The Veteran Etrog Grower: "I Plant, Nurture, and Grow, and Sometimes Discover That the Whole Tree Is Ruined"

What does your etrog look like, where did you buy it, and how much did you invest in order to bless it during the festival of Sukkot? Some will answer briefly, others will have longer answers as they made a great effort to acquire what they believe to be the finest etrog, and some even traveled to the etrog grove to find the "diamonds"—the most select and fine etrogs to fulfill the mitzvah.

Rabbi Nahum Luria, who heads the 'Etrog Luria' brand and has been producing etrogs for 45 years, knows people of all kinds and prepares each year to provide everyone with tens of thousands of etrogs sold across the country and the world. "Etrogs are my life, occupying me throughout the year," he clarifies, and in a fascinating conversation, reveals the life of an etrog grower.

A Sisyphean and Exhausting Job

The story of the Luria family's etrogs begins 45 years ago when Rabbi Luria's father-in-law visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe during the Tishrei holidays. "After Sukkot, my father-in-law asked the Rebbe for the etrog he blessed during the festival," Rabbi Luria recounts. "The Rebbe gave him the etrog and asked: 'When you reach Eretz Yisrael, take out its seeds and plant them, so that etrog trees may grow for you.' My father-in-law did exactly as asked, and from that etrog came thirty seeds. He planted them, and they became the seedlings that were the foundation of our family etrog grove."

Rabbi Luria recounts that at the beginning, the grove was comprised of only about 50 etrog trees behind his father-in-law's house. "Later, after my father-in-law passed away, I took over the business, and thank Hashem, expanded the grove to cover very large areas with hundreds of trees."

The trees, if you're wondering, are renewed every year because an etrog tree typically doesn't last more than a few years. "We're occupied throughout winter planting new trees for spring, and removing old ones," he explains. "In the first years, the fruits are forbidden for use as orlah. Then, there are three or four years we can use them, after which the trees wear out, and we replace them with others. We cover all the trees with a large net to protect them from winds and pests."

According to him, spring is the blooming season for etrogs, and from that moment, the work is focused on protecting the etrogim so they aren't disqualified or damaged by pests. "The etrog is a very sensitive fruit," Luria explains, "and as soon as the flower opens and the etrog begins to emerge, flies and insects come to taste it. It's enough for them to take a small 'bite' for the etrog to be disqualified. That's why careful spraying is essential, though the spray can also harm the fruit. The biggest frustration is when after guarding, spraying, and investing, you find the tree full of pests and the etrogs are disqualified. Sometimes, there are fifty etrogs on one tree, and all end up wasted."

Does this happen sometimes?

"It happens every year. There's not a year where we don't lose trees, and each time it's painful anew."

Benefiting the People of Israel

Many of us seek the most select etrogs. Can you ensure that the etrogs on the trees will be select?

"It's not entirely up to me, but of course I can try: by going from tree to tree, from etrog to etrog, preserving and nurturing the fruits every day. Not everyone knows that etrog trees are full of branches and thorns. These need trimming to ensure they don't damage the fruit. This increases the chances of having an unblemished, complete, and select etrog. It's hard work, but when successful, there's much satisfaction, thank Hashem."

And how many etrogs do you supply each year?

"Thank Hashem, hundreds of thousands of etrogs from our grove are distributed annually across the country and worldwide, and we are considered one of the largest etrog producers. I hear about great rabbis and rebbes who bless with my etrogs, and sometimes I'm told that tens of thousands of people blessed with the Rebbe's etrog from my grove. In some Chassidic communities, all chassidim bless with the etrog that the rebbe blessed. It's very touching and heartwarming. What touches me more is meeting the yeshiva students who come to the etrog grove wanting to choose the most select etrog while it's still on the tree."

Rabbi Luria pauses for a moment and explains: "I mean the yeshiva students, some of whom truly don’t have an extra shekel. They come to the grove, sharing a taxi to save costs, but when it comes to etrogs, they spare no expense, willing to spend all their money to get the finest etrog for the mitzvah. Seeing their determination and excitement, I can't help but be moved too."

One can't help but ask—which etrog do you bless?

"I feel like the story of those who cherish Shabbat," he replies with a smile. "Like those who would buy the finest fish on Sunday, only to find a better one on Monday, and an even finer one on Tuesday, and so on. I keep replacing my etrog with one that seems finer, in order to bless with what seems to me the finest at the end. On Sukkot, when I bless the etrog that grew in my grove, I pray to the Creator to continue blessing with etrogs I grew and to grant them to the People of Israel as well."