Etrog
Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Italic title
Etrog (Template:Langx, plural: Template:Transliteration; Ashkenazi Hebrew: Template:Transliteration, plural: Template:Transliteration) is the yellow citron (Citrus medica) used by Jews during the weeklong holiday of Sukkot as one of the four species. Together with the lulav, hadass, and aravah, the etrog is taken in hand and held or waved during specific portions of the holiday prayers. Special care is often given to selecting an etrog for the performance of the Sukkot holiday rituals.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
EtymologyEdit
The romanization of the Hebrew as etrog from Sephardi Hebrew is widely used. The Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation is esrog or esrig. It has been transliterated as etrog or ethrog in scholarly works.<ref>The Citrus Industry Template:Webarchive</ref> The Hebrew word is thought to derive from the Persian name for the fruit, wādrang, which first appears in the Vendidad.Template:Sfnp Related words are (Template:Langx) and Template:Langx.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It has also made its way into Arabic as Template:Script/Arabic utrujjah notably in a hadith collected in the Sahih Muslim.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Hadith no. 288, Book 6 of the Sahih Muslim. via Sunnah.com</ref> A rare Aramaic form, eṯrungā ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), is significant because it retains the alveolar nasal sound (as indicated by the nun) of wādrang, also observable in the English word 'orange'.Template:Sfnp
TaxonomyEdit
Template:Citron varieties {{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In Modern Hebrew, etrog is the name for any variety or form of citron, whether kosher for the ritual or not. In general usage, though, the word is often reserved to refer only to those varieties and specimens used ritually as one of the four species. Some taxonomic experts, like Hodgson and others, have mistakenly treated etrog as one specific variety of citron.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The various Jewish rites utilize different varieties, according to their tradition or the decision of their respective posek.
Biblical referencesEdit
<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />
On the first day you shall take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. {{#if: Leviticus 23:40, New Revised Standard Version|{{#if:|}}
— {{#if:|, in }}Template:Comma separated entries}}
{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Blockquote with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | author | by | char | character | cite | class | content | multiline | personquoted | publication | quote | quotesource | quotetext | sign | source | style | text | title | ts }}
While the biblical phrase peri eitz hadar ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) (translated above as "fruit of majestic trees") may be interpreted or translated in a number of ways, the Talmud derives that the phrase refers to the etrog.
Template:Multiple image In modern Hebrew, hadar refers to the genus Citrus. Nachmanides (1194 – c. 1270) suggests that the word was the original Hebrew name for the citron.Template:Citation needed According to this view, the word etrog was introduced over time and adapted from Aramaic. The Arabic name for the citron fruit, itranj (اترنج), mentioned in hadith literature, is also adapted from Aramaic.
Historical cultivationEdit
Etrogim were extensively cultivated in the Holy Land at the time of the Second Temple, and images of etrogim are found at many archaeological sites of that era, including mosaics at the Maon Synagogue, Beth Alpha Synagogue, and Hamat Tiberias Synagogue. At all of those sites, the etrog is depicted alongside other important religious symbols, like the shofar or menorah. The etrog is also found on numerous Bar Kokhba coins.
Archaeological evidence for Citrus fruits is limited, as neither seeds nor pollen are likely to be routinely recovered in archaeology.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The earliest evidence of etrogim in Israel is the 2012 discovery of citron pollen from the second century BCE in excavations at the Ramat Rachel site.<ref>First evidence of the etrog tree in Israel
In diasporaEdit
After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, exiled Jews planted citron orchards wherever the climate allowed: in Southern Europe (Spain, Greece, and Italy) as well as in North Africa and Asia Minor. Jews who settled north of the warmer citron-growing areas depended on imported etrogim, which caused much anxiety given the dangers and uncertainties of sea travel. By the seventeenth century, some of the most popular sources for etrogim were the islands of Corsica and Corfu.Template:Citation needed
Since the late 1850s, the Fruit of the Goodly Tree Association in Mandatory Palestine represented etrog farmers who marketed their crops to Jews in Europe. Some Jewish communities still preferred citrons from Italy, Greece, Morocco, or Yemen, but many Jews seeking citrons turned back to Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel.
