6293 —בדיקת תפילין מארץ ישראל ומנהג אתרוג קלבריא של חב"ד

B"H, 3 Sivan, 5718.

Brooklyn.

Haraha"g Haraha"ch iy"a nu"n oseik b-tzt"z etc. Mordechai Herlig

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from the end of Iyar, in which you raise: a) What was said in my name, that tefillin sent from Eretz HaKodesh, even if written there by a G‑d-fearing scribe and the batim made by trustworthy people, must be checked here upon receipt. My reasoning is that it has happened several times that customs officials opened the batim (fearing that precious stones or pearls were hidden inside), and it is understood that when they resewed them there was room for various errors, some of which could invalidate them.

b) Regarding the Chabad custom of being particular to use specifically Calabrian etrogim. What I have heard and what seems correct to me according to Nigleh I wrote to someone—and a copy is enclosed—as well as in my notes in the Sukkos booklet from 5712, page 59, where it is also referenced to a sichah of my father-in-law on this topic. As for what you cited from our Sages on "Lo Techsar Kol Bah—even peppercorns," it is obvious that Eretz Yisrael is capable of growing beautiful fruit, no less than peppercorns; but this does not prove that at present there are actually etrogim in Eretz HaKodesh of the highest standard. The verse refers to potential and possibility—not always realized in practice—especially since it also says "sulfur and salt will burn all its land; it will not be sown or sprout nor will any grass grow there," etc. Furthermore, with etrogim, hiddur (beautification) is intrinsic to the mitzvah itself, implying that the ultimate hiddur for this mitzvah is paramount. There is no deficiency in "Lo Techsar Kol Bah" if the ultimate hiddur comes from another rich land—namely Calabria in Greece.

With honor and blessing in the wording used by my father-in-law: To receive the Torah with joy and inwardness.

P.S. Regarding your comment about Calabria in Greece and your reference to Yerushalmi—I have already said that this explains our Sages' source for "u'mishmanei ha'aretz zo Italia shel Yavan" (and from the fatness of the land—this is Italy of Greece), which raises a difficulty: since Yitzchak blessed Yaakov with "from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the land," then what was left for Esav? The answer: only Calabria of Greece remained—a territory not yet existing at that time—so Yitzchak could not have had it in mind when blessing Yaakov. This land emerged later (per Yerushalmi): when Shlomo married Pharaoh's daughter, Gavriel descended and planted a reed in the sea; silt gathered around it and upon it was built Italy of Greece (Shabbat 56b). Later I found this written in Sefer Damasek Eliezer quoting R. Heschel of Krakow—and I am pleased I arrived at this independently.

Regarding your suggestion that this Calabria is among the lands of Keni, Kenizi, and Kadmoni—see Bava Batra 56a; Rambam Hilchot Rotzeach 8:4; and more.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches practical caution regarding tefillin imported from Eretz Yisrael due to possible tampering during shipping. He also clarifies Chabad's preference for Calabrian etrogim as rooted both in halachic sources and tradition rather than mere geography or agricultural potential.