Lulav and Etrog: The Four Species How to assemble and shake a
lulav. Reprinted with permission from The Jewish Catalogue: A
Do-It-Yourself Kit, edited by Richard Siegel, Michael
Strassfeld, and Sharon Strassfeld, published by the Jewish
Publication Society. It is a positive commandment from the Torah
[Leviticus 23:40] to gather together the Four Species during
Sukkot: "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, and you shall rejoice before Adonai your
God seven days." "The first day" refers to the first day of
Sukkot. "Fruit of goodly trees" refers to the etrog (citron).
"Branches of palm trees" refers to the lulav. "Boughs of leafy
trees" refers to the myrtle (hadasim). "Willows of the brook"
refers to the aravot or hoshanot. The four are lumped together
under the inclusive term lulav, since the lulav is the largest
and most prominent. Thus, while the mitzvah is to wave the
lulav, this actually refers to the four taken