Italian News Crew Records Special Citron Harvest
Italian television station RAI sent a news crew to the citron orchards supervised by Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbis Moshe Lazar and Shmuel Rodal of Milan to cover operations at the Calabria fields that produce some of the finest fruit, known in Hebrew as the etrog, used by Jewish worshippers during the seven-day fall holiday known as Sukkot.
Last year, locals installed a plaque commemorating 40 years since Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis began picking and developing the regional produce at the instruction of and for the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.
The first person the Rebbe entrusted with the task was Rabbi Yisroel Jacobson, who passed it on to his son-in-law Rabbi Mordechai Altein, who in turn passed it on to his son Rabbi Leibel Altein.
Closely related to other citrus fruits, the etrog is part of the Four Species of agricultural items mentioned in the Torah in association with Sukkot celebrations. Each day of the holiday, Jewish people make a special blessing while holding a palm branch, three myrtle twigs and two willow branches together with an etrog.
RAI’s news report featured an interview with Lazar on the importance of the fruit, as well as footage of a harvest.
YANEVER ESROG
THE PICTURE IS NOT FROM AN ITALIAN ESROG TREE.I’M WONDERING WHERE THAT PICTURE WAS OBTAINED.
U.S.A.
can these Rebbe esrogim be found for sale in the u.s.a?
To USA
What is Rebbe Esrogim? The Rebbe used just Esrogim from Italy and he ordered the Esrogim every year from Jacobson and later Altein.
Soshi
Also, Rabbi Shmuel Rodal works toghether with Rabbi Moshe Lazar