Given: that the cost of to grow an Etrog is between one and three dollars [US]; so assuming a reasonable profit, how come sets of Arba Minim cost so much? Often in excess of $60.00! Is this not Ona'ah?
See EG S"A Y"D 336:3 about not raising prices on herbs for a choleh.
Also, see the underlying Sugya in Y'vamot 106a Bas Hamu'ah de Rav Poppo.
Price gouging seems quite legal [admirable?] under capitalism, but seems to be not so kosher according to Torah Values.
Are Etrogim really that costly?
More later BE"H.
Best Regards,
RRW
1 comment:
Actually, esrogim are very hard to grow. Which is why there is such a temptation to graft esrog branches onto lemon tree trunks. Lemons have much stronger root systems.
There is also a perishability issue. Lemons can be sold the next week at the same price. The esrog industry has to distribute the cost of growing all the fruit that didn't sell by Tishei 15. Not to mention the fact that esrogim have to be far more distorted to be unsellable than pesulim we look for in an esrog.
My own two favorite points on buying an esrog:
1- The Rav holds that if the seller offers a discount if you pay in cash, or otherwise indicates that taxes are being illegally avoided, one may not buy an esrog in that manner. Using such an esrog would be a mitzvah haba'ah ba'a'veirah -- doing what would otherwise be a mitzvah through first sinning, and thus not kosher.
2- Personally, I prefer gifting someone who was laid off (or otherwise got used to having their own but are having problems paying for the yamim tovim this year) with an esrog more than spending the money on hidurim for my own esrog.
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