Why do arba minim sellers still scramble to get a table in the Shuk?

Photos: Yisroel Tesser

The competition is tough, the hours are long, there’s no guarantee of quality stock, and the profits are a gamble. So why do arba minim sellers still scramble to get a table in the Shuk? Because if you have a passion for the mitzvah and love helping customers, you just can’t stay away

It’s the quintessential Erev Succos scene.

Hear vendors loudly hawking their holy wares; watch men poring over hundreds of arba minim sets, squinting and scrubbing and scrutinizing the most minute marks. Take in the entrepreneurs marketing their creative inventions: a lulav holder that keeps your lulav steady even when travelling or a waterproof patent leather ultralight esrog box. Smile at hopeful youngsters who dart around, quickly tying lulav rings in the hopes that they’ll earn a few coins.

But you’re not in Yerushalayim — or even Eretz Yisrael for that matter. You’re standing in New Jersey, taking in the scene of the Lakewood Daled Minim Shuk. The Lakewood Shuk operates during the four-day period between Yom Kippur and Succos, when arba minim shopping is at its peak. What began 25  years ago as a convenience has evolved into a central part of the pre-Yom Tov experience in the area.

The Shuk started when some local enterprising esrog sellers decided to band together and bring their goods to one central location for the final stretch of the pre-Succos shopping spree. Together, they formed Lakewood’s “Daled Minim Shuk” in the basement of Beth Medrash Govoha. The arrangement was a boon to everyone involved: Customers had a greater selection; sellers had a larger client base; and with a number of capable rabbanim on site, the process of getting that final stamp of approval for esrogim was eased.

The Shuk’s popularity forced the sellers to upsize from the original basement location, which was getting cramped, to the yeshivah’s large succah. Within a few years, even that wasn’t big enough. Tables began to spill out of the succah, crowding the driveway and parking lot. Still, for 23 years, the Shuk remained on Seventh Street, until the pandemic and ensuing safety precautions forced organizers to relocate to the oversized parking lot of a local wedding hall. When even this larger location couldn’t accommodate the bustling experience, the Shuk relocated once more, this time to the parking lot of the local Blue Claws stadium, where an enormous, 10,000 square-foot circus tent is erected annually exclusively for the Shuk.

To get an insider’s view of the industry, Mishpacha spoke with Avi Klugman, a longtime arba minim seller and a fixture of the Lakewood Shuk. Avi’s first experience at the Shuk was as a kid who sold fresh lulav rings; he eventually turned that into a thriving arba minim enterprise. Today, Avi serves as COO of a commercial finance company, yet he still manages to find time to moonlight as the manager of the BMG Shuk. As he was gearing up to greet the crowds, Avi filled us in on how he got started, what it takes to be successful in the arba minim industry, and what goes into running such a mammoth  operation.

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my family’s history in daled minim

My great-grandfather was tasked with getting a set of arba minim for his community in Fulda, Germany and traveled quite a distance to purchase a set. When he headed home, he mentioned to the driver that the esrog needed delicate handling and that he should guard it with extra care. When they finally arrived in Fulda, my great-grandfather opened the box, and to his horror, the pitom had cracked off the esrog! The driver, noting his horrified expression, told him not to worry. He explained that he knew the pitom was valuable  and so he’d removed it and wrapped it in separate packaging so it would stay safe….

During one shemittah year, Rav Shach and the Steipler wanted lulavim specifically from Arizona. My father and his friend went to the Lower East Side to purchase such lulavim and brought them to Eretz Yisrael.