Esrogim for the discerning
Henry Litoff was my first employee when I started Zaide Reuven’s Esrog Farm about 20 years ago when I started growing esrog trees. Here he is pictured with his father and brother and the 5.5 lb esrog he grew from the seeds of one of our first esrogim we sold. He managed to do this in Dallas using his own greenhouse.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4429463,00.html
First deliveries of 1,500 etrogim arrive from African country just in time for Jewish holiday of Sukkot
Navit Zommer
The Agriculture Ministry has permitted the import of etrogim (yellow citrons) from Morocco ahead of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
First deliveries of 1,500 etrogim arrived in Israelseveral days ago. This is the first time the Jewish state imports etrogim from Morocco.
The Moroccan citron which grows in the Atlas Mountains is considered the original etrog from the biblical times, according to researchers specializing in the plants of the Bible.
The Moroccan citron is mostly popular among Sephardic communities, and the import is being done at the request of the communities’ leaders in Israel.
| Published: | 09.15.13, 13:43 |
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/10/gaza-farmers-lose-1-million-from-hamas.html#.UlrbEFN1na3
The report makes it clear that Hamas’ reasons have nothing to do with any tree disease and everything to do with inconveniencing Jews.
By the way, if they are really losing $1 million and they planned to export 100-200,000 lulavim, that is quite a profit they would have been making! My understanding is that the usual wholesale price to farmers is closer to $3 each than $5-$10.
IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ REGARDING SHIPPING – 2013 SEASON
Orders placed from Wednesday September 10th 2013 CDT onwards will not be accepted unless confirmed beforehand by direct phone contact – 469 939 5596
Due to the narrow window of time we operate in, we have little margin for error and so in order to ensure you get your lulav and esrog in the best condition and at the best time, we ask that you partner with us by reading and understanding what follows:
Orders placed through our partner The Esrog Grove were sent September 11th by 2 day service. If you ordered through them you must address any problems about delays or other mishaps through them.
As of Friday 13th September, all orders must be placed through THIS web site. Please call us first to make sure we have sufficient quantity – 469 939 5596.
Trick or Treat – Halloween or Sukkot?
Only in America: A black church leader uses the Lulav and Etrog for services on Halloween. “It helps keep children off the streets.”
By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
It may be kosher even if not Jewish, but an American black church choir leader uses the Jewish “Four Species” of Sukkot for church services because both holidays fall in the autumn and because it helps keep children off the streets.
The bizarre combination of the sacred Jewish symbols with the pagan holiday began in recent years when the woman, whose name is not being published, contacted Dr. David Wiseman, a research scientist who deals with etrogim, one of the “Four Species.”
He had been growing the citrus fruit in his back yard orchard, bringing the trees inside during the winter so the fruit would not be destroyed by frost. Dr. Wiseman entered the “lulav and etrog business” following a 2005 shortage of lulavim from Egypt, the major suppler for Israel, and he established his Zaide Reuven Esrog Farm, which actually is a virtual farm.
On principle, he did not want to import Egyptian-grown lulavim, which are the main source for Israel and elsewhere, and developed a source in California.
Dr. Wiseman, formerly of London and now living in Dallas, Texas, told Arutz Sheva that before he agreed to supply the religious items to the church, he received permission from rabbis after they decided there was no violation of Jewish principles by the use of the Four Species in church.
“I received the call from a lady from a black Pentecostal church in Newark, New Jersey, who said she was desperate for etrogim,” said Dr. Wiseman.
“I asked her why she wanted them, and she said it was for her church,” Dr. Wiseman relates. “I got a little nervous and asked what she would be doing with the etrogim. She replied that her church does not like Halloween because it so pagan, and instead of all the ‘trick or treat’ and costumes, she wanted to do something more biblical and make it a fall festival. They also wanted to keep the kids off the street and conduct Bible study.”
Dr. Wiseman said she figured that there was no better way to celebrate the fall festival than adopting customs from Sukkot, which is a time of the harvest after the summer and known in English as the Feast of Tabernacles.
Sukkot usually falls in mid-to-late September or early October. “Okay, so they were three weeks late,” laughs Dr. Wiseman. “Who’s counting?”
He said the church choir leader continues to call every year, and she ordered 20 sets of the Four Species last year. The Four Species include the etrog and the lulav, part of the date tree, as well as “hadasim” and “avarot.”
He was able to come up with the supplies, although most of the Four Species had wilted to the point that they no longer were “kosher,” i.e. fit for use on Sukkot.
The church apparently is getting more involved with the Jewish holiday and studying Sukkot more seriously. Last year, one church actually built a sukkah inside the church, although during the actual holiday a sukkah is not considered “kosher” if placed inside a building under a roof.
The church members and children sang and danced while waving the palm branches.
One order from a Christian for the Four Species requested a strictly kosher set, including a certification that they were suitable according to the custom of the Torah sage Chazon Ish.
Dr. Wiseman also has used his expertise as a research scientist to write a scholarly book called “The Esrog,” which is a treatise but which also includes recipes and the laws of Sukkot.
