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Sukkot: The Lulav
and the Etrog
By: Rivka C. Berman, Contributor
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While the Sukkah
hut gives the Sukkot holiday its name, this festival has two other main
symbols: the lulav and etrog.
A lulav is a
slender palm branch that is held together with two willow branches and
three willow branches. An
etrog is a citron that looks mostly like a misshapen lemon but smells like
heaven. The branches and
fruit are waved each day Sukkot, except on Shabbat, in a specific manner
for a variety of reasons.
From the Torah
The mitzvah to take
a lulav and etrog together on Sukkot comes from the Torah.
“On the first day you shall take the product of the beautiful (hadar)
tree, branches of palm trees, thick branches of leafy trees, and willows
of the brook and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven
days” (Leviticus 23:40).
Other translations
name the thick branches of leafy tees as “braided branches.”
Myrtles are known as braided branches because their branches are
thick with leaves that grow in sets of three.
Each set overlaps the one above it, creating the appearance of a
braid.
When the Temple
stood in Jerusalem, the Jewish people used lulav and etrog on the first
day. Only the Kohanim who
served in the Temple used the lulav and etrog for the rest of the holiday.
Once the Temple was destroyed, the rabbis decreed that all Jews
should wave the lulav and etrog all seven days as a remembrance of Temple
days.
A Deeper Look at the Lulav
Ismar Schorsch,
chancellor of the Conservative Movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary of
America, notes that just as the plants of the lulav cannot grow without
water, neither can we survive without God’s blessing.
Much like the symbolism of dwelling in a sukkah that is open to the
elements, this understanding of the lulav reinforces the message of Sukkot
that God provides our security and prosperity.
Earlier authorities
examine the form of the lulav and etrog
for clues about their meaning.
A midrash in Vayikrah Rabba 30:12
explains the items as symbols of the importance of unity among
different types of Jews. The
etrog, a fruit, has both a flavor and a scent, like a Jew who is both
learned and observant of the commandments.
The lulav is from a date palm, and so it has a taste but no scent.
It is likened to a Jew to is learned but does not apply that
knowledge in action. A myrtle
has a pleasant odor but there is nothing tasty about it, and it parallel
is the Jew who has little book learning behind his or her observance.
Finally the willow lacks both fragrance and food value, just like
the Jew who neither studies the Torah nor keeps the commandments.
The differences between Jews may be substantial, but, like the
lulav and etrog which must be held together for the waving ritual, only
when Jews come together do they merit a blessing.
Later in the same
Midrash (ibid. 30:14) the rabbis use a quote from Psalms to riff on the
lulav and etrog. “All my bones shall proclaim, ‘God, who can be likened to
You!” The metaphor is
applied in this way: the long straight lulav is likened to the spine. The tiny myrtle leaves become eyes, and the elongated willow
leaves morph into lips. Bulbous
and firm, the etrog is equated with the heart.
As in the first example, holding all parts of the lulav and etrog
together for the blessing informs the meaning of the metaphor.
The secret ingredient to achieving the true happiness promised by
Sukkot is to feel unity within, to be true to oneself and not say one
thing and feel another.
Lulav and Etrog Rituals
There are many
different traditional ways to wave the lulav and etrog. Especially on the
first day this ritual is performed Halacha emphasizes that each person
should own the lulav and etrog he or she is waving.
If actually having one’s own set is impossible, “purchase”
the lulav and etrog by giving the true owner something of value.
After the waving the new owner may sell the lulav and etrog back.
Custom One
-
Face east.
- Take the lulav in the right hand and the etrog in the left.
Ashkenazic lefties take note, there
is a custom for southpaws to hold the lulav in the left hand and etrog in
the right. Sephardic Jews do
not make this change. Hold
the etrog stem side down. Be
sure to have the spine of the lulav facing the person holding it. The myrtle (the one with smallish leaves) should be on the
right and the willow should be on the left.
-
Say the blessing:
"Baruch
ata Adonoy, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu bi'mitzvo-sav,
vi'tzivanu al ni-tilat lulav."
Blessed are You,
Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with His mitzvot,
and instructed us to raise up the Lulav.
The first time you
wave the lulav and etrog follow with the Shehechiyanu.
Baruch ata Adonoy, Elo-heinu
Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu bi'mitzvo-sav, sheh-heh-khe-ya-nu
v’ki-y’manu v’higi-anu la-z’man ha-zeh.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, for giving us life, for sustaining
us, and for enabling us to reach this season.
-
Turn the etrog stem side up.
-
With lulav and etrog in hand extend your arms out to the east and
back toward your heart three times. Then extend your arms to the south and back to your heart
three times. Follow the same
motions to the west, north, up and down.
Some people accompany the waving with the words “Hodu l’Adonai key tov, key l’olam khahs-doe.” “Let us give thanks
to the Lord for God is good, for God’s kindness endures forever.”
-
Marching with the
Lulav and Etrog
As a memorial to a
ceremony once held in the Temple, the morning services of Sukkot feature a
lulav and etrog procession. While
special verses of praise are chanted, worshippers circle around the
synagogue or around the reading table and wave the lulav and etrog.
Lulav and Etrog Storage
Believe it or not
there are many varieties of lulav holders available.
Some look like super long plastic bags with zipper closures.
Others appear to ape a Star Wars motif and consist of two plastic
cones that fit together to form a sort of Sukkot light saber.
Silver carrying cases are also on the market.
Etrog storage is
easier or trickier depending on the type of etrog being stored.
Some etrog varieties arrive with a pitom, the stamen left over from
the etrog blossom, protruding from the top.
Be careful with the pitom.
Should
the pitom fall off, the etrog is no longer considered whole and should not
be used for the mitzvah of waving the lulav.
Many, if not most, etrogim (pl. etrog) are grown sans pitom. This saves much etrog-handling heartache.
There is nothing wrong with keeping the etrog in the box it arrived
in. The fibrous stuff
surrounding the etrog is usually flax and cushions the etrog from bumps
and bruises. Because of
the desire to fulfill the commandments in a beautiful way, some Jews
purchase special etrog holders made from wood, plastic, silver, metal, and
pottery.
Mazor Guide for Sukkot brings you much more about the holiday, its
meaning and its traditions... See the links below.
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