daf bit: Sukkah 31

[cellio]

During Sukkot we are to take up the four species in our hands. This consists of a bundle of three kinds of greens (collectively called the lulav) and an etrog (aka citron, a citrus fruit). The g'mara on today's daf discusses various requirements of the etrog. On the minimum size, R. Meir says it must be the size of a nut but R. Yehudah says the size of an egg. (Either way, I've never seen one that small.) There is a minimum size not because it must be "goodly" but because a small one is not yet ripe. R. Yehudah says the maximum size is such that one can hold two in one hand, but R. Yose says even if one can hold one etrog in both hands. There is some discussion of the "hold two" opinion; this is because you sometimes need to hold both the lulav and the etrog in one hand. (The g'mara doesn't say that you have to be able to hold these two distinct objects, though; it seems to be saying you need the ability to hold two etrogim even though you never need to do that.) The fear is that you will drop the etrog, damaging it and rendering it not kosher for the Sukkot ritual. (31b)
As a practical matter, most of the etrogim I've handled are too big for me to hold in alone one hand. I can't imagine holding two modern etrogim in one hand. Granted that the rabbis are talking about men (if I recall correctly, women aren't obligated in this), but even so, some men -- and 13-year-old boys for that matter -- have small hands. It appears anecdotally that R. Yose won this one in the end. (And I understand that modern ones are cultivated to be large because big = better in some eyes.)