Tree of Life
A Jewish child is compared to a tree: planted in the soil, nurtured on Torah and mitzvoth, and raised to become a rooted, responsible adult. The Avner Institute presents his traditional initiation into Jewish observance—both highlighting the eternal cycle of Jewish life.
In loving memory of Hadassah bas Schneur Zalman
“Culmination of the third year”
By the Grace of G-d
12 Elul 5711
Brooklyn, NY
To the Rabbi and Scholar
who is accomplished and a Chassid,
a man who fears G-d,
pleasant and gracious,
who is involved in communal affairs,
Rabbi Osher, may you be well:
Greetings and blessings!
In reply to your notification that on the 8th day of Elul was the culmination of the third year of [the life of] the young boy Mordechai Zev [Gutnick, father of the groom], the son of Raizel; the son of your stepson, Rabbi Chaim Shneur Zalman—may he be well—I send you herewith my blessing that his parents raise him to Torah, to marriage, and to good deeds, in prosperity.
The [Previous] Rebbe would write the following message regarding the [customary first] haircut for [boys turning] three years old:
Regarding the cutting of the hair, or opshernish: This is a great Jewish custom, and its main [purpose] is to educate [the child] about leaving the peyos [sidelocks] of the head (Leviticus 19:27). From the day of the haircut and the leaving of the peyos of the head it has also been customary to familiarize the infant with the tallis kattan [tzitzis, ritual fringes], the morning blessings, Grace after Meals, and the bedtime Shema. G-d will help you ensure that you raise [your child] to Torah, to marriage, and to good deeds, in prosperity and peace of mind, physically and spiritually.
Signing with a blessing [that you be] written and sealed for a good and sweet year,
[signature]
P.S. Regarding what you mention in your letter—that you are uncertain as to whether those in your country properly fulfill the mitzvah of the Four Species [i.e., waving the lulav and esrog on the festival of Succoth].
[You write] that the government has decreed that all fruit imported to Australia without proper certification must be quarantined, but that a [certain government] official has acted on his own volition to allow the fruit [esrogim] to be given to their owners for the duration of the festival on condition that they are returned after the festival to be destroyed.[You write] that the community has a longstanding tradition permitting [the use of such esrogim], but that you are concerned [that they may not be used] because they are forbidden for consumption and must be destroyed by government decree—it is only due to the officer acting outside of the strict bounds of the law [that they are allowed to be used]—and they therefore do not meet [the required halachic conditions of] the “law of money” and “permissibility for consumption” (Leviticus 23:40).
Time does not allow [me] to elaborate upon this matter at length, but in my opinion, there is no room for concern. I will mention just two of the reasons:
What makes the esrog forbidden [for consumption in this case] is not the fruit itself, but the place it is in. This is similar to [the question of] whether it is permitted to make a blessing on an esrog in the Holy Temple. Although it was forbidden to eat non-consecrated produce [such as an esrog] in the Temple, the Mishnah clearly implies that people would make a blessing on the esrog and lulav in the Temple [Mishnah Sukkah, chap. 4]. This is similar to our case: It is not that the esrog itself requires destruction, but that in Australia it is forbidden to keep fruit from overseas without certification.
It is clear that the “law of money” exists in this case for many reasons, among them: if the owner of the esrog wanted to take it with him out of Australia, the authorities would certainly not stop him from doing so. The same applies regarding “permissibility for consumption”: If a person, immediately upon bringing an esrog into Australia, wanted to destroy it by eating it, it seems clear that the authorities would allow him to do so if he took responsibility for his own health.
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