17
votes
Accepted
If the lulav and etrog are biblically mandated, how were people in cold climates able to obtain them before modern times?
It seems, according to this article, that people found a way.
It would seem that as long as Jews stayed in the moderate climate on the shores of the Mediterranean, there was no difficulty obtaining ...
- 37.8k
13
votes
Which etrog is closest to the gemara's description of "the taste of the tree trunk and its fruit are alike"?
I had an opportunity for the first time today to see the inside of four common etrogim. I found it fascinating ... and surprising.
Here's a Moroccan etrog
Here's a Hazon Ish etrog (for more details, ...
- 48.1k
10
votes
Accepted
Gezerah D'Rabbah in the Beit Hamikdash?
An additional application is the prohibition to sprinkle purifying water on a tamei meis on Shabbos, even if that would allow him to offer his Korban Pesach.
Pesachim 69a
והזאה מאי טעמא לא דחיא שבת ...
9
votes
Accepted
Who are the מאמ"ר and the כה"ח?
The Ma'amar Mordechai can be found here.
The Kaf HaChayim can be found here.
- 97.4k
8
votes
Accepted
Eretz Yisrael Esrog (Ordang)
So it writes here the following about a Rov called Rabbi Eliezer Aliner, Libava, Latvia, (1904-1980):
Rabbi Eliezer Aliner was born in the city Leipaja/Libava on the coast of the Baltic Sea. This ...
- 30.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Seventy Aravos on Succos
The reason for taking seventy aravot on Succot was to signify the additional seventy bulls which were sacrificed on the holiday (cf. Sukka 52b); such was the custom of the Sura Academy as attested to ...
- 11.9k
6
votes
Accepted
Waving the lulav during all first four verses of Psalm 118
It happens to be that I personally have never observed the custom you are describing. Nevertheless, I was able to find a source.
The Beit Yosef (OC 651) cites that this practice was defended by Tosfot ...
- 20.9k
5
votes
How do you maximize your aravot's period of freshness?
I was just referred to "How to keep your aravos fresh throughout sukkos: The definitive guide for frustrated palm-frond wavers", an apparently anonymous document describing a series of nine ...
- 47.8k
5
votes
Why do we wave the Lulav / etrog?
Waving the lulav represents our victorious emergence from the judgment of Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur.
The following Midrash appears in Midrash Tanchuma on Parshat Emor # 18:
ולקחתם לכם ביום הראשון ...
- 49.1k
5
votes
Blessing for lulav and esrog
Sukkah 37b
א"ל ר' ירמיה לר' זריקא מאי טעם לא מברכינן אלא על נטילת לולב הואיל וגבוה מכולן ולגבהיה לאתרוג ולבריך א"ל הואיל ובמינו גבוה מכולן
Rabbi Yirmeya said to Rabbi Zerika: What is the reason ...
- 97.4k
5
votes
Accepted
Four Minim at the time of the Great Revolt
In the context of the other coins minted during the revolt and siege of the 1st century, it is not surprising that the depiction of the species is less photographic of "full sets" and more ...
- 23.7k
5
votes
Hadas fruit tastes like tree
Ritva (c. 1300 Spain) changes the girsa: the defining feature is not fruit tasting like wood, but rather the branches cover the wood.
Rashash (19th century Lithuania): Read the word "anaf" ...
- 527
5
votes
Accepted
Do Aravot grow berries?
Aravot are generally considered to be Salix Alba, White Willow.
They reproduce via what look like small berries at the leave nodes called catkins.
If the willow is healthy and thriving, they look ...
- 14.3k
5
votes
Why do shuls not announced which order of direction to shake the lulav?
I think the simple answer is that the shuls mostly don't worry about which way people circle the lulavim. It would be similar to how the custom is developing/has developed on wearing tefillin Chol ...
- 3,090
4
votes
According to the Rambam, how do you shake the lulav?
From his Laws of Lulav, chapter 7:
ויוליך ויביא ויעלה ויוריד וינענע הלולב שלש פעמים בכל רוח ורוח. כיצד מוליך ומנענע ראש הלולב שלש פעמים ומביא ומנענע ראש הלולב שלש פעמים וכן בעליה וירידה
and he should ...
