14 Oct SUKKOS: ESROG

Tzaddikim said that
if people knew the
value of the esrog, they would spend all the
money in the world to acquire it.
The Gemara (Succah 41) tells us that
Raban Gamliel once paid one thousand zuz
for an esrog. “This teaches us how much
they loved the mitzvos.”
Until not very long ago, esrogim in Eastern
Europe were extremely expensive because
they had to be imported from Italy or other
countries. In those days, there were only
one or two esrogim per community, and
they were costly. Therefore, for months in
advance, the Jewish community would save
up money for this purchase, and they did
so with joy, for they wanted to keep this
precious mitzvah.
One year, there were very few esrogim,
so the Vilna Gaon zt’l gave a couple of his
students a large sum of money and told
them to seek an esrog.
The students searched hard, but there
wasn’t anything available. Finally, they
found someone who had an esrog. However,
this man wasn’t an esrog merchant; he

wanted the esrog for himself. The students
offered him a lot of money, but he refused to
part from his esrog.
They explained to him that they needed it
for the Vilna Gaon. So he agreed to sell it
to them on the
condition that
he would be
accredited with
the reward for
the mitzvah.
The students
feared that the
Vilna Gaon
wouldn’t be
happy with this
condition, but
as they didn’t
have another
esrog, they
agreed to those terms.
The Vilna Gaon was extremely happy when
he heard about the condition. He explained
that this was his opportunity to perform
the mitzvah entirely leshmah. He won’t be
getting Olam HaBa for the mitzvah, so his
only gain and intention will be to make a
nachas ruach for Hashem.
Reb Yohonoson Eibshitz’s zt’l would

spend a lot of money to purchase a beautiful
esrog. By the testimony of his student,
Reb Hirsch of Hessin zt’l, Reb Yohonoson
Eibshitz zt’l would buy an esrog, and if he
found a more beautiful one, he would buy
that one. And then,
if he found an even
more beautiful esrog,
he would buy that
one, too. His succah
was also decorated
with costly items. His
students write, “All the
money of his house was
valueless to him when it
came to loving Hashem
and His mitzvos.”
There are different
versions of the
following story, and I

will write it as I received it:
Rebbe Michel of Zlotchev zt’l was very
poor. Sometimes, his children went hungry.
But there was nothing the family was able
to do. There was no money in the home.
Actually, there was one item of value. It
was an inheritance- the holy tefillin of Reb
Michel Zlotchever’s father, Reb Yitzchak of
Derohovitz zt’l, but Reb Michel refused to
sell them.
His Rebbetzin zt’l pleaded many times
that he sell the tefillin to support their
family, but Reb Michel refused. Once,
a wealthy person came to Zlotchev and
offered a lot of money for the tefillin,
but Rebbe Michel turned down the offer.
“My father’s tefillin aren’t for sale,” he
explained simply.
But then came a year when there were
hardly any esrogim in Eastern Europe.
An esrog merchant came to Zlotchev
with an esrog, but he asked for a lot of
money. Reb Michel sold the tefillin and
bought the esrog for fifty reinish. Rebbe
Michel’s joy was endless. He had a
beautiful esrog for yom tov.
His Rebbetzin wanted to know how
he had money to buy the esrog, but Reb
Michel didn’t respond. She asked again
until he told her that he had sold the
tefillin. She angrily said, “I asked you
to sell the esrog for our family, but you
refused, and now you sold it?!” And
with that, she bit into the esrog.
Rebbe Michel said, “Ribono Shel
Olam! I don’t have the tefillin anymore.
I don’t have an esrog either. Should
I also be angry? That would be yet
another loss!
That night, he saw his father in his
dream. His father told him that it was a
great deed when he sold the tefillin to buy
the esrog, but his second deed, that he
controlled his anger, was an even greater

accomplishment. His
father said, “Your
ability to control
your anger was more
precious in heaven
than your mesirus
nefesh to buy the
esrog. In the merit of
your restraint, many gezeiros raos [harsh
decrees] were annulled.”
B’derech Tzachos, the Tiferes Shlomo zt’l
explained what we could gain by spending
a lot of money to buy the four minim. He
explains that by the judgment of Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Satan
tells on the aveiros of the Jewish nation.
Malachim counter the Satan and say, “The
Jewish nation isn’t guilty of their sins. You,
the Satan, are guilty because you convinced
them to sin.”
“Why did they listen to me?” The Satan
replies. “They are a wise nation, and they
should have ignored my enticements.”
“They aren’t as wise as you think,” the
malachim reply. “Just wait a few days, and
I will show you just how gullible they are.”
A few days later, they buy an esrog, a citrus
fruit with a retail value of a few cents, and
they pay a lot of money for it. The malachim
say, “Just see how easily they are tricked.”
So, the Satan remains guilty for their sins,
and they are signed for a good year.
The Berdichiver Rav zt’l relates that he
once saw the Satan and asked him why he
appeared so sad.
The Satan said, “A shipload of esrogim is
arriving, and I’m very upset about that. The
Gemara (Succah 38.) says that when Yidden
shake the four minim, it is like arrows in my
eyes.”
Sometime later, the Berdichever Rav
found the Satan, and this time the Satan
was happy. “Why are you so happy?” the
Bardichever Rav asked. “Just a while ago,
you were sad because a shipload of esrogim
was arriving.”
The Satan laughed and said, “I’m happy
because the ship with the esrogim sank.”
Chol HaMoed Succos, the Satan was sad
again. The Berdichever Rav asked him what
the cause for his sadness was.”
The Satan replied, “This year, most Yidden
didn’t shake lulav, but they all yearned
immensely for the mitzvah, and their
yearning was very precious to Hashem.
Additionally, a few Yidden somehow found
a way to buy esrogim at very high prices,
and they were extremely happy with the
mitzvah. All these matters (the desire, the
price, and the joy) are very precious to
Hashem, even more than had all the esrogim
arrived.”