Balady citron

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Balady
Balady, Chazon Ish-Halperin
Balady, Chazon Ish-Halperin
Species
C. medica L.

Balady Citron is most commonly referring to the Pitamless Israeli Citron which was considered native to Palestine, as balady is Arabic for "native".

The citron in general is not native to Palestine, neither to the Middle East at all. This name was only generated in the mid 19th century by the local Arabic peasants, in order to distinguish it from the recently introduced Greek citron, which was cultivated along the Jaffa seashore.

The Balady for etrog (ritual) was reported to be growing at the following cultivation points: 1) the outskirts of Shkhem and the neighboring Nazareth; 2) the outskirts of Safed and the neighboring Alma al-Shaib; 3) at the in-between village of Um al-Fahm, 4) also there was an orchard near Tiberias, and 5) at the Lifta village near Jerusalem.

A cross section of the Lefkowitz variety of Chazon Ish
A cross section of the Lefkowitz variety of Chazon Ish

Contents

[edit] Beginning of Trade

Although the Balady is assumed to be present in the Holy Land since the destruction of the second Temple, only small amounts were used as etrog even within Israel self, and there was no dream to exploit into export. The Balady was too ugly in comparison to any other citron variety, and the new settlers usually remained adherent to the varieties they were using in Diaspora [1].

All of this changed in the 1870's, when Rabbi Chaim Elozor Vacks devoted himself for its cultivation, and managed to get it exported to Europe. Thanks to his high-esteemed authority and constant agitation, many individuals and even communities switched from the abundant Greek which was also called Corfu, to the Israeli Balady citron.

He believed that this variety of etrog have the strongest tradition-lineage of specie pureness, being found in the wilderness of Israel when the first settlers including Nahmanides (1194 – c. 1270) arrived there. While the variety is not domesticated, it is not ought to be grafted or bred. Even during the following years it was always utilized by great scholars and pious, who were certainly clear about its purity or even witnessed it.

Even more importantly, he viewed in this trade a rescue for the Yishuv haYashan of Jerusalem. He himself spent huge amounts of money to plant etrog orchards in the village of Haitin near the thumb of Yisro, which is close to the city of Tiberias. He placed the whole salary in the hands of the Warsaw Kolel which he was heading, handing great support for the Jewish families from Polish origin, who were struggling from hunger and pain. In his time the situation of those families gradually improved as a result of his effort.

He wrote many letters to the rest of the Rabbi's in his time to influence the Judaism of Diaspora, that they should use only this strictly kosher citron. Those letters are published in his responsa Nefesh Haya as well in the responsas of those with whom he co-responded, and in special booklets dealing with the controversies of the Corfu and in promotion of an Israeli.

At the same time, the pro-Zionist newsletters haMelitz and haL'vanon were instrumental in a vast agitation to build up an Etrog-economy in Palestine, paving roads for a Zionist state.

[edit] Decline & Intraspecific Graft

Despite all efforts, the Balady was still unable to compete with the Greek citron. At some years before, the Greek citron was already introduced for plantation by the Sephardic settlers thanks to the financial support and advocacy by Sir Moshe Montefiori. This kind was also sold in diaspora as Israeli citron, and did quite a better job in competing with the Greek of Greece. Consequently, the Balady got to run a battle in two directions.

The supporters of the Etrog idea were strained in a conflict of interest. The Greek citron of Jaffa showed a good economical future, whereas the Halachic intensions were against it.

As a partial solution, the Greek-Jaffa citron was occasionally grafted onto Balady rootstock. The progeny achieved the beautiful properties of the scion type, while the possible influence of lemon rootstock was assumed to be flushed, and replaced with that of the most kosher Balady rootstock [2].

At the end, even Rabbi Vacks himself was forced to commence topworking to part of his orchard, in order to replace part of the crop with the most beautiful Greek citron[3].

[edit] Rescue & Selections

Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin.
Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin.
Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, the Chazon Ish.
Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, the Chazon Ish.

The Yishuv haYashan rabbis Shmuel Salant and Meir Aurbach highly supported the progeny of Um el-Faum, but those declined very fast. Even later, there were still some Israeli rabbis who where not involved in the export, nor in agitation, and preferred doing the utmost for the rescue of Balady. Each of them collected propagation material from a different place, and brought them into cultivation under close supervision. This is how it developed a diversity of sub-varieties or selections called with different naming.

The list of those instrumental rabbi's is including (arranged in order of dates): Rabbi Zarach Reuven Braverman dean of the Yeshiva Meah Shearim, and Rabbi Yechiel Michel Kibilewitz[4], both were students of Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin and are said to be inspired to this ambition by their great master.

When the Chazon Ish reached the Holy Land, he made his own selection according to his satisfaction. He gave to plant for Yakov Halperin the founder of Zichron Meir in Bnei Berak the variety called Halperin-Chazon Ish, and to the Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz the variety called Lefkowitz-Chazon Ish.

Even Rabbi Abraham Kook who very much promoted the intraspecific graft with his Hechsher, still certified that those etrogim cultivated around Schem and different Arabic villages, are not grafted at all.

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Citron varieties
Citron varieties used in the Etrog ritual.
Citron varieties NOT used in the Etrog ritual.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Letter by Rabbi Shneor Zalman of Lublin, the Torath Chesed
    • Responsa Imrei Bina by Rabbi Meir Aurbach, chapter 11 of the lest cycle of the first volume שו"ת אמרי בינה או"ח-יו"ד סוה"ס סי' יא
  2. ^ Igros HoRaye 52
  3. ^ Biography of Rabbi Vacks
  4. ^ According to Professor Eliezer E. Goldschmidt (Halichos Sadeh, issue 146, Elul 5765, Page 24) it was obtained in 1910 at the remote nature of Wadi Qelt.

[edit] HaLevanon links

  • HaLevanon 11 no 23 Moshe Montefiori supporting plantation.
  • HaLevanon 13 no 42 Letter by Rabbi Meir Aurbach, no 47 Letter by the Sephardic Chacham Bashi Rabbi Avraham Ashkenazi that there are some murkavim in Jaffa and in the neigborhood of Jerusalem and that since he realized that all the etrogs are starting with a Pitam, an Etrog that doesn't have one should not be used.
  • HaLevanon 14 no 2 go right to page 4 - History of Balady and description of sub-varieties by Yakov Sapir, No 9 - page 5 no 14 - page 4 - no 15 - page 7 Yakov Sapir adressing the conflict between the Jaffa-Greek etrog and the Balady.

[edit] External links