters. What a lesson. … Today we know of many who are in fragile, temporary shelters because of all the natural disasters around the world, and we are challenged to think, to feel and to act with deeds of loving kindness to our needy brothers and sisters, in our country and around the world.”

Luski said it is customary for people to build their own sukkahs, or visit those of family and friends or the one at their synagogue, he said.

Benjamin, her husband, Mark, and children, Samuel, 6, and Peninah, 7, built and decorated their first family sukkah last year.

In coming days, the Benjamins will sit with family and friends under their three-sided shelter for meals of chicken lasagna, black beans and rice, fish, hot dogs and hamburgers. On Friday the kindergarten and second-grade classes from the Pinellas County Jewish Day School, where the Benjamin children attend, will have snacks and lunch under the shelter and make edible sukkahs from graham crackers, pretzels and peanut butter.