(40) On the first day you shall take the product of hadar*hadar Others “goodly”; exact meaning of Heb. hadar uncertain. Traditionally the product is understood as “citron.” trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy*leafy Meaning of Heb. ‘aboth uncertain. trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before your God יהוה seven days. (41) You shall observe it as a festival of יהוה for seven days in the year; you shall observe it in the seventh month as a law for all time, throughout the ages. (42) You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, (43) 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—I, your God יהוה. (44) So Moses declared to the Israelites the set times of יהוה.

Another matter: “The fruit of a pleasant [hadar] tree” – this is the Holy One blessed be He, in whose regard it is written: “You are clothed in splendor and glory [hadar]” (Psalms 104:1). “Branches of date palms” – this is the Holy One blessed be He, in whose regard it is written: “The righteous blossoms like a date palm” (Psalms 92:13). “A bough of a leafy tree” – this is the Holy One blessed be He, as it is written: “He stands among the myrtle shrubs” (Zechariah 1:8). “Willows of [ve’arvei] the brook” – this is the Holy One blessed be He, in whose regard it is written: “Praise Him who rides in the highest heavens [baaravot], whose name is the Lord” (Psalms 68:5).

Another matter: “The fruit of a pleasant [hadar] tree” – this is Abraham our patriarch, whom the Holy One blessed be He glorified [shehidero] with old age, as it is stated: “Abraham was old, advanced in years” (Genesis 24:1). “Branches of [kapot] date palms” – this is Isaac, who was tied [kafut] and bound upon the altar. “A bough of a leafy tree” – this is Jacob; just as the myrtle is teeming with leaves, so Jacob was teeming with sons. “Willows of the brook” – this is Joseph. Just as this willow withers before the other three species, so Joseph died before his brothers.
Another matter: “The fruit of a pleasant [hadar] tree” – this is Sarah, whom the Holy One blessed be He glorified [shehidera] with old age, as it is stated: “Abraham and Sarah were old” (Genesis 18:11). “Branches of date palms” – this is Rebecca; just as the date palm has edible fruit and has thorns, so Rebecca produced a righteous one and a wicked one. “A bough of a leafy tree” – this is Leah; just as the myrtle is teeming with leaves, so Leah was teeming with sons. “Willows of the brook” – this is Rachel; just as this willow withers before the other three species, so Rachel died before her sister.

Another matter: “The fruit of a pleasant [hadar] tree” – this is the Great Sanhedrin of Israel, whom the Holy One blessed be He glorified [shehideram] with good old age, as it is stated: “You shall rise before the elderly [and show deference [vehadarta] to the old]” (Leviticus 19:32). “Branches of [kapot] date palms” – these are Torah scholars, who humble [shekofin] themselves to learn from one another. “A bough of a leafy tree” – these are the three rows of students who sit before them. “Willows of the brook” – these are the two judges’ scribes who stand before them and record the words of those who acquit and the words of those who convict.

Another matter: “The fruit of a pleasant [hadar] tree” – this is Israel; just as the citron has taste and has fragrance, so Israel has people among them who have Torah and have good deeds. “Branches of date palms” – this is Israel; just as the date palm has taste but has no fragrance, so Israel has people among them who have Torah but do not have good deeds. “A bough of a leafy tree” – this is Israel; just as the myrtle has fragrance but has no taste, so Israel has people among them who have good deeds but do not have Torah. “Willows of the brook” – this is Israel; just as the willow has no taste and has no fragrance, so Israel has people among them who do not have Torah and do not have good deeds. What does the Holy One blessed be He do to them? To eradicate them is not possible. Rather, the Holy One blessed be He said: Let them all be bound together in a single bundle and they will atone for one another. If you do so, at that moment, I will be ascendant [mitaleh]. That is what is written: “Who built His upper chamber [maalotav] in the heavens” (Amos 9:6). When is He ascendant? When they are made into a single group, as it is stated: “And established His group upon earth” (Amos 9:6). Therefore, Moses exhorts Israel and says to them: “You shall take for you on the first day.”

Rabbi Mani began: “All my bones will say: Lord, who is comparable to You” (Psalms 35:10) – this verse is stated only for the sake of the palm branch. The spine of the palm branch resembles the spine of a person, the myrtle resembles the eye, the willow resembles the mouth, and the citron resembles the heart. David said: There are none among the limbs greater than these, as they are equal in significance to the entire body. That is, “all my bones will say.”

(13) After the ingathering from your threshing floor and your vat, you shall hold the Feast of Booths for seven days. (14) You shall rejoice in your festival, with your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the [family of the] Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in your communities. (15) You*You See note at 12.7. shall hold a festival for your God יהוה seven days, in the place that יהוה will choose; for your God יהוה will bless all*all Lit. “you in all.” your crops and all your undertakings, and you shall have nothing but joy.

(12) Thus I realized that the only worthwhile thing there is for them is to enjoy themselves and do what is goodeI.e., what the author has already concluded (2.24) is good. in their lifetime;

I know. Now, since the time of visitation [death] is concealed, that there is nothing better for man than to rejoice with his portion and to do that which is good in his Creator’s eyes, while he is yet alive.

The Gemara asks: This works out well according to the one who said that the sukkot mentioned in the verse: “I made the children of Israel to reside in sukkot” (Leviticus 23:43), were clouds of glory, as it is reasonable that the roofing of the sukka is modeled after clouds. However, according to the one who said that the children of Israel established for themselves actual sukkot in the desert, and the sukkot of today commemorate those, what can be said? According to that opinion, there is no connection between a sukka and a cloud. As it is taught in a baraita that the verse states: “I made the children of Israel to reside in sukkot”; these booths were clouds of glory, this is the statement of Rabbi Eliezer. Rabbi Akiva says: They established for themselves actual sukkot. This works out well according to Rabbi Eliezer; however, according to Rabbi Akiva what can be said? When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said that the verse states: “You shall prepare for you the festival of Sukkot” (Deuteronomy 16:13). The expression “festival of Sukkot” likens sukka to the Festival peace-offering [ḥagiga]. Just as the Festival peace-offering is an item not susceptible to ritual impurity, and its growth is from the ground, as animals draw nourishment from vegetation, so too, the roofing of the sukka must be a substance that is not susceptible to ritual impurity and its growth is from the ground.

11) And thus does Ezra say (Nechemiah 8:15) "and that they must announce and proclaim throughout all their cities and Jerusalem, saying: Go out to the mountains and bring olive leaves, and olive-tree leaves and hadas leaves, and date-palm leaves, and plaited-tree leaves to make succoth, as it is written" (Vayikra 23:43) "So that your generations know that I caused the children of Israel to dwell in succoth when I took them out of the land of Egypt." R. Eliezer says that they were booths, literally; R. Akiva says that they were clouds of glory. "when I took them out of the land of Egypt." We are hereby taught that even the succah is a reminder of the exodus from Egypt.