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SUKKOT 2nd DAY 5784
Carpe etrog—seize the Etrog
The time between Yom Kippur and Sukkot in a few densely populated orthodox neighborhoods—like Jerusalem or Boro Park Brooklyn—is a sight to behold. I remember when I lived in Brooklyn one year, going to Boro Park Erev Sukkot to get the most beautiful Etrog and Lulav that I had ever had in my life. I waited till Erev Sukkot because by then all the vendors would have reduced their prices. I had just studied in the Talmud (Shabbat 133b:5-6) about the concept of Hidur Mitzvah, of how wonderful it is to beautify a mitzvah. It was based on the verse in the Song of the Sea (Ex. 15:2): Zeh keyli v'anveyhu (This is my Gd, and I will glorify Him). Beautifying a mitzvah is glorifying Gd Who gave us the mitzvah. So, for my Etrog and Lulav that year, I wanted a bargain, but in the end, money would be no object.
I headed straight to 13th Avenue—the main drag in Boro Park—in my quest for the most beautiful Etrog and Lulav. Store after store, spilling over into the side streets were filled with new lulavim and etrogim … NOT hundreds, NOT thousands, but seemingly TENS of thousands of lulavim and etrogim. In one outdoor park area, little booths had been set up where etrogim of every size and shape were on sale. Boro Park was filled with Chasidim purchasing lulavim and etrogim: fat ones, skinny ones, long ones, short ones and bumpy ones. And there I was surrounded by Chassidim, dressed in my blue striped button-down shirt and blue jeans, and I was being bumped.
Nobody paid much attention to me. If only they knew that I was the one in that huge throng with a hundred dollars in my pocket ready to spend on an etrog—which was a lot of money for an etrog in those days. But to those Chassidim I was some stranger from out of space. After spending more than 2 hours going from store to store to store looking at what seemed like every etrog in this side of the East River, I gave up on Boro Park and headed for Flatbush where I knew, I would find the most beautiful lulav and etrog.
There weren’t as many etrog vendors on Flatbush Avenue as I had expected, probably because it was getting closer to the holiday. But they were enough to provide me with a choice. But none really met with my approval. A bit of panic began to set in as I began to realize that, as time went by, there seemed to be fewer and fewer even decent looking lulavim and etrogim. So, I quickly hopped in my car and drove to Gift World on Main Street in Flushing Queens. It was getting late, and Yom Tov was approaching. Most everyone had already gone home to prepare for the holiday.
When I arrived, they were already preparing to close. I ran up to the man behind the table and I said, “Please, money’s no object, give me the most beautiful lulav and etrog you have. Any price and I’ll take it!” He gave me the most beautiful lulav and etrog that he had. But that lulav looked more like a stalk of celery that was suffering from scoliosis, and that etrog was the same size and color of a gallstone. That’s what happened that day before Sukkot. The next year, I ordered my lulav and etrog from a reputable dealer weeks before.
I tell this to you because I think it has 3 important lessons: a Rosh Hashana lesson, a Yom Kippur lesson, and a Sukkot lesson. The Rosh Hashana lesson? On Rosh Hashana we great each other a Shana Tova—a good year. Did you ever wonder why that’s our wish? Why not go for broke? Why not wish for a great year, a fantastic year—a year in which all of our dreams will come true? Why settle for a good year?
My story reminds us why. If you wait for great, if you wait for fantastic, you just may end up with very little. Great and fantastic rarely come in life, but good … good is good enough! Enjoy it when you have it!
The Yom Kippur lesson: There’s a tradition that immediately after Yom Kippur—that very night—you should try to go outside and start building your Sukkah—even one nail. What’s the rush? Why can’t you wait a day or 2? Because of the mitzvah concept of Haba l’yadcha al tachmitzenu (When the opportunity to perform a Mitzvah comes, don’t delay for a moment). If only I had thought of that when I was in Boro Park. “Here today gone tomorrow” is the reality of life. So, if you can do something good take a lesson from Nike … just do it!
And finally, here’s the Sukkot lesson. We celebrate Sukkot by building a hut, a small annex to our homes with just a few boards and branches with foliage for the roof. Up until recently, there were no bamboo mats available, so Jews looked around for tree branches or cut tree branches and used them. By the time Sukkot was over, most of the leaves on our roofs had withered. In the Sukkah we invite family and friends, drink wine, eat fruit and other foods the week of the holiday. In the end, Sukkot is a celebration of the beauty of things that don’t last: the little Sukkah, which is so vulnerable, will be dismantled at week’s end; the ripe fruits will spoil if not picked and eaten right away; family and friends may not be with us for as long as we would wish; the beauty of the leaves changing color as they begin the process of dying and falling from the trees. Sukkot is a celebration of the beauty of things that don’t last.
My friends, Sukkot comes to tell us that the world is full of good and beautiful things, but we need to enjoy them right away because they won’t last. Sukkot is a time to learn what I learned on the streets of Brooklyn: Carpe Etrog—seize the Etrog, seize the day! Enjoy what you have while you can.
May you enjoy with a full heart Sukkot this year … the season of our joy!
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