Silver plate over bronze etrog box, European, circa 1880. Height: 3" Length: 6" Lev Tov Antiques; Gallery 93/212.308.3516
Today marks the first full day of the seven-day Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which began at sundown yesterday. For those unfamiliar with the holiday, Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, is an agricultural holiday that commemorates the Book of Exodus story in which the Israelites leave Egypt and travel in the desert for 40 years before finally entering the holy land. Sukkot, which literally translates to “booths,” refers to the temporary shelters the Israelites built in their long, hard sojourn. Today, the Jewish people remember their ancestors and by extension, the fragility of human life, by building temporary huts (sukkahs), and by waving four plants from the Torah known as the Four Species. Key among these symbolic plants is the yellow citron known as the etrog.
Of the Four Species (each of which represents a different “conduit of divine flow”), the etrog symbolizes the feminine element; “the heart, the place of understanding and wisdom.” In fact, after the holiday of Sukkot, eating etrog or etrog jam is thought to aid in easy childbirth for women. During the holiday, the etrog is carefully protected in a special box made for it, such as the magnificent antique specimen in this post, which is embossed with the symbolic fruit and its Hebew moniker “Pri Etz Hadar“–the fruit of the majestic tree. For more information about this box, reach out to Lev Tov Antiques.
