The festival of Sukkot contains another commandment in addition to sitting in the sukkah: holding the Four Species – the lulav, etrog, hadas, and arava – on each day of the holiday (other than Shabbat) during Shacharit morning services or afterwards.
The Torah emphasizes that the mitzvah of picking up the Four Species is not just to hold them in one’s hand but to rejoice in them:
“And you shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days” (Vayikra 23, 40).
How does this mitzvah bring about such great joy?
This mitzvah provides a nice clue, a hint that leads us to a positive outlook on all the different segments of the nation and to unity among the different parts of Am Yisrael.
The etrog has a taste and a very pleasant scent. It symbolizes those Jews who learn Torah and whose name precedes them for their good deeds. The lulav – the date palm fruit – has an amazing taste but no scent. It symbolizes those Jews who learn Torah but lack good deeds in the other areas of their lives. The hadas – the myrtle branch – has a nice scent but no taste. It symbolizes Jews who behave righteously and fairly with good deeds but do not learn Torah regularly. The arava – the willow branch – has neither taste nor scent. It symbolizes those Jews who neither learn Torah nor behave appropriately in other areas of their lives.
Holding the Four Species together symbolizes the connection among all segments of the nation, despite it not always being overtly obvious. When we take hold of the Four Species, we remember that we are one inseparable nation, despite our disagreements and the differences in our lifestyles. The entire nation, with all its sectors and parts, will eternally remain inextricably bound.
When we remember that we are all brothers and that we aspire to reach full unity among all the sectors of our nation, this memory brings us great joy and hope that the day will come when we succeed in overcoming our differences and disputes, and we will succeed in seeing in one another only the merits inherent in each one of us. ■
The writer is rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites.