I hereby certify that this year as well, summer 5764, I traveled as in previous years with Hashem's help to Calabria, Italy to be present while the esrogim were picked for Hamafitz, Brooklyn NY.
This year as well, Rabbi Eliezer Shapiro of Hamafitz joined me, and together we selected the highest quality esrogim-those that are mehudar and the finest.
During the past years, scrupulous supervision has been necessary in order to ensure that the esrogim are kosher (that the esrogim be picked from kosher trees, not grafted). And this is even more relevant this year, for an agricultural crisis has affected the esrog crop in Calabria. Consequently, a shortage of kosher esrogim according to halacha exists.
And with Hashem's help, I supervised the esrogim for Hamafitz that they were picked from trees that are kosher and mehudar, without any suspicion of being grafted.
As usual, my testimony in this letter refers only to the esrogim from Calabria sold by Hamafitz exclusively this year (summer 5764 and the beginning of 5765).
Rabbi Eliyahu Matusof
