Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky selected an esrog for Sukkos ahead of Tu B’Av, which falls out on Tuesday night and Wednesday this year, in accordance with his yearly minhag, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported.
HaRav Chaim adheres to this minhag according to the mesorah he received from his father, the Steipler, z’tl.
HaRav Chaim requested of his bnei bayis to store the esrog in an appropriate place and warmly thanked the owner of the orchards who sent the esrogim.
According to the Mishnah: “No days were as festive for Yisrael as Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur.” Chazal say that on Tu B’Av, the decree that all members of Bnei Yisrael from the Dor Hamidbar would die due to the sin of the Meraglim, ended. Just as Yom Kippur atones for Chet HaEgel, Tu B’Av atones for the Chet Ha’Meraglim.
Five other happy events occurred on Tu B’Av:
- The prohibition of daughters who inherited land from their father in the case of no male heirs of marrying someone from a different shevet was lifted, uniting Klal Yisrael
- The enactment that prohibited bnos Yisrael marrying into the shevet of Binyamin was lifted, again uniting Klal Yisrael.
- Hoshea ben Elah, the last melech from malchus Yisrael, removed the guards along the roads leading to Yerushalayim, which Yeraveam ben Nevat had placed there to prevent the ten shevatim from traveling to ir hakodesh for the Shalosh Regalim.
- The wood needed to burn the karbanos during the Beis Hamikdash HaSheini was difficult to obtain and required a perilous trip afar. The last day that wood was could be brought to storage to last until the next summer was Tu B’Av and the woodcutting took place that day.
- The Romans finally allowed those killed in the Bar Kochvah revolt at Beitar to be buried, a happy event on its own, but the bodies had not decomposed – a double nes for which the last bracha HaTov U’meitiv in Birchas Hamazon was added.
Tachanun is not recited on Tu B’Av and it is the day we begin preparing for Chodesh Elul, as the days begin to get shorter. In the past, there was a minhag to begin wishing others Kasiva V’Chasima Tova on Tu’ Bav.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
Can an esrog really be kept in top condition from August through October?? I’m not an agricultural expert but I know that citrus fruits kept under ideal refrigeration turn brown after several weeks. Perhaps esrogim don’t share these traits in common with lemons/limes etc.