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).
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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