i've never heard of this part before, i know about the Feast Of Tabernacles but i don't know about this part
Saturday 10-15-22 7th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Tishri 18 5783 24th. Fall Day
bs-10.14.14-the-mystery-of-the-lulav-the-four-species.pdf (schoolofelijah.org)
Hello shortangel, the above link, did you open it? if you did, it is the unity and the oneness of the set unto God, The season of joy waving the lulav, Especially parts 5 and 6
2 Corinthians 8:6—“But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.7 Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” The Greek word for cheerful is “hilaros” whence English hilarious. In 2 Corinthians chapters 8—9 the apostle Paul epitomizes the example of Christ in giving and encourages that no man can out-give God. God wants us to be hilarious givers.
The sukkah is a shelter of faith. It teaches you to leave behind all your worldly concerns and to dedicate yourself to God with total self-effacing faith (self nullification) in His mercy and compassion. The mitzvah of sukkah with its unstable walls and precarious roof expresses our complete dependence on and boundless trust in God’s protection. Under the shelter of the sukkah where we are to feel God’s sheltering hand, we realize that true happiness is found only in the eternal values of Torah and mitzvoth, that material possessions offer no security, and that the shield of faith is the only protection that can be relied upon makes us aware that, like our stay in the sukkah, life on earth is unstable and transitory. Nearness to God, our one-on-one relationship is the source of our simchah—the exciting gladness that is the hallmark of Sukkot.
What are the four species?—Arba Minim (the Four Species). The secret of the Lulav: Symbolically, the Four Species represent all the strata that make up the unity of the Israel of God. • the etrog, a tasty fruit of the hadar tree with a pleasant aroma, represents the righteous people who possess both Torah and good deeds. Represents the heart. • the lulav, the branch of a date palm, produces a sweet fruit but has no fragrance; it stands for the scholar who is proficient in Torah but lacks good deeds.
Represents the backbone. (courage). • the hadassim, the sweet-smelling myrtle, which produces no edible fruit, symbolizes the average people who perform good deeds but are deficient in Torah scholarship. Represents the eye (window of the soul). • the aravot, odorless and tasteless willow (grows along the stream in America and Israel), represents the person who lacks both Torah and good deeds. Represents the mouth . Can speak, pray and call upon God. Ps. 25:52. We can roll our burdens on the Lord who has promised to take them all. Together the four species through their shapes express our desire to use all our vital components to worship God, and to atone for transgressions resulting from an envious eye, a malicious mouth, or lustful heart.
The taking of the four species is a Torah obligation. Leviticus 23:40—“And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.” To fulfill God’s commandment we take the Four Species— 1-lulav (palm), 1-etrog, 3-hadassim (myrtle), and 2-aravot (willow) that adds up to seven in hand every day of Sukkot. 5 6 The four species together comprise one unit. If one of the species is missing, the commandment has not been fulfilled. We take the lulav bundle in the right hand, then the etrog (with the pitam facing down) in the left. After reciting the blessing (berachot),” Blessed are you our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, brought us to this season,” we turn the etrog over (so that it is held in the direction that it grows) and wave the Four Species. The waving motion consists of three times up, three times down in all directions in the six directions — straight ahead (east), right (south), back (west), left (north), up and down.
Waving the lulav is our sign of unity and victory, having overcome and having been tested by the Lord and accepted by him and now rejoice before the Lord with the lulav as our symbol of being accepted. In earlier days if a litigant’s claim before the royal court was decided in his favor, he would receive a spear from the king. When he left the palace holding the king’s spear aloft all knew he had been victorious in his suit. Similarly, during the Days of Awe, all of us were on trial before the Heavenly Court. On Sukkot, the season of joy; we celebrate our happiness that God has accepted our repentance – a confidence symbolized by the lulav held aloft.
Now we have learned the components of Sukkot which enhance our fullness of joy, and know what God has said about real joy and unity to be celebrated that we never knew before. Isaiah 55:12—“For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” We are to share and draw people together into the love of God. This brings an anonymous poem to my mind, “He drew a circle that shut me out. Heretic! Rebel! A thing to flout! But, love and I had the wit to win. We drew a circle that took him in.”
We need to widen our circles that draw people in. Do good works, show kind words and deeds, and follow in the footsteps of Christ. Everyone should know his place. Remember that whoever you are and whatever your place, with your talents and abilities you can become united with others. Even in adverse circumstances, we are to remain only joyful for the trait of joy is to become a permanent trait planted in our heart by the law of God. Veha Yica Hach Sameach, you shall only be joyful. Let’s do it! Hallelujah!
Love, Walter and Debbie
