Lulav
Lulav ( Hebrew לוּלָב) is the name for the branch of a date palm , the largest branch in the festive bouquet on Sukkot . Lulav can also mean the whole bouquet.
The festive bouquet is made up of the "four types" (Hebrew arba minim ):
- 1. Etrog ,
- 2. Lulav,
- 3. Branches of myrtle (Hadassim),
- 4. Willow branches (brook willow; Arawot).
The four types are supposed to symbolize the unity of the people of Israel and the mutual responsibility of people for one another. They also symbolize the entire plant world. The four species are grouped together and consecrated to God. You shake it in all directions and thereby crown God as King over the whole world.
The reason why these four types of plants were chosen is supposedly their diversity. Each species also symbolizes a certain type of Jewish person.
The etrog is a fruit of the citrus tree, the "leafy tree": fragrance and taste = study of the Torah and doing the commandments. (The etrog has to look nice, wider at the bottom of the stem on which it hung on the tree and narrower at the top. Be careful not to accidentally use a lemon. You can tell the difference by the peel: the lemon has a smooth skin , The bowl of the etrog, on the other hand, has dimples and warts.
The lulav / palm frond comes from a tree whose fruits, the dates, are odorless but tasty: one that doesn't know much and has not studied the Torah intensively, but acts according to the commandments. (The palm frond should be straight, the individual panicles should be close together. The middle branch must not be split, both parts must sit tightly together. The requirement of the four species got its name from the palm frond, from the so-called "Lulav" shaking, because it is the most conspicuous of the four species and the other three are bound to it. The palm frond must protrude at least a span = 20 cm above the myrtle.)
The myrtle branch, on the other hand, smells lovely, but is tasteless: someone who studies a lot but does not stick to it himself. (For the myrtle you need three branches. Each sprout of the myrtle must have three leaflets, because this corresponds to the condition of "dense foliage". The myrtle is tied to the right of the palm frond that the praying person holds by the stem. The myrtle branches must be longer than be the creek willows that come to the left side of the palm frond.)
The brook willow has neither smell nor taste: someone who has neither studied the Torah nor obeyed its commandments. (Two branches are sufficient for the brook willow. The stalk of the brook willow should be reddish; the leaves should be narrow and long, their tips should be perfect. The brook willows must be fresh, they will be renewed during the festival. Large brook willows are desired on the banks of the brook grow, but it is not absolutely necessary. Do not confuse them with eucalyptus branches, which are very similar to them.)
Since, according to the Jewish conception, God does not want human beings to be destroyed, all these different characters are put together in a bundle so that one person atones for the other. On the morning of every feast day, before prayer, one takes the palm frond in the right hand and the etrog in the left hand. The etrog is pressed with the stem upwards with the outgrowth down against the palm frond so that it lies the other way around on the tree. After the intended blessings, you turn the etrog over again and shake the four species in six different directions (four cardinal points as well as up and down). You must not eat anything before shaking the "Lulav". However, this requirement can actually be fulfilled at any time of the day. At Sukkot enjoy fruit, strudel with dried fruit, soup with crepe .
Literature (selection)
- Israel M. Lau : How Jews Live. Faith - Everyday Life - Celebrations. 7th edition. Gütersloher Verlag-Haus, Gütersloh 2008, ISBN 978-3-579-02155-3 .
Web links
- Lulav in the Jewish Virtual Library