Aravah ( he, ערבה, pl. aravot - ערבות) is a leafy branch of the

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

tree. It is one of the Four Species (''arba'ah minim'' - ארבעת המינים) used in a special waving ceremony during the

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

holiday of Sukkot. The other species are the ''

lulav ''Lulav'' (; he, לולב) is a closed frond of the date palm tree. It is one of the Four Species used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The other Species are the '' hadass'' ( myrtle), '' aravah'' (willow), and ''etrog'' (citron). When ...

'' (

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

frond), '' hadass'' ( myrtle), and ''

etrog Etrog ( he, אֶתְרוֹג, plural: '; Ashkenazi Hebrew: ', plural: ') is the yellow citron or ''Citrus medica'' used by Jews during the week-long holiday of Sukkot as one of the four species. Together with the ''lulav'', ''hadass'', and '' a ...

'' (

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 Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

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 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 In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

. 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 Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The defin ...

. The aravot may then be thrown away, used before

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...

to burn the Chametz, or are sometimes placed in water in order to grow new aravot trees.

The Aravah ceremony in the Temple

According to the

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...

, In the days of the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jeru ...

, 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 A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying ...

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)."

References

*Kitov, Eliyahu (1978). ''The Book of Our Heritage''. Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers. . {{Authority control Sukkot Four species (Sukkot) Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law

The Aravah ceremony in the Temple

See also

References