From the librarian’s desk – Sukkot

Explore a rich and surprising celebration of fruit in The Citron Compendium: Science and Tradition here.

To celebrate high holy days, Cassy Sachar, LBC’s Senior Librarian, has selected two books from our Library’s collection in a series of blog posts titled ‘From the librarian’s desk’.

After the abstinences of Yom Kippor, Sukkot brings with it a sensory overload celebrating the abundance of nature. The etrog, with its knobbly texture and emotive perfume, has inspired rabbis, farmers and filmmakers to teach and learn from the פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר pri etz hadar, the fruit of the goodly tree.

The Citron Compendium: Science and Tradition, is a rich and surprising celebration of the fruit. It explores the etrog in art, literature, and Jewish texts as well as episodes in Jewish history including halakhic controversies.

For those used to shaking their etrog with their lulav, what may be even more fascinating is the role of the citron in other cultures, as the book explores its cultivation, production and uses around the world from China to the USA via Italy and Corsica.

The section on citron biology is your microscope and the numerous illustrations including botanical drawings, strange varieties, citron desserts and the people involved in growing them, are a wondrous panorama of the natural and human worlds.

Visit us at Leo Baeck College Library (or the Natural History Museum Library) to go on your own etrog journey through the Citron Compendium and get to the heart of the beautiful fruit.

The Citron Compendium: The Citron (Etrog) Citrus medica L. S