The arba’at ha-minim are known for their beauty, but when considering the beauty of the four kinds, there seems to be an odd one out. The lulav is majestic in its height and stature. The etrog has a beautiful appearance and taste. The hadas has a pleasant aroma and intricate leaves. And then there’s the aravah (willow). The aravah is not particularly aesthetic to behold. It has no pleasant aroma.
Where is the hiddur (beauty) in taking a lowly and simple aravah? This question is strengthened when we consider the Mishnah in Masechet Sukkah (4:5) which describes how on Hoshana Rabbah, we would encircle the mizbe’ach in the Beit HaMikdash. On Hoshana Rabbah, the mizbe’ach was decorated with long aravah branches. And the Mishnah tells us that as people were leaving and took in the sight of the mizbe’ach, they would declare, “יֹפִי לְךָ, מִזְבֵּחַ; יֹפִי לְךָ, מִזְבֵּחַ – Beauty unto you, altar, Beauty unto you, altar.” And even as we find ourselves between Batei Mikdash, the aravah still receives great attention on Hoshana Rabbah, as we take a bunch of willow in our hands.
How did the aravah, seemingly the simplest and humblest of the arba’at ha-minim reach such prominence and praise for its beauty? In order to understand the beauty of the aravah, we have to understand its role in the context of the arba’at ha-minim. The Gemara teaches us that in the first instance, the four kinds need to be in an egged – bound together. (The Israeli bus company is called Egged because it is a cooperative owned by its members. It was also created as an egged in 1933 by the merger of four smaller bus companies coming together). In order to fulfill the mitzvah of arba’at ha-minim, all four species must be present. Despite their individual qualities, none of them alone can be used to perform the mitzvah – they can only be used when they are together as part of a full set. The real beauty of the arba’at ha-minim is not in their individual aesthetic qualities, but the way they come together.
The lulav, hadasim and etrog are far more beautiful when joined by the aravah, and the aravah takes on new beauty and significance when placed with the other three. So it was on the mizbe’ach as well. The aravot in and of themselves are not particularly beautiful, but when placed alongside the mizbe’ach, offsetting the mizbe’ach with refreshing greenery, they contributed to an overall pleasing experience.
The aravah itself, in its name and in its nature, represents this concept of interdependence and harmony. Of all the 4 kinds, the willow is the most dependent on water for its growth. It cannot survive alone but must grow alongside rivers, streams or sources of water. The name aravah means mixture, indicating the aravah’s natural inclination to blend and mix with other elements. The aravah alone does not have much beauty but must be in the context of other ingredients to shine.
In the halachot of what qualifies as a kosher aravah, one of the requirements is that it is not allowed to be ke-masor – like a saw with jagged edges. This fits in with the symbolism of the aravah, which represents unity and harmony, as opposed to a saw which represents division. As the Midrash in Vayikra Rabbah points out, each of the four kinds represents a different kind of Jew. The etrog, with both a pleasant taste and pleasing aroma, represents Jews who have both Torah and good deeds. The lulav, with a pleasant taste but no aroma, represents Jews with Torah but no good deeds. The hadas, with a pleasant aroma but no taste, represents Jews who have good deeds but no Torah. The aravah, with no taste and no aroma, represents Jews with neither Torah nor good deeds. Ultimately, the mitzvah can only be performed when all four kinds are brought together. The Sefat Emet explains that this is why the aravah is granted such prominence on Hoshana Rabbah. It is specifically because it represents those who lack Torah and good deeds, in order to highlight the value of every single person.
On the one hand, it is essential to welcome and appreciate the value of every single individual. At the same time, the aravah teaches us that great beauty is not just about accepting or tolerating others. True beauty is found when a group can enable everyone within it to shine. Not only do they shine themselves, but they enable the overall group to achieve a level of beauty that could never have been achieved without their presence.
Sukkot is all about coming together. We invite ushpizin and others into our sukkot. We share our simcha with those less fortunate than ourselves. By internalizing the lesson of the aravah, may we merit the fruition of our prayer during the Yamim Nora’im: “V’yei’asu chulam agudah echat la’asot retzoncha be-levav shalem – may we all become one “agudah” – one group bound together to perform the will of Hashem.”
Rabbi Danny Mirvis is the CEO of World Mizrachi and the Rabbi of Ohel Moshe Synagogue in Herzliya Pituach.