Jewish Life Digital Edition September 2015 | Page 48

MYTHBUSTER BOBBA MAASEH OR GENUINE JUDAISM? HOME REMEDIES The healing properties of etrogim BY RABBI ARI SHISHLER 44 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 88 POPULAR POST-SUKKOT ETROG USES INCLUDE JAM, TEA ESSENCE, AROMATHERAPY OIL OR HAVDALLAH SPICE HOLDERS. Tree of Knowledge. Some pregnant women say a prayer that expresses this theme before biting into their etrog. In case you thought you could eat a fresh etrog from the market, rather than one that has been fingered for a week, the blessing only works if the etrog had been used for the mitzvah over Sukkot. Eating an etrog ahead of the newborn’s arrival may ease childbirth, but it is not the only Jewish tradition we have for birth-related pain relief. Eating “melaveh malka”, the Saturday night meal to bid farewell to Shabbos, helps too. But, the best tried and tested gateways to blessings for a healthy pregnancy, easy delivery and healthy child are to eat only kosher during pregnancy, to give charity and say a special prayer before lighting Shabbos candles, and to check your mezuzos before the baby comes. And, of course, an expectant mom, and her husband, should pray a little extra during those nine special months. JL Have you got a question for Rabbi Shishler? Email your ‘bobba maaseh’ to [email protected] and it could be answered in the next issue! Rabbi Ari Shishler is the rabbi of Chabad of Strathavon and learning director at Chabad House. He is a popular local and international speaker. Catch him Thursday afternoon on ChaiFM, visit Chabad.org, Facebook (Ask the Rabbi group), www.rabbishishler.blogspot.com, and Twitter (@Rabbishish). more on JL DIGITAL EDITION CATCH RABBI SHISHLER’S TORAHBYTE ON THE DIGITAL EDITION! PHOTOGRAPH: BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM; PORTRAIT: SUPPLIED PREGNANT WOMEN CAN GOOGLE A PLETHORA OF LABOUR-EASING FOOD suggestions, from ginger tea to dark chocolate to chopped liver (yes, really) to hamantashen (the fruity-filling type, not the oozing custard variety). Their bobbas would probably shrug off these suggestions with a disdainful “nu” and then recommend things like wearing a ruby or chomping on an etrog. Many of us deliberate over how best to dispose of an etrog after Sukkot, and a possible medical benefit would likely sway us away from chucking out that pricey citrus. Popular post-holiday etrog uses include jam, tea essence, aromatherapy oil or Havdallah spice holders. If the bobba maaseh is accurate, the etrog may just have another useful benefit. An etrog is termed a “beautiful fruit” in the Torah. Etrogim have both a good, albeit tart taste, and a deliciously fragrant scent. The etrog’s shape and size lead us to consider it symbolic of the human heart. It is also meant to be good for your heart, and offers a host of other health benefits. Jewish sources assert that eating ground etrog peel is good for your liver and may even be able to restore speech to someone who has gone mute. Maimonides believed even the leaves of an etrog bush carry healing properties. More specifically for expectant moms, the Talmud says pregnant women who eat etrog can expect to have ‘fragrant’ – which means exemplary – children. As for easing labour pains, a number of Torah sources indicate eating an etrog can help, which has led to a variety of etrog customs for pregnant women. One custom sees the woman bite off the ‘pitom’ stem of the etrog on the last day of Sukkot. There is even a special prayer to say beforehand. Other customs prefer to turn the etrog to jam and specifically eat it after the festival, or even as late as the holiday of Tu B’shvat. The link between the etrog and relieving labour pains tracks back to the common misconception that Adam and Eve ate an apple. In fact, our commentaries suggest a number of fruit contenders for the ‘forbidden’ one. Apple is not on the list. Etrog is. You surely recall that the sin of eating the Forbidden Fruit is what brought labour pains to our world. As a pregnant woman approaches her due date, she may want to distance herself from her great-grandmother, Eve’s, actions. Eating an etrog undoes the sin-value of the first time an etrog was eaten. If a woman eats the the pitom stem, which is decidedly bland, she effectively says, “As I have no benefit from this etrog, I have no benefit from Eve’s original etrog either.” By distancing herself from the sin of Eve, the woman distances herself from the painful consequences of the