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The Humble Willows of Sukkot

TANAKH

The commandment to take the four species, including the willows, on Sukkot is a ritual that suggests profound symbolism. The book of Leviticus, the third book of the Torah, outlines the commandment to take the four species and rejoice before God for seven days during the festival of Sukkot.

On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before your God יהוה seven days.

Leviticus 23:40

The Mystical Willow

CHASIDUT

The willow, particularly on Hoshana Rabba, symbolizes 'speech-without-wisdom' and its connection to divine delight and judgment. Nachman of Breslov, an early 19th-century Hasidic master, delves into the mystical and spiritual significance of the willow in his teachings.

Hoshana Rabba is the aspect of speech-without-wisdom. It corresponds to the willow, because the willow resembles the lips (Tanchuma, Emor 19). In the holy Zohar (III, 85b) it is found: There are individuals who study Torah, who lack knowledge and so stammer the words. Yet each word ascends on high and the Holy One, blessed be He, delights in it. He takes it and plants it on the banks of that brook, so that huge trees, known as “willows of the brook,” are created from these words. From this we see that “willows of the brook” are the aspect of speech-without-wisdom…

Likutei Moharan 74:15:4

The Willow Controversy

TOSEFTA

The Boethusians refused to acknowledge that the beating of the willow suspends the Sabbath, leading to a significant conflict. The Tosefta, a late 2nd-century compilation of Jewish oral law, discusses the observance of Sukkot and the use of willow branches, highlighting this conflict.

The lulav suspends the Sabbath in the beginning of its duty, and the willow in the end of its duty. There is a story that some Boethusians once hid the willows under some great stones on the Sabbath eve; but when this had become known to the common people they came and dragged them out from under the stones on the Sabbath, for the Boethusians do not acknowledge that the beating of the willow suspends the Sabbath.

Tosefta Sukkah 3:1

Lyres on the Willows

COMMENTARY

The exiles in Babylon hung their lyres on the willows, symbolizing their deep sorrow and inability to sing. Psalm 137 captures the profound lamentation of the Jewish people during the Babylonian Exile, expressing their longing for Jerusalem.

On the willows in its midst, in Babylon’s midst, we hung our lyres. The people lamenting were sitting by rivers, where willows often grow. Hanging the lyres on the willows was a way of saying that the exiles did not want to use them, because they were no longer willing, or able, to sing.

Steinsaltz on Psalms 137:2

The Willow Branch Debate

TALMUD

The mitzva of the willow branch on Sukkot is debated among the rabbis, highlighting its significance and origins. The Talmudic tractate Sukkah records a dispute between Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi about whether this mitzva is an ordinance of the prophets or an ancient custom.

It was stated that there is a dispute between Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. One said that the mitzva of the willow branch is an ordinance of the prophets, as Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi instituted it in the Temple as obligatory. And one said that the mitzva of the willow branch is an ancient custom practiced by the prophets and adopted by others as well. It was not instituted as a binding ordinance. The Gemara suggests: Conclude that it was Rabbi Yoḥanan who said that it is an ordinance of the…

Sukkah 44a:9

The Climax of the Aravah Ritual

COMMENTARY

The seventh day of the aravah ritual, Hoshana Rabbah, is the only day it can override Shabbat if it falls on that day. Joshua Kulp’s contemporary explanation of the Mishnah clarifies the specific conditions under which the aravah ritual supersedes Shabbat.

“The aravah seven days.” How is this? If the seventh day of [the ritual of] the aravah fell on Shabbat, [it lasts] seven days; if it fell on any other day, [it lasts only] six.
The only difference between this mishnah and the previous mishnah concerning the lulav is that the lulav is taken on Shabbat if Shabbat is the first day of the festival, whereas the aravah (the willow) is taken on Shabbat if Shabbat falls on the seventh day of the festival. If Shabbat falls on one of the other days…

English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah 4:3:1

The Symbolism of the Willow

JEWISH THOUGHT

The willow symbolizes those among the Jewish people who neither perform good deeds nor study Torah. This midrashic text uses the metaphor of the willow, which has neither taste nor aroma, to discuss the diversity within the Jewish community.

“Willows of the brook,” such are Israel. Just as the willow has neither taste nor aroma, so too there are Israelites who neither perform good deeds nor study Torah.

Unity in Judaism, The One People; Destiny and Responsibility 6

Choosing with Integrity

HALAKHAH

Choosing a willow branch that is not associated with idolatry, even if it is less beautiful, is crucial for maintaining spiritual integrity. The Sefer Chasidim, a foundational text of Jewish ethical and mystical teachings from the 12th-13th centuries, offers guidance on piety and moral conduct.

There was one man in a village who needed a willow branch and he didn't find so beautiful a willow branch as in a yard of idolatry by water. A wise person said to him: you'd better take the one which is not so beautiful rather than that beautiful one from the yard because you will not find grace (if you take the latter).

Sefer Chasidim 438:1

The Requirements for Willow Branches

MISHNAH

The Mishnah provides detailed guidelines on the specific quantities and conditions for the willow branches used during Sukkot. This foundational Jewish text from around 200 CE discusses the requirements for the willow branches, including differing opinions on the acceptability of the myrtle branches' condition.

Rabbi Yishmael says: The mitzva of the four species is to take three myrtle branches, and two willow branches, one lulav, and one etrog. With regard to the myrtle branches, even if the tops of two are severed and the top of one is not severed, it is fit. Rabbi Tarfon says: Even if the tops of all three are severed, it is fit. Rabbi Akiva says with regard to the number of each of the species: Just as there is one lulav and one etrog, so too there is one myrtle branch and one willow branch.

Mishnah Sukkah 3:4

The Halachic Willow

HALAKHAH

The willow, one of the Four Species used during Sukkot, has specific botanical and halachic criteria that determine its suitability for ritual use. The medieval halachic work Kol Bo provides detailed descriptions and legal distinctions of the willow species, including the tradition that these details were explained by Moshe.

The willows of the river that are mentioned in the Torah are not anything that grows from the river, but rather a specific species known as a river willow. Its leaves are elongated and their edges are smooth; and its branches are red. And that is what is called an aravah. And most of this species grows on rivers, and that is why it is called a river willow. But even if it grew in the desert or in the mountains, it is [still] fit. And there is another species that is similar to the willow, except that its leaves are round, and their edges are similar to a saw…

Kol Bo 72:3

Frank Schulten, 1881-1942, two Jewish boys holding the willow, one of the four species of the Sukkot holiday, 1920-1923, symbol IL-INL-YBZ-0210-412, by Yitzhak Ben Zvi (Israel Niglet Laa'in), collection Frank Schulten's Travels in the Holy Land, Yad Yitzhak Ben Zvi; YBZ.0210.412.

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