Q&A: Smelling an Etrog on the Festival — Nowadays
Smelling an Etrog on the Festival — Nowadays
Question
The Talmud (Sukkah 37b) says that it is forbidden to smell myrtle on the festival because its primary use is for fragrance, so designating it for the commandment removes it from that primary use. The Talmud also says that accordingly, an etrog is דווקא permitted, because its primary use is eating, and therefore it is removed only from eating and not from smelling.
Suppose (I haven’t checked this) that nowadays the primary use of etrogim is not eating but smelling instead, since the perfume industry uses the essential oil in the peel—then the Talmud would also agree that it is removed from smelling.
My question is whether I can look at the primary use we make of etrogim, namely for the commandment of the four species, or at most etrog jam after the festival, and then, despite the widespread use of etrogim in the perfume industry, take into account the common public usage, so that only eating is removed, as in the time of the Talmud?
Answer
Why not? More than that: today, when people do not eat it, there is no reason to remove it from eating.
I didn’t understand the wording at the end. Is that another question?
As a side note, I would just point out that it is not clear, on logical grounds, why it is removed only from its primary use. Perhaps another use is considered benefiting from it in an unusual manner, and therefore there is no forbidden benefit here. That is, this is not an essential permit, but rather an exemption under the rule of deriving benefit in an atypical way.