willows

And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.

We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.

And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.

And to this there is no limit of days; for it is ordained for ever regarding Israel that they should celebrate it and dwell in booths, and set wreaths upon their heads, and take leafy boughs, and willows from the brook.

Also the feast of tabernacles bring ye to me: ye shall take for me the pleasant fruit of the tree, and boughs of palm-tree and willows and cedars, and branches of myrrh: and I will remember the whole earth in rain, and the measure of the seasons shall be established, and I will order the stars and command the clouds, and the winds shall sound and the lightnings run abroad, and there shall be a storm of thunder, and this shall be for a perpetual sign. Also the nights shall yield dew, as I spake after the flood of the earth

Immediately after beating the willows (or palm branches) the children undo their lulavs and eat their etrogim.

HALAKHAH: “Ten saplings, etc.“Rebbi Zeïra, Rebbi La, Rebbi Yasa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: The “willow” is practice going back to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is against Abba Shaul, since Abba Shaul said the willow is a word of the Torah (Lev. 23:40): “Brook willows,” two. One willow for the lulab, the other willow for the Temple. Rebbi Abba, Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan, willow and pouring of water are practice going back to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is against Rebbi Aqiba, since Rebbi Aqiba said the pouring of water is a word of the Torah. On the second day, (Num. 29:19) “and their libations.” On the sixth day, (Num. 29:31) “and its libations.” On the seventh day, (Num. 29:33) “and its rules.” מ י מ spells “water”. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba asked before Rebbi Joḥanan, why does one now plough because of old trees? He said to him, when the practice was established it was given so that when they desired to plough they might plough.

HALAKHAH: “It is written, and brook-willows. I admit not only from a brook, from where also from an unirrigated place or from mountains? The verse says, and willows. Abba Shaul says, brook-willows, two. A willow twig for the lulav and a willow twig for the Temple.” Then why was it written and brook-willows? To exclude the osier. “What is an osier? If its is like a sickle. It was stated: Like a sickle it is disqualified, like a plane it is (qualified) [disqualified]. What is a disqualified willow twig? The leaf is round and the stem white. What is a qualified willow twig? The leaf is long and the stem red.”

HALAKHAH: “It is written, and brook-willows. I admit not only from a brook, from where also from an unirrigated place or from mountains? The verse says, and willows. Abba Shaul says, brook-willows, two. A willow twig for the lulav and a willow twig for the Temple.” Then why was it written and brook-willows? To exclude the osier. “What is an osier? If its is like a sickle. It was stated: Like a sickle it is disqualified, like a plane it is (qualified) [disqualified]. What is a disqualified willow twig? The leaf is round and the stem white. What is a qualified willow twig? The leaf is long and the stem red.”

HALAKHAH: “It is written, and brook-willows. I admit not only from a brook, from where also from an unirrigated place or from mountains? The verse says, and willows. Abba Shaul says, brook-willows, two. A willow twig for the lulav and a willow twig for the Temple.” Then why was it written and brook-willows? To exclude the osier. “What is an osier? If its is like a sickle. It was stated: Like a sickle it is disqualified, like a plane it is (qualified) [disqualified]. What is a disqualified willow twig? The leaf is round and the stem white. What is a qualified willow twig? The leaf is long and the stem red.”

HALAKHAH: “It is written, and brook-willows. I admit not only from a brook, from where also from an unirrigated place or from mountains? The verse says, and willows. Abba Shaul says, brook-willows, two. A willow twig for the lulav and a willow twig for the Temple.” Then why was it written and brook-willows? To exclude the osier. “What is an osier? If its is like a sickle. It was stated: Like a sickle it is disqualified, like a plane it is (qualified) [disqualified]. What is a disqualified willow twig? The leaf is round and the stem white. What is a qualified willow twig? The leaf is long and the stem red.”

HALAKHAH: “Rebbi Ismael explained, a fruit of the splendor tree, one. Date-palm roped, one. A branch of the rope tree, three. And brook-willows, two. And two lifted ones; one which is not truncated. Rebbi Tarphon says, even if all three are truncated.” Rebbi Abba bar Mamal asked before Rebbi Immi: Since Rebbi Ismael adds for the myrtle, should he not add for the other kinds? He answered, you are thinking that Rebbi Ismael thinks that truncated is splendor, and we have stated, “Rebbi Tarphon says, even if all three are truncates.” Nobody says “even” if he does not accept the preceding statement. Rebbi Ḥaggai asked before Rebbi Jose: What does Rebbi Tarphon add to the words of Rebbi Ismael? He answered him, Rebbi Ismael does not think that truncated is splendor, but Rebbi Tarphon thinks that truncated is splendor. When Rebbi Yasa came up here he saw them being selective about myrtle branches. He said, why are the Westerners selective about myrtle branches? He had not heard thar Rebbi Simon said in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: And they made known and proclaimed in all cities etc. Myrtle is not the same as rope tree, but myrtle is for the sukkah, and rope tree for the lulav. Rebbi Ze`ira blew it.

