The BIG StorY

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efore purchasing any etrog,
Avrohom Plotnik, owner of
Spitzer's Hebrew Book Store in
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Ot Southfield, advises, "Look for one that
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"rottea
has a nice shape, as symmetrical as
possible. Make sure it's a bright yellow;
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it shouldn't be too green."
Avrom Borenstein of Borenstein's Book . -:
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liefoore,
& Music Store in Royal Oak Township
it reminds buyers to recall the mitzvah of
i "take for yourself the pree (fruit) of the
etz (tree) that is haddar (beautiful)." Each !;
person tends to have his own idea of
what "beautiful" means for an etrog, if in
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doubt, he says, "take the etrog to a
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,.; competent authority."
But don't spend too many years deciding A I
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Borenstein recalls one shopper who
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took an extraordinary amount of time to
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.!, select his etrog. Finally, Borenstein
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;N: (known to always bring his sense of
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humor to work) says he approached the
4*,, a,
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man and said, May I ask how long it
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: s .h took to find your wife?" The customer
replied, "With my wife, I got stuck with 1
a lemon. I don't want the same with my I

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etrog."
Although Borenstein's biggest seller is
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the etrog with a pitom, there are those
who opt for the pitom-less version. "It's
only in the last 30 years that some peo-
ple learned you could purchase a kosher
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esrog without the pitom," says Boren-
.:
stein. "But with some people, you can
offer it free and they still won't take it."
The etrog without a pitom remains pop- ;,,
ular with families that include many
young children, Borenstein says,
A because they don't have to worry about
1
: the pitom breaking off.
,, :,.i When it comes to etrog holders , Alicia g N
Nelson carries all types — from antiques k
to contemporary — through her Judaica
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g allery in Southfield, Tradition! Tradition!
Esther's Judaica World in West Bloom-
field has a silver-plated etrog box but,
as owner Esther Kagan advises, silver
will require a great deal of polishing.
For easier care, the store also carries
plastic etrog holders. El

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NIPIPOU k, •

10/13
2000

102

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' TAUVU R„

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