Word Prompt – ETROG – Gabriel Boxer

Every year before Sukkot, I begin my annual search for the perfect etrog. And I take this job very seriously.

I inspect them under different lights, turn them upside down, check every bump and spot, and somehow convince myself that I am now an expert in etrogology.

Every year I find one that looks perfect – until someone points out a tiny mark I hadn't noticed. Suddenly, it's disqualified.

And then I think: Isn't that exactly how we treat life?

We are constantly searching for perfection – the perfect home, perfect family, perfect holiday, perfect version of ourselves. We look at everyone else and see their beautiful “etrog,” while noticing every little flaw in our own.

But the etrog teaches us something different. Its beauty isn't that it is flawless. It's that it is whole. Maybe that's the lesson: perfection isn't about having no imperfections. It's about appreciating what we have, embracing our uniqueness, and understanding that the little bumps and marks are part of our story.

So this year, I'll still search for the perfect etrog. And I'll still inspect approximately 47 of them. But maybe I'll spend a little less time looking for perfection – and a little more time appreciating what I already have.

Because sometimes, the perfect etrog isn't the one without a flaw.  It's the one we learn to see as perfect.