Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of a set of Arba’ah Minim (the four species). Whether you spent a few minutes or a few hours picking out the right set for yourself, you will need to bring it home and keep it in good condition throughout Yom Tov, while shielding it from the destructive hands of little children.
The ideal preservation method, when not in use, is to keep everything cool by leaving your Lulav and Esrog in a walk-in refrigerator. Unfortunately, very few people have a walk-in refrigerator. The next best method is the one I utilize. I leave it in my cool, attached garage. However, many homeowners do not have a garage with easy access to the house. Nevertheless, there is a common factor between these two options. Keep it cool! So, what is a person to do if a walk-in refrigerator or a cool attached garage is not an option?
Lemons are kept in the refrigerator; An Esrog, also a member of the citrus family, can be placed in its box in the door of the refrigerator. The refrigerator door is recommended for several reasons. First, for practical reasons. An Esrog on the door is easily seen and found when needed. Second, when placed on a shelf, the box may inadvertently be moved to the back of the shelf where the temperature may be much cooler. In some old refrigerators, the back temperature may be freezing which would cause damage to the Esrog. A frozen or thawed Esrog is not a kosher Esrog.1 Third, when placed on a shelf, liquids from a shelf above may spill on the Esrog box. An Esrog submerged in liquid for 24 hours or longer will be rendered Posul.2
The Esrog can easily fit in the refrigerator, but the Lulav is too long. The Lulav should be wrapped in its plastic case or a towel to prevent drying out and should be left on a flat surface in a cool room in the house. If you live in a home, perhaps the basement is the coolest place in the house. It should not be left leaning against the wall as that will curve the Lulav.3
The Esrog goes in the refrigerator and the Lulav lies flat in a cool room, but what is the best way to preserve the Hadasim and Arovos? Do not attempt to pull the branches out of the basket; the leaves on the bottom, that had been in the basket, will fall off. The Hadasim and Arovos should be taken off the Lulav with the basket intact, wrapped in aluminum foil and placed flat in the refrigerator. Placing the Hadasim and Arovos in a damp paper towel will give them too much moisture and could cause the leaves to turn brown. However, some people have told me this method works for them. If you wish to use this method, the trick is to take the leaves out of the damp paper towel immediately after removal from the refrigerator. As moisture can also accumulate in the aluminum foil enclosure, the leaves should be removed from the aluminum foil when not in the refrigerator. Also, if left in the refrigerator without some sort of covering, such as a paper towel, aluminum foil or plastic wrap, the leaves will become dry.
Here are some scenarios to avoid:
Scenario #1: Leaving your Lulav with the Hadasim and Arovos still attached somewhere in the kitchen. With the burners and/or oven on over Yom Tov, the heat will prematurely age your Arba’ah Minim. Double Trouble: Leaving it on top of the refrigerator; heat rises.
Scenario #2: Leaving it on the dining room table, next to the warm kitchen, in front of a window, with the sun shining in. Do not keep it in a warm place!
Scenario #3: Leaving it in the Succah. If there is a frost, which has been known to happen in Chicago over Succos, the Lulav will split,4 and the Hadasim, Arovos, and Esrog will freeze, rendering these items Posul.5 When thawed, the Esrog will become soft and the leaves will fall off. If the weather is exceptionally warm, it will also age the Arba’ah Minim, as already mentioned. Remember, critters, such as squirrels, can saunter into your Succah and bite, maul or otherwise destroy whatever you leave inside. These types of incidents have happened and have been told to me by customers when purchasing replacements.
It is well known that small children have a desire to touch everything and the Esrog is no exception. Take into consideration that the more the Esrog is touched, the more it ages. Explain to small children that the Esrog is not a toy and should only be held when saying a Bracha. It is not only the Esrog that can be problematic with small children in the house. One customer told me that his four-year-old granddaughter took the Lulav and used it to sweep the floor. And why not? It was just her size.
Just one more important bit of advice to help preserve your Esrog that is often overlooked. Hold the Esrog with clean hands. Besides ordinary dirt, hands have natural oils that keep the skin moisturized and supple. The dirt and oils that may not be apparent to the naked eye will also contribute to aging an Esrog.
Purchase your Arba’ah Minim and enjoy your Yom Tov knowing you are doing the right thing to keep your set as fresh as possible.
- ארוח חיים סימן תרמח הלכה ד מייב סיק יז
- א׳ח תרמח הלכה טו מייב נד
- א׳ח סימן תרמה הלכה ט מייב לחלט
- א׳ח תרמה הלכה ג ובהג׳ה
- חזון איש תרמו ס׳׳ק ח
About the Author:
Rita Horovicz has been selling Arba’ah Minim in Chicago for over 30 years and has heard many stories about what went wrong once the purchase was brought home. She and her staff will be happy to answer any questions, not only on how to maintain the freshness of your purchase, but on what to look for when purchasing the best product within your price range. If you still need to purchase or for more information, please call 773-508-5977.
