If a person does not have an etrog [ for Sukkot ] they should not take a pomegranate , an apple , 22 nor something else . If [ the person ’ s 4 species ] were withered they are fit ; if they are dried out , they are not fit . Rabbi Yehudah says , “ If they are dried out they are fit .” Rabbi Yehudah said , “ There was a case involving the people of walled cities who bequeathed their lulavs to their children in a case of exceptional circumstances [
ק ח ד ה ת ע ש
].” They said to him , exceptional circumstances do not count as proof .”
This brief passage strikes me as offering at least two lessons that resonate with our present moment . First , the text denies the use of other fruits in lieu of a proper etrog , but affirms the adequacy of withered plants . Holding up a pomegranate or alternative fruit on Sukkot would starkly concretize the experience of breaking with tradition . By contrast , taking the prescribed produce – even if they are quite withered – allows for continuity with the ancient ritual despite their non-optimal condition . The comfort of the familiar ties us to the past and grounds us even as distressing conditions endure – perhaps drought for the ancient rabbis and the unending aftermath of October 7 th for us today .
The latter half of this rabbinic passage , the second century debate regarding the fitness of dried out species , can be read as offering two alternative views on how to move forward in the wake of exceptional circumstances . For Rabbi Yehudah , who permits the use of dried out plants , the fact that there was once a period
22
See Saul Lieberman , Tose % a Ki-Fshuṭah : A Comprehensive Commentary on the Tose % a Part II Order of Zeraim ( New York : The Jewish Theological Seminary of America , 2001 ), 569 , line 51 . 100