Daily Talk

The Four That Must Be One

One frond, one fruit, two willows, three myrtles, and if a single one is missing, none of them counts. A branch that grows by the very same river can be unfit, and a set made more beautiful by adding to it can be ruined by that beauty. What kind of mitzvah is undone by having too much?

Shofar Sukkah v'Lulav 7Saturday, July 25, 2026

The Four That Must Be One

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About This Talk

Chapter 7 of Shofar Sukkah v'Lulav identifies the four species and binds them into a single act. It names the palm frond, the etrog, the myrtle whose leaves ring its stem, and the true willow of the brook, and it distinguishes them from near-identical imposters. It fixes the count and the measure of each, rules that all four are indispensable, and warns that adding to their number can invalidate as surely as taking away.

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