Aravah ( he, ערבה, pl. aravot - ערבות) is a leafy branch of the
willow tree. It is one of the
Four Species (''arba'ah minim'' - ארבעת המינים) used in a special waving ceremony during the
Jewish holiday of
Sukkot. The other species are the ''
lulav'' (
palm frond), ''
hadass'' (
myrtle), and ''
etrog'' (
citron
The citron (''Citrus medica''), historically cedrate, is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick rind. It is said to resemble a 'huge, rough lemon'. It is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus types developed throu ...
).
The ''aravah'' is also used for a separate ceremony on
Hoshanah Rabbah
Hoshana Rabbah ( arc, הוֹשַׁעְנָא רַבָּא, , Great Hoshana/Supplication) is the seventh day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the 21st day of the month of Tishrei. This day is marked by a special synagogue service, the Hoshana R ...
, the last day of Sukkot, when five branches are beaten against the ground to the accompaniment of special verses.
The ''aravah'' tree typically grows by the side of a river, although in
Israel it grows wild in many people's backyards. The branches grow long and are lined with long, narrow leaves. Since this tree requires much water to grow, the picked branches dry out within two or three days. In order to keep them fresh as long as possible for the
mitzvah
In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; he, מִצְוָה, ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment commanded by God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discus ...
of the Four Species, they are kept in the refrigerator until use, or wrapped in a moist towel.
On each of the seven days of Sukkot (excluding
Shabbat), two ''aravah'' branches are bound together with the ''lulav'' and ''hadass'' (this bundle is also referred to as "the ''lulav''"). Together with the ''etrog'', these Four Species are then waved in all four directions, plus up and down, to attest to God's mastery over all of creation, and to symbolically voice a prayer for adequate rainfall over all the Earth's vegetation in the coming year. ''(See
Four Species for the complete description and symbolism of the waving ceremony.)''
During the morning prayer service in the
synagogue on Hoshanah Rabbah, after the waving of the Four Species, a separate bundle containing five ''aravah'' branches are taken in hand by each worshipper. A series of liturgical verses are read, ending with, ''"Kol mevasser, mevasser ve-omer"'' (A voice brings news, brings news and says)—expressing hope for the speedy coming of the
Messiah. Then the bundle of ''aravah'' branches are beaten against the ground until many of the leaves have fallen out. The reasons for this custom are steeped in
Kabbalah. The aravot may then be thrown away, used before
Passover to burn the
Chametz
''Chametz'' (also ''chometz'', ', ''ḥameṣ'', ''ḥameç'' and other spellings transliterated from he, חָמֵץ / חמץ; ) are foods with leavening agents that are forbidden on the Jewish holiday of Passover. According to halakha, Jews ...
, or are sometimes placed in water in order to grow new aravot trees.
The Aravah ceremony in the Temple
According to the
Mishnah, In the days of the
Temple in Jerusalem, willow branches were collected from Motsa near Jerusalem and piled upright on the sides of the Altar with their tops bent over the top of the Altar each day of Sukkot. The
shofar was sounded, and the worshippers walked about in procession and recited (as is done today as part of the ''Hashanot'' ceremony on ''Sukkot''), accompanied by musical instruments (except on
shabbat). In the days of the Temple, the Mishnah reports that after the ''Aravah'' ceremony on Hashana Rabba, "the children threw away their ''lulavim'' and ate their ''etrogim'' (citrons)."
See also
*
Four Species
References
*Kitov, Eliyahu (1978). ''The Book of Our Heritage''. Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers. .
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Sukkot
Four species (Sukkot)
Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law