Four plants — one people
The commandment of Sukkot is to take the four species and raise them. Bound together, they become an image of the unity of the people.
Lulav
The palm branch — the spine of the bundle. Straight and strong, it gives it direction upward, toward Heaven.
Etrog
The citron — a fragrant fruit held apart. It has both taste and scent: an image of both learning and good deeds.
Hadas
The myrtle — three richly leaved twigs. It is fragrant but inedible: the scent of good deeds without the “taste” of learning.
Aravah
The willow — two branches with neither taste nor scent. And yet it is in the bundle: in a people everyone is needed, and no one is superfluous.
To bind and to raise
The lulav, myrtle and willow are bound together, taken with the etrog and waved in the six directions — a sign that the Almighty is everywhere, and that the joy of the festival embraces the whole world.
Each of the four plants has its own “taste” and “scent” — its own virtue. Bound together, they say: a people is strong when there is a place in it for everyone.
Four plants bound together — an image of a people where everyone needs one another.