American Jews continue to import the majority of their holiday etrogim from Israel, except during shmita when there are halachic complications in exporting the produce of Israel. The only commercial grower of etrogs in the United States is John Kirkpatrick, the former chairman of the Citrus Research Board, on a ranch in the town of Exeter in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Kirkpatrick, who is not Jewish, began growing etrogs in 1980 following a phone call with Yisroel Weisberger, an employee at a Judaica store in Brooklyn. In 1995, Weisberger's brother, Yaakov Shlomo Rothberg, became involved in the operation and has since become Kirkpatrick's business partner. Template:As of, Kirkpatrick has 250 etrog trees and produces 3,000 suitable etrogs per year, with 9,000 that do not qualify due to halakhic requirements.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While there are other growers in California, such as Inga Dorosz and David Sleeth in the town of Gorda near Big Sur, these are not rabbinically supervised and are therefore not kosher.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Cosmetic requirementsEdit
PitamEdit
A pitam or pitom (Hebrew: Template:Script/Hebrew; plural pitamim) is composed of a style (Hebrew: "Template:Script/Hebrew" dad), and a stigma (Hebrew: "Template:Script/Hebrew" shoshanta), and usually falls off during the growing process. An etrog with an intact pitam is considered especially valuable, but varieties that naturally shed their pitam during growth are also considered kosher. When only the stigma breaks off, even post-harvest, the citron can still be considered kosher as long as part of the style has remained attached. If the whole pitam, i.e. the stigma and style, are unnaturally broken off in their entirety, the etrog is not kosher for ritual use.
Pitam preservation techniqueEdit
Many more pitamim are preserved today due to an auxin discovered by Eliezer E. Goldschmidt, emeritus professor of horticulture at the Hebrew University. While working with the picloram hormone in a citrus orchard, he unexpectedly discovered that some of the Valencia oranges found nearby had perfectly preserved pitamim. Citrus fruits, other than an etrog or citron hybrid like the bergamot, usually do not preserve their pitam. On the occasions that they do, their pitamim tend to be dry, sunken and very fragile. In Goldschmidt's observation, the pitamim were all fresh and solid like those of the Moroccan or Greek citron varieties.
Experimenting with picloram in a laboratory, Goldschmidt eventually found the correct "dose" to achieve the desired effect: one dropletTemplate:Clarify of the chemical in three million drops of water.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
PurityEdit
In order for a citron to be kosher, it must be neither grafted nor hybridized with any other species. Only a few traditional varieties are therefore used. To ensure that no grafting is performed, preferred plantations are kept under strict rabbinical supervision.
Genetic researchEdit
The citron varieties traditionally used as etrog are the Diamante citron from Italy, the Greek citron, the Balady citron from Israel, the Moroccan and Yemenite citrons.
A general DNA study was conducted by Eliezer E. Goldschmidt and colleagues which tested and positively identified twelve famous accessions of citron for purity and being genetically related.<ref>Search Authentic Citron Template:Webarchive
- A brief documentation of this study could be found at the Global Citrus Germplasm Network Template:Webarchive.</ref>
The fingered and Florentine citrons, although they are also citron varieties or maybe hybrids, are not used for the ritual. The Corsican citron fell into disfavor but has recently been reintroduced for ritual use.
Selection and cultivationEdit
In addition to the above, there are rabbinical indicators used to distinguish pure etrogim from possible hybrids. These traditional indicators have been preserved by continuous selection performed by professional farmers.<ref>Article by Professor Goldschmidt, published by Tehumin, summer 5741 (1981), booklet 2, p. 144</ref>
The most accepted indicators are: 1) a pure etrog has a thick rind, contrasting with its sparing pulp segments which are also almost dry, 2) the outer surface of an etrog is ribbed and warted, and 3) the etrog peduncle is somewhat buried inward. By contrast, a lemon or different citron hybrid is missing one or all of the specifications.<ref>Letter by Rabbi Shmuel Yehuda Katzenellenbogen of Padua from the mid-16th century, printed in Teshuvat ha'Remo chapter 126.</ref>
A later and not as widely accepted indicator is the orientation of the seed. In a pure etrog, the seeds are oriented vertically, unless crowded by neighboring seeds; in lemons and hybrids, the seeds are oriented horizontally even when they are not crowded.<ref>Shiurey Kneseth Hagdola and Olat Shabbat, cited by Magen Avraham, Orach Chaim chapter 648, comment 23</ref>
The etrog is typically grown from cuttings that are two to four years old. The tree begins to bear fruit about four years after planting the cuttings.<ref>Chiri, Alfredo. (2002). Etrog Template:Webarchive</ref> If the tree is germinated from seed, it will not bear fruit for about seven years, and there may be some genetic change to the tree or fruit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CustomsEdit
To protect the etrog during the holiday, it is traditionally wrapped in silky flax fibers and stored in a special decorative box, often made from silver.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
After the holiday, eating the etrog or etrog jam is considered a segula (efficacious remedy) for a woman to have an easy childbirth.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A common Ashkenazi custom is to save the etrog until Tu BiShvat and eat it in candied form or as succade, while offering prayers that the worshipper merit a beautiful etrog next Sukkot.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some families make jam or liqueur out of the etrog or make a pomander by inserting cloves into the skin for use as besamim at the havdalah ceremony after Shabbat.
Etrogim grown in Israel are not classified as food and are therefore not recommended to be eaten due to the large amount of pesticides used in their agriculture.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
GalleryEdit
- PikiWiki Israel 9435 Rabbi Bergman examines a students citron.jpg
Rabbi Bergman re-examines an etrog for a student
- Rabbi dov.jpg
Rabbi Dov Landau inspecting an etrog
- Etrog at the Market of the 4 Species at Bnei Brak.jpg
Balady citron in Bnei Berak market
- Yellow Etrog.jpg
Yanova etrog for sale
- חתך אורך קלבריה.jpg
Cross section of Diamante citron, to check for genetic purity
- Yanove Fruit.jpg
Mature fruit of Yanover etrog
- Braverman 68.jpg
Cross section of Braverman etrog
- Teimani.JPG
Cross section in Yemenite citron
- OrdangCross.jpg
Cross section of Greek citron
- Kibilevitz cross.JPG
Cross section of Balady citron
- MoroccanWSeeds.jpg
Cross section of a Moroccan citron
- Two citrons.JPG
Yemenite citron (left) and a Balady citron (right)
- Citron (8448513463).jpg
Cross section of variety etrog citron, and in fingered citron.
- Etrog without Pitom.jpg
Diamante citron without pitam
- Etrog with Pitom.jpg
Diamante citron with pitam
- Sukot 1.jpg
Inspecting an etrog for flaws
- Etrog1.jpg
Inspecting a Yemenite citron
- Etrog plants at kfar chabad with growing etrogs.JPG
Shmita in Kefar Chabad, orchard left untended
- Etrog plants at kfar chabad.JPG
Young plants in Kefar Chabad
- Etrog temani 33.JPG
Yemenite citron on tree
- Etrog01.jpg
Etrog covered with cloves
- Flickr - U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv - Sukkot2011No.029.jpg
Four species market in Tel Aviv
- PikiWiki Israel 15578 etrog.jpg
Pitam close-up
- Etrogflower.jpg
Etrog blossom
- V05p261002 Etrog.jpg
Etrog tree from Jewish Encyclopedia
- Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - An Etrog.jpg
Man in Mea Shearim inspecting etrog
- Gartel.JPG
Moroccan etrog with prominent gartel
- THE HOLIDAY OF SUCCOT IN JERUSALEM.jpg
At Western wall
- Laubhüttenfest.jpg
German painting
- Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - Bnei Brak.jpg
Two Hasidim in Bnei Berak
- PikiWiki Israel 227 ks-13- 392 בדיקת כשרותם של אתרוגי גן-שמואל.jpg
Old photo of grower
- אתרוג 1.png
An etrog from many angles
- Etrogschale.jpg
Round silver etrog box
- Cidra fruto.JPG
Etrog with half-dried pitam
- Citrus medica 'Ethrog' - Etrog citron.jpg
Etrog plants in nursery
- Citrus medica leaves.jpg
Etrog leaves
- Cidra flor.JPG
Citron (etrog) flowers
- Etrog Box designed by Rabbi Joseph-Meyer Elefant in the 1950s.jpg
Silver etrog box designed by Rabbi Chaim-Joseph-Meyer Elefant (1897-1976) in the early 1950s
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
Further readingEdit
- Citrus Propagation by Ultimate Citrus
- Fact Sheet HS-86 June 1994 by the University of Florida
- CROP PROPAGATION II: SEXUAL PROPAGATION
External linksEdit
- Template:Commons category-inline
- The Citrus Variety Collection Template:Webarchive by the University of California Riverside
- Ancient Treasures and the Dead Sea Scrolls
- Mosaic depicting an etrog
- Lulav, Etrog, Shofar and Menorah, 2nd Cent. CE, Ostia Synagogue
- An antique Hebrew coin depicting an etrog
- Pictures homecitrusgrowers.co.uk
- Evyatar Marienberg and David Carpenter, The Stealing of the "Apple of Eve" from the 13th century Synagogue of WinchesterTemplate:Dead link, Henri III Fine Rolls Project, Fine of the Month: December 2011
- A Huge Etrog-looking Citron in Geetha's Kitchen, amazing photos
- Know Your Etrog, website with educational pictures, information how to plant your own tree.
- The Symbolism of the Lulav and Esrog, various sources explaining the symbolism and meaning of the etrog.
VideoEdit
- Short Deutsche Welle video on growing etrog in Calabria [1]
Template:Sukkot Template:Citrus Template:Taxonbar Template:Authority control