Shalom! STILL WONDERING WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR ESROGS AFTER HAG?
donate your etrogs
All you have to do is drop it off at the Toronto FOREST HILL JEWISH CENTRE by MON OCT 20th, 2025. To those who have already donated, THANK YOU!
WHO WE ARETHE GOLDEN JAM PROJECT is run by a few jewish women from Toronto who are volunteering their time to make Esrog (or “Golden”) Jam for this special project. We are not an official charity (yet) and this is our second year running. We are literally just your neighbours who are doing this from the bottom of our hearts.
WHO YOU ARE GIVING TOWe are raising money for ZIR CHEMED: a fertility clinic in Jerusalem, Israel.
3 EASY STEPS:1. JOIN THE WAIT LIST TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN THE JAM IS READY (or check back here for updates).2. PURCHASE VIA THE LINK SENT BY EMAIL (or check back here. Once the Jam is ready a purchase link will also be shared on this page).3. PICK UP THE JAM FROM THE FOREST HILL JEWISH CENTRE: Date To Be Announced.
The etrog, used during Sukkot in the mitzvah of the Four Species (arba minim), has long been seen in Jewish mysticism and midrash as a symbol of the womb, fertility, and divine fruitfulness. • The Torah calls it “pri etz hadar” — the beautiful fruit of the tree (Leviticus 23:40). The word “hadar” also means to dwell — as in “that which dwells upon the tree from year to year,” symbolizing continuity, life, and renewal. • The Zohar describes the etrog as the fruit that represents the heart, the Shekhinah (Divine Feminine Presence), and the union of masculine and feminine forces in creation. • Because it is fragrant, beautiful, and full of seeds, it became associated with fertility and the power to bring forth life.
After Sukkot, people often preserve the etrog by making jam, candied peel, or liqueur — rather than discarding a fruit used for a mitzvah. This is rooted in the value of not wasting something holy (bal tashchit) and the idea that an object once used for a mitzvah retains spiritual potency. In particular: • Etrog jam (or jelly) is traditionally shared or given to women who want to conceive, newlyweds, or those seeking a sweet year and healthy children. • In some Hasidic communities, the jam is distributed on Tu Bishvat, Rosh Hashanah, or at a celebration for a newborn. The logic is simple but profound: If this fruit was part of a mitzvah that brings joy, unity, and divine blessing, then consuming it can carry those blessings into one’s own life — especially in the area of fruitfulness.
Beyond the mystical layer, there’s a tender folk practice at work: • Sukkot comes right after the introspective season of the High Holidays — a time when people pray for renewal and new life. • The act of giving etrog jam after the holiday extends that spiritual generosity outward, a way of saying, “May your year be fruitful, your prayers answered, and your home filled with sweetness and life.” So when someone gives etrog jam to a woman hoping for a child, it’s not superstition — it’s a gesture of hope, sweetness, and shared blessing, rooted in thousands of years of sacred symbolism.
faq
Yes. Golden Jam is made only from kosher ingredients — etrogim used for the mitzvah of Sukkot, sugar (or honey), and water — and prepared in a kosher home kitchen. While it does not carry formal rabbinic certification (hechsher), it is made with full adherence to kosher practice and care.
Etrog jam is for everyone! Fragrant and preserved with honey or sugar, etrog jam symbolizes sweetness, healing, and good fortune, much like honey on Rosh Hashanah. Traditionally shared with those seeking fertility, it is also given to anyone in need of blessing — for health, strength, success, harmony, or abundance — carrying forward the mitzvah’s spiritual vitality into every area of life. Offer it to friends and family as a taste of holiness, continuity, and hope for all forms of fruitfulness — children, creativity, and prosperity alike.
While most etrogim are not grown organically—since they are cultivated primarily for ritual use rather than eating—halachically, they must still be edible to be kosher for the mitzvah of the arba minim. Agronomist Yehuda Heller notes that although etrogim are often heavily protected from blemishes with various sprays, most pesticide residues are found on the outer peel, not in the inner fruit. Tests by both the Torah VeHa’aretz Institute and Prof. Eliezer Goldschmidt confirmed that the internal part of the etrog contains little to no detectable pesticide residue, and that even in the peel, levels are typically well within safe limits. Moreover, the traditional preparation process for etrog jam—soaking the fruit for days, peeling or scrubbing it, and boiling it repeatedly while discarding the water—further reduces any remaining traces. In light of this, and according to Rabbi Moshe Bloom’s conclusion, homemade etrog jam made from a few fruits and eaten in small quantities poses no significant health risk. The careful soaking, peeling, and multiple rounds of boiling not only remove residue but also leave behind the pure, fragrant essence of the etrog—making it both safe and symbolic to enjoy. [Source]( https://en.toraland.org.il/beit-midrash/articles/around-the-jewish-year/sukkot/pesticide-traces-in-etrogim/)
100% of the proceeds from this project are going to be given to the charity we have highlighted on our website: Zir Chemed. While we are not a registered charity and cannot issue tax receipts, every jar is an offering of sweetness shared in the spirit of blessing and generosity.
Absolutely! You don’t need to have donated an etrog to enjoy a jar of Golden Jam. Availability is first come, first served, and because this is a small-batch project made from donated fruit, we never know exactly how many jars there will be each year. The best way to ensure you receive one is to purchase early so sign up for notifications when the next batch is ready or keep checking back to our website.
