Every year, utmost attention is invested in choosing the exquisite items that symbolize the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot during the 'Four Species Market'. Bney Barak, Israel. 9th October, 2011
Sukkot is agricultural in origin. This is evident from the biblical name "The Feast of Ingathering," from the ceremonies accompanying it, from the season – “The festival of the seventh month”– and occasion of its celebration: "At the end of the year when you gather in your labors out of the field" (Ex. 23:16); "after you have gathered in from your threshing-floor and from your winepress" (Deut. 16:13). It was a thanksgiving for the fruit harvest. Coming as it did at the completion of the harvest, Sukkot was regarded as a general thanksgiving for the bounty of nature in the year that had passed.
In Leviticus, God told Moses to command the people: “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” (Lev. 23:40), and “You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 23:42-43).
The Symbolism:
Several explanations are offered as to why these particular species were chosen for the mitzvah. The Midrash[7] notes that the binding of the Four Species symbolizes our desire to unite the four "types" of Jews in service of God. An allusion is made to whether or not the species (or their fruits) have taste and/or smell, which correspond to Torah and good deeds. The symbolism is as follows:
The lulav has taste but no smell, symbolizing those who study Torah but do not possess good deeds.
The hadass has a good smell but no taste, symbolizing those who possess good deeds but do not study Torah.
The aravah has neither taste nor smell, symbolizing those who lack both Torah and good deeds.
The etrog has both a good taste and a good smell, symbolizing those who have both Torah and good deeds.
A second explanation[8] finds the four species alluding to parts of the human body. Each of the species or its leaves is similar in shape to the following organs:
Lulav – the spine
Hadass – the eye
Aravah – the mouth
Etrog – the heart
By binding them together for a mitzvah, the Jew shows his desire to consecrate his entire being to service of God.
An additional reason for waving the Four Species in all directions alludes to the fact that all these species require much water to grow. The lulav (date palm) grows in watered valleys, hadass and aravah grow near water sources, and the etrog requires more water than other fruit trees. By taking these particular species and waving them in all directions, the Jew symbolically voices a prayer for abundant rainfall for all the vegetation of the earth in the coming year.
Cited from Wikipedia
In this market, buyers painstakingly seek for the exquisite specimen of each item, it kind of manifests the importance they attribute to the tradition and the ritual. Beside that it is always a great opportunity to meet one's fellows in the market and change some words of wisdom referring to the holiday.
This specific market is held in Bney Barak. Similar markets can also be found in fact in any city with big religious communities (like Jerusalem for example).
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