Torah Portion
Mitzvah Of The Four Species
Welcomes, Includes Every Jew
Shabbat Sukkot (First
Day): Leviticus 22:26-
23:44; Numbers 29:12-
16,• Zechariah 14:1-21.
learning nor good deeds, and what does
God do? He said, 'Bind them together
The Talmud (Sutea 34B) concludes
that: "Each (of the four) species is indis-
pensable for the performance of the
mitzvah." Thus, according to the
midrash, the Jewish people not only
must be bound together as one, but in
he festival of Sukkot presents
order to fulfill our destiny, we actually
us with one of the most
require amongst us those who lack
unusual practices in Judaism.
Torah learning and also lack good deeds.
Namely, the mitzvah of the
And while Maimonides (Perush
four species.
HaMishna, San., Chap. 10) tells us that
The Torah (Leviticus 23:40) bids us
those who insist on interpret-
to: "Take for yourselves, on
ing all midrashim literally "are
the first day, the fruit of a
to be pitied for this stupidity
beautiful tree, date (palm)
... and they actually denigrate
fronds, the branch of thick
the sages," he also says that
wood and brook willows and
those who reject the
rejoice before the Lord your
midrashim outright "are even
God for seven days."
more stupid than the previous
This verse has been inter-
group."
preted by Jewish tradition as
• We must, says
an obligation to take the etrog
Maimonides, realize "the
(citron), lulav (palm branch),
greatness of the sages and
RABBI
hadas (myrtle) and aravah
their wisdom and to find
ELIEZER
(willow) and to wave them
within their words that which
together at specific times dur-
COHEN
teaches great truths."
ing the service.
Special to the
Thus, according to the
While no explanation for
Jewish News
midrash, we are told that the
this practice is given in the
Jewish people cannot exist as
Torah, the sages over the ages
such without those Jews who
have offered various rationales for t his
are so far from tradition that they have
ritual.
no knowledge of Torah and who are so
far from simple human goodness and
,
decency that they lack good deeds.
How could such individuals be indis-
pensable to the Jewish people?
It must be that the purpose and iden-
tity of the nation itself is predicated
upon the welcoming and inclusion of all
Jews, even the most alienated. This atti-
tude towards one another must be at the
very core of the people and, therefore,
without such individuals, the Jewish
people could not exist.
And so, as we raise the four species
and "rejoice before the Lord ..." let us
do it in the real spirit of the Jewish peo-
ple — committed to unity and mutual
responsibility and love.
Midrash Viz Yikro Raba 30:11
explains: " ... Just as the etrog has taste
and fragrance there are among the
Jewish people those with Torah learning
and good deeds ... just as the ate has
What other reasons can be
taste but no fragrance there are-Jews that
offered for this mitzvah? Why
have Torah. learning but not good deeds
does Maimonides insist that
... just as the hadas has fragrance but no
those who take all midrashim
taste there are Jews that have good deeds
literally are fools? Why are
but not Torah learning ... and just as the
good deeds compared to fra-
willow has neither fragrance nor taste
grance? Which is more impor-
there are Jews that have neither Torah
tant, Torah learning or good
deeds? Why?
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of Congregation
T
"We actually
require amongst
us those who lack
Torah learning
and also lack good
),
deeds.
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J71q.
9/20
2002
57