Shabbat Parashat Shemot 5784

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Call to Plant More Etrog Trees – #182

Date and Place:  7 Shevat 5669, Yafo 

Recipient: The members of the moshavot (agricultural settlements) 

Body: The time has come that I feel an obligation to point out to you something about an important area within the agriculture of our Desired Land – the planting of etrog trees with careful precautions that there is no possibility of grafted fruit. This is something that specific growers started to do a few years ago in a reliable manner. The increase of such orchards is important to us, especially now that so many people are interested in expanding the Jewish community of our Holy Land.

There are three important goals that are included in this dear, holy service [of planting kosher etrog trees]:

1. To save the broad Nation of Hashem from missing out on the mitzva of etrog and the other species that go with it (if one of the species is not kosher, no part of the mitzva is fulfilled). Until now, the non-Jewish growers have spoiled the sanctity [of the mitzva] by flooding the world with prohibited, grafted etrogim.

2. To use this branch of agriculture to expand the reaches of the community in our Holy Land, by adding fruit-bearing trees that bring blessing to their owners. The flow of money from our dear brothers to these non-Jews, some of whom are our enemies and those who hate us, should, instead, go to our brothers, who glorify the strength of our nation, as they expand our community in the Desired Land, the place we are able to live a full life.

3. To connect the souls of our dear brothers who are dispersed throughout the Diaspora with increased love and appreciation of our holy and desired Land, which is to be eternally desired, by being reminded of Zion. This happens when one takes an etrog that grew in sanctity in the Holy Land on our Holiday of Joy, and we add to it grandeur because it was grown by our brethren, who are returning life to the Holy Land, which is the source of the dew of our resurrection.

[Word of the need and availability of non-grafted etrog trees] has been heard among [people with religious sensitivity], and the nature of the reliability of the certification of the Jewishly grown etrogim in the Holy Land has started to become known to the masses. Also, [many are aware of] the certainty that the non-Jewishly grown etrogim are grafted and not kosher. Since consumers have flocked to the etrogim of our dear moshavot, whose kashrut is guarded, I have received one question from the brilliant and righteous rabbis of the world, which needs to be answered with action, not words. These great brothers, who love Zion and want the mitzva to be done in the way it should be, who are wise enough to have realized that the mitzva can be done properly only with the moshavot involved, ask: Will there be enough etrogim grown in the moshavot for the whole nation [including the Diaspora]? Only if the answer is affirmative, will they be able to encourage people to refuse to buy the unsupervised etrogim, and have people accept the new source of etrogim.

This holy work is for now and for future generations. Therefore, I find it appropriate to ask you, dear brothers, who are involved in agriculture, that each of you should leave a part of your land for an etrog grove. If this is done, then the individuals who plant will quickly accumulate to produce enough etrogim for us to supply the whole Jewish world through the efforts of the sons/builders who worked so hard. Then, we can hope that each rabbinic leader, according to his level of influence, will support us, and we will be those who make a path toward fulfillment of this great mitzva, in contrast to the present desolation. Then, commerce in etrogim will find its place in strengthening the place of orchards within the Holy Land.

Dear brothers, it is appropriate that you will take part in this new challenge for the sake of the mitzva and the yishuv to do this great thing, of fixing the mitzva, embellishing the yishuv, and raising the stature of Zion in the hearts of our brethren, as the [etrogim will help] people remember Yerushalayim. [We omit the end of the letter due to space constraints.] 

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