The Kabbalists say that the four species of the Lulav represent four different types of Jews:
The Esrog has a good taste and a good fragrance. It represents a person with both wisdom (Torah learning) and good deeds.
The Hadas (myrtle) has a good fragrance, but is inedible. It represents a person who has good deeds, but lacks wisdom.
The Lulav (date palm) is edible, but has no smell. This represents the person with wisdom, but without good deeds.
The Aravah (willow) has neither taste nor smell. It represents a person with neither good deeds nor Torah learning.
On Sukkot, we gather these four species, bind them, and wave them all together. The Lulav is only kosher if all four species are taken together. If one of the species is missing, the entire Lulav is invalid.
.... Note that when the Lulav is held, the Esrog is held next to the willow. The one with the "most" should position himself to be near the one with the "least," in order to favorably influence him.
“By dwelling in the open Sukkah, we remember the tents of war in which our ancestors dwelled during the battle for this land,” Brig. Gen. Peretz wrote. “They were a nation of slaves that escaped to freedom, ready to depart into the unknown, living in temporary huts in the desert for 40 years.”
The sukkahs that we build as the IDF show us that we are the latest stage in a chain “of a free people willing to sacrifice everything for the building up of the people in its land.”
Chag Sukkot Sameach!
Posted by: bunuel | Thursday, 19 September 2013 at 03:26 PM