A Comprehensive Look At The Modern Lulav Industry - Great New Video and Article

In the previous post, we showed how people not familiar in a comprehensive way  with lulavim used for מצות ארבע מינים, erred and took a 'lulav' from a different type of (non-date) palm tree, departing from the tradition of כלל ישראל with regard to what a lulav is.

To get a better idea of, and actually see how lulavim grow and are harvested in general, while also learning of modern and recent innovations in the industry, I highly recommend this article and video taken in ארץ ישראל recently.

Even though this year's Sukkos has just passed, and the next year's is many months away yet, learning related to a mitzvah is always in season.

When a Lulav Is Not Kosher - The Giant "Perfect Lulav" - An Open Orthodox - Lubavitch PR Scam

A Lubavitcher website is reporting a joint effort of an 'Open Orthodox' (OO) spiritual leader from Washington DC, Shmuel Herzfeld, and a Lubavitcher shliach in California, Yossi Cunin, to get a giant lulav for the OO leader to use at his house of worship.

The (Los Angeles) Jewish Journal has as an article by Herzfeld about it, Best of Friends, Best of Fronds: A Lulav Story.

According to the reports the story had a happy ending when the shliach sent the OO leader a giant lulav from his own garden in California.

There appears to be one major problem though. It seems quite clear that the tree the lulav involved came from is not the traditional date palm where lulavim for arba minim come from.

The traditional date palm has a wider, rough trunk, due to persistent leaf bases of dead leaves. The palm involved here, shown in the video at the Lubavitcher website, has a plainly smoother and thinner trunk, and different appearance.

Caveat emptor - buyer beware.

Just because something seems like a cute story doesn't mean it is correct, or על פי הלכה.

A bracha should not be made on that lulav.

Why the Chofetz Chaim Did Not Hold or Shake His Lulav During Hallel One Year in Radin

This beautiful story, showing the great sensitivity of the Chofetz Chaim z"l, appeared in the Yated Ne'eman (USA) recent Rosh Hashanah edition (p.44), in an interview by Avrohom Birnbaum of Rav Chaim Walkin.

Rav Walkin shlit"a related that he heard the story from his zeide, Rav Shmuel Dovid Walkin z"l before he was bar mitzvah.

One year, in Radin, there was only one lulav and esrog, for which a dear price was paid, and it was in possession of the Chofetz Chaim. At the first day of Yom Tov davening there was a significant crowd in attendance, including greats such as Rav Elchanan Wasserman Hy"d, Rav Moshe Londinsky z"l, and Rav Naftali Trop z"l. People waited to see what the Chofetz Chaim would so, and how he would advise people to fulfill the mitzvah of daled minim.

Before Hallel, the Chofetz Chaim took the lulav and esrog, made the brachos, shook the lulav briefly, and then passed it on to another person to do the same. And so it went for all the men there. Then the Chofetz Chaim announced in front of the congregation 'This year we will not hold the lulav or shake it during Hallel, myself included.' He proceeded to explain, 'It is impossible to give the lulav and esrog to everyone during Hallel. There are too many people. If we give it to some and not to others, it might make some feel slighted. To cause someone else pain or suffering is an issur deoraysa, a Torah prohibition, while shaking the lulav during Hallel is a minhag instituted by the nevi'im. It is far better to be doche a minhag nevi'im than to even entertain the possibility of transgressing an issur deoraysa.'

A beautiful story (there are others in the feature as well, if you can get a copy), which shows us the gadlus of true gedolim, talmidei chachamim, and tzadikim. With such stories, it is no wonder the Chofetz Chaim was/is so beloved among various segments of Klal Yisroel.

A kosher and freilich Yom Tov.

Great 5778 Hadassim Scare Debunked - Healing Hadassim Hysteria with Halachic Clarity

A few days ago, an explosive article with inflammatory language was published online at a prominent website, as well as in a widely circulated newspaper in the NYC area, claiming that a Hadasim scam and scandal exists, with most hadassim sold (for Sukkos, ד' מינים) not being kosher for that purpose.

While the author discusses various issues that can arise with hadassim, his main allegation is that, in his view, there is a widespread deficiency in the area of having leaves that are משולש. He defines meshulash narrowly. In his view, people should inspect the nodes on the hadassim to see that they are closely aligned.

But is such a measure really necessary, appropriate and realistic? Is the situation really so dire? Must a person spend a great amount of time inspecting every node and leaf of multiple hadasim closely?

It appears that his standard is overly narrow, not necessary, not realistic, and not in accordance with mainstream halacha. Consequently, the article is misleading and alarmist.

Let me explain, and share some of my research.

1. Rav Avrohom Reit שליט"א is a choshuve talmid chochom in NY, who has, in recent years put out some excellent publications on various inyanim such as tekias shofar, chalitza, arba minim, etc. He specializes in clarifying, to a high level, the realia, the physical reality of a situation, the metzius that halacha is applied to. If someone doesn't know this metzius well, serious difficulties can develop in havonoh, understanding, and application of halachah.

In his excellent sefer Lekicha Tama: The Lulav and Esrog Buying Guide, Rabbi Reit writes about meshulash (which he calls "whorled" in English) (emphasis mine)

"two issues must be clarified: 1) is it the leaves, leafstalks, or nodes that must be whorled and 2) how closely aligned must they be to be considered whorled?

Whorled has traditionally been understood to mean the leaves appear as one set, with all the leaves at the same level. The focus is on the leaves themselves, not on the leafstalks or nodes. This is the standard of the pre-packed hadasim, of the old Yerushalmi experts, and this is how we were taught as children."

Practically speaking - מעשה רב מגדולי הדור

"When (Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zatzal) inspected hadasim he looked only at the general appearance of the hadas - not at the stem [הליכות שלמה פרק י' אות י' ובארחות הלכה 43]"

להבחל"ח

"when...Reb Dovid Feinstein shlita checks hadasim for the public, he gives a cursory glance at the leaves without touching them (he does not examine the leafstalks or nodes)."

With permission of Rabbi Reit, I post below images of relevant section of his sefer where the above words appear, along with further elaboration. 

2. Rabbi Shlomo Gottesman is editor of the prestigious ישורון Torah journal, a fine talmid chacham, and marbitz Torah.

In a shiur he gave about hadassim last year (bottom of page) he seems to also differ with the article (certainly in tone) (14:00-). He states that even the renowned machmir, the Brisker Rav, was not makpid to have all the nodes aligned exactly (if that were even possible).

May we merit clarity in Torah knowledge, and a joyous zeman simchaseinu.