Sukkah, Daf Lamed Daled, Part 6
Introduction
Today’s section is a mishnah which deals with the etrog. There are several reasons why the mishnayot concerning the etrog are much longer and more detailed than those about the other four species. First of all, of the four species, only the etrog is a food and hence only an etrog is subject to the normal agricultural laws tithes, terumah, and orlah (fruit prohibited in its first 3-4 years). The mishnah therefore focuses on these subjects. Second, the Torah calls the etrog the "fruit of the goodly tree." Therefore, there are more details about how it looks.
My commentary from below is taken from the Mishnah Yomit archives (Mishnah Sukkah 3:5-7).
משנה.
- אתרוג הגזול והיבש – פסול.
- של אשרה ושל עיר הנדחת – פסול.
- של ערלה – פסול,
- של תרומה טמאה פסול, של תרומה טהורה – לא יטול, ואם נטל – כשר.
- של דמאי, בית שמאי פוסלין ובית הלל מכשירין.
- של מעשר שני בירושלים – לא יטול, ואם נטל – כשר.
- עלתה חזזית על רובו, נטלה פטמתו, נקלף, נסדק, ניקב וחסר כל שהוא – פסול.
- עלתה חזזית על מיעוטו, נטל עוקצו, ניקב ולא חסר כל שהוא – כשר.
- אתרוג הכושי פסול.
- והירוק ככרתי, רבי מאיר מכשיר ורבי יהודה פוסל.
- שיעור אתרוג הקטן רבי מאיר אומר: כאגוז, רבי יהודה אומר: כביצה,
- ובגדול – כדי שיאחז שנים בידו, דברי רבי יהודה. ורבי יוסי אומר: אפילו אחד בשתי ידיו.
1) An etrog which is stolen or withered is invalid.
2) One from an asherah or a condemned city is invalid.
3) Of orlah or of unclean terumah it is invalid.
4) Of clean terumah, he should not take it, but if he did take it, it is valid.
5) Of demai (doubtfully-tithed):
a) Bet Shammai says it invalid,
b) And Bet Hillel says it valid.
6) Of second tithe, it should not be taken [even] in Jerusalem, but if he took it, it is valid.
7) If a rash spread out on a majority of it, or if its pitom is removed, if it is peeled, split, or perforated so that any part is missing, it is invalid.
8) If a rash spread out on a lesser part of it, if its stem was missing, or if it is perforated but no part of it is missing, it is valid.
9) An etrog [which is black] as an Ethiopian is invalid.
10) An etrog which is green as a leek:
a) Rabbi Meir declares it valid
b) And Rabbi Judah declares it invalid.
11) The minimum size of an etrog:
a) Rabbi Meir says: the size of a nut.
b) Rabbi Judah says: the size of an egg.
12) The maximum [size] is such that two can be held in one hand, the words of Rabbi Judah.
a) Rabbi Yose says, even one that can only be held with his two hands.
Sections one and two: Explained earlier.
Section three: Orlah is fruit grown from a tree less than three years old. It is forbidden to eat such fruit or derive any benefit from it. Hence an etrog that is from an orlah tree cannot be used. Similarly, it is forbidden to eat or derive any benefit from unclean (impure) terumah. Therefore it too cannot be used in the performance of the mitzvah.
Section four: A pure terumah etrog should not be used to perform the mitzvah, although if it is used it is valid. In the Talmud they debate why it should not be used. The core of the reasoning seems to be that by using it he may ruin it from being a food and terumah is supposed to be eaten. Alternatively, by using a terumah etrog with the lulav he may cause the etrog to get wet and thereby susceptible to impurity [produce is susceptible to impurity only after it has been in contact with liquid].
Section five: Demai is doubtfully-tithed produce, produce that was purchased from someone who is suspected of not separating tithes. There is a frequent debate between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel over the use of demai produce in the performance of a mitzvah. The talmudic explanation is that demai can be eaten by the poor. Since anyone can renounce ownership over all his possessions and thereby become poor, Bet Hillel holds that anyone can use demai to perform a mitzvah. In other words, every person is potentially a poor person. Bet Shammai holds that since it cannot be eaten by anyone but the poor it cannot be used as part of the lulav.
Section six: Second tithe must be brought to Jerusalem and eaten there. Nevertheless, the mishnah says that even in Jerusalem he should not use a second tithe etrog as part of his mitzvah. The reasoning is the same as that in section four concerning pure terumah. However, if he did use it he has performed the mitzvah, again the same rule as with terumah.
Section seven: If there is a rash, which might refer to some discoloration, or things like warts (not just bumps, which are considered desirable in an etrog) on a majority of the etrog, than it is invalid. The pitom is the funny looking mushroom which sticks out of the ends of some etrogim (Google pitom and etrog and you can find some nice pictures). I should note that not all etrogim have a pitom. An etrog without a pitom is valid, indeed in some ways it is preferable because it is less likely to become invalid. The etrog is invalid only if the pitom was there and was then removed. However, if its stem, the part of it which attached it to the tree is removed, it is still valid. The stem is basically not part of the etrog.
Section eight: Likewise it is invalid if it is peeled, split or any part of it is missing.
Section nine: A black etrog is invalid.
Section ten: There is a debate over the green etrog, Rabbi Meir declaring it valid and Rabbi Judah invalidating it. In Israel one sees many green etrogim, which never fails to surprise my family (as does the pitom-less etrog).
Section eleven: Rabbi Meir sets the minimum size of an etrog at that of a nut, assumedly something about the size of a walnut. I have never seen an actual etrog this size, but I suppose that if they are picked early from the tree one can find them this size. Rabbi Judah sets the minimum size at that of an egg.
Section twelve: In this section they argue about the maximum size of the etrog. According to Rabbi Judah (who is the stricter sage in both parts of the mishnah), it must be small enough so that one could hold two with one hand. The reason is that sometimes a person might need to hold the lulav and the etrog in one hand. If the etrog is too big he might drop the etrog which might ruin it by disfiguration. Rabbi Yose disagrees and says that the etrog can be so big that one needs both hands to hold it. In the Talmud, Rabbi Yose tells a story of Rabbi Akiva who came to the synagogue with an etrog so large that he had to carry it on his shoulder! In Israel, I have seen very large etrogim, ones that look like they would be difficult to carry with one hand.