HALAKHAH: “Lulav and willow six and seven,” etc. Rebbi Ze`ira, Rebbi Ila, Rebbi Yasa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: The “willow” is practice going back to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is against Abba Shaul, since Abba Shaul said, the willow is a word of the Torah: and brook willows, two. One willow for the lulav, the other willow for the Temple. Rebbi Abba, Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: willow and pouring water are practice going back to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is against Rebbi Aqiba, since Rebbi Aqiba said the pouring of water is a word of the Torah: On the second day and their libations. On the sixth say, and its libations. On the seventh day, and its rules. מ י מ spells “water”. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba asked before Rebbi Joḥanan, why does one now plough because of old trees? He said to him, when the practice was established it was given so that when they desired to plough they might plough. Rebbi Abba bar Zavda in the name of Rebbi Onias from Hauran: Willow, water libation, and ten saplings are institution of the prophets. Do they disagree? Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun in the name of Levi: That was the current practice; they forgot it, but the later ones got up and agreed to the opinion of the earlier ones to teach you that everything the court insists on will come to be in the end just as Moses was told on Sinai, as Rebbi Mana said, for it is not an empty word, if it is empty it is from you. Why? Because you do not exert yourselves. Because it is your life; when is it your life? At the time that you exert yourselves. Rebbi Joḥanan said to Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba: Babylonian, two things came from you, prostrating oneself on the fast day, and the willow of the seventh day. The rabbis of Caesarea say, also the moving.

HALAKHAH: “Our head’s crown fell”; these are the grooms’ crowns, that is gilded woolen strips. Rebbi Abba in the name of Rav: Of salt and sulfur. Rav Jeremiah in the name of Rav: Of salt and olives. Rav Naḥman bar Jacob said, even of willows. Rav Jeremiah of Šibšeb wore a crown of olive branches. Samuel heard this and said, it would have been better for him it he had been beheaded but not done this thing. That happened to him, as “an error coming from before the ruler.”

R. Abba said: These cone-shaped bundles of willows, as soon as the top-knots are untied they are valid [as skhakh]. But are they not still tied at the bottom? R. Papa answered, [This is a case] where he loosens them.

Gemara. Our Rabbis taught: "willows of the brook" means those which grow by a brook. Another interpretation: "willows of the brook" one whose leaf is elongated as a brook.

Gemara. Our Rabbis taught: "willows of the brook" means those which grow by a brook. Another interpretation: "willows of the brook" one whose leaf is elongated as a brook.

Another baraita taught: "willows of the brook," I only know that willows of the brook are valid. From where do we know that those grown on rain-watered soil and mountain willows [are also valid]? Scripture says, "willows of the brook," from any place.

Another baraita taught: "willows of the brook," I only know that willows of the brook are valid. From where do we know that those grown on rain-watered soil and mountain willows [are also valid]? Scripture says, "willows of the brook," from any place.

Another baraita taught: "willows of the brook," I only know that willows of the brook are valid. From where do we know that those grown on rain-watered soil and mountain willows [are also valid]? Scripture says, "willows of the brook," from any place.

Another baraita taught: "willows of the brook," I only know that willows of the brook are valid. From where do we know that those grown on rain-watered soil and mountain willows [are also valid]? Scripture says, "willows of the brook," from any place.

Abba Shaul says: "willows" [in the plural means] two, one for the lulav and one for the Temple.

Our rabbis taught: "willows of the brook" those that grow by the brook excluding the tzafzefah which grows on the mountains. R. Zera said: What is the verse [that proves this]? "He planted and set it beside the waters, he set it as a tzaftzefah" (Ezekiel 17:5).

But perhaps it is indeed so? "Willows of the brook," the Torah says, implying from any place.

Gemara. It has been taught: R. Ishmael said: "the fruit of a goodly tree" implies one; "branches of palm-trees" implies one; "the bough of