- 73.5k
4
votes
Accepted
(How) Are these aravos kosher?
Small serations are kosher, large ones are not. See Halachipedia's entry on aravos.
- 43.9k
4
votes
What species of esrog do people use?
I know of 4 types or varieties commonly used.
The Chazon Ish esrogs (Halpern, Lefkowitz) and similarly the Braverman esrogs (associated with Mahril Diskin) decend from the esrogim that used to grow ...
- 1,703
4
votes
A different Lulav set?
The OK website here talks about when Lulavim are hard to source. It writes:
When No Kosher Lulav Is Available
There were many times in our history that it was impossible to purchase a kosher lulav. ...
- 30.3k
3
votes
Is there a chatzitzah if one holds the lulav while wearing a gold ring around one's finger?
The basis for the rabbi's statement is a gemara (Suk. 37a) where it is evident that a barrier between the lulav and one's hand does not render the taking of the lulav "lekichah tama" (לקיחה תמה). ...
- 11.9k
3
votes
How to make a koishele?
Here are 2 YouTube videos that seem easy enough to follow:
One with Hebrew subtitles, no sound, 6.5 minutes.
One with Hebrew voice, no subtitles. 5 minutes.
- 42.8k
3
votes
Practical advice for keeping tallis on while waving 4 species
If you take your talis from the sides and roll them in and under on top of shoulder it should stay in place without any movement.
- 41.1k
3
votes
What's the connection between Aravos and Heaven?
The gemarra in Chagigah 12b says that there are seven rekiyos, loosely translated as seven Heavens.
ר"ל אמר שבעה ואלו הן וילון רקיע שחקים זבול מעון מכון ערבות
Reish Lakish said: There are seven ...
- 19.6k
3
votes
Why are the lulav, aravot and haddasim bundled?
To answer why the lulav, hadassim and aravot are bound, see e.g. Sukkah 33a:
דתניא לולב בין אגוד בין שאינו אגוד כשר ר' יהודה אומר אגוד כשר שאינו אגוד פסול מאי טעמא דר' יהודה יליף לקיחה לקיחה מאגודת ...
- 41.8k
3
votes
Is the mitzvah of shaking the lulav Biblical just the first day or all of the days?
Sukkah 3:12 teaches:
בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיָה לוּלָב נִטָּל בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ שִׁבְעָה, וּבַמְּדִינָה יוֹם אֶחָד. מִשֶּׁחָרַב בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, הִתְקִין רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי שֶׁיְּהֵא לוּלָב נִטָּל ...
- 19.6k
3
votes
T’yomet of the lulav
The starting point is the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 645:3:
בריית עלין של לולב כך היא כשהם גדלים גדלים שנים שנים ודבוקים מגבן וגב של שני עלין היא הנקרא תיומת נחלקה התיומת [ברוב העלין] [טור וב"...
- 30.3k
3
votes
Best variety of esrog
Yemenites hold that their variety is the only pure etrog and won't use any other. All other kinds, which have edible juice and pulp, have been hybridized with lemons.
Chassidim like a gartel and a ...
- 7,675
2
votes
What does having a Mehudar Etrog and Lulav mean over just having a kosher set?
Five conditions of a hiddur esrog according to the Tiferes Yisrael Sukkah 3:37 from most to least important.
That it should be completely clean,and especially by the chotem (when the middle starts ...
- 41.1k
2
votes
How do you maximize your aravot's period of freshness?
I was in a shul hoshana raba one year and after davening a guy showed everyone his aravos and they were fresh like they were just picked. He said all you need to do is put a little water in the bottom ...
2
votes
can I smell my esrog?
The Shulchan Aruch discusses this in
הלכות לולב-סימן תרנג
הדס של מצוה אסור להריח בו אבל אתרוג של מצוה מותר להריח בו מן הדין אלא שלפי שנחלקו אם מברכים עליו אם לאו יש לא יש למנוע מלהריח בו:
One may ...
- 33.4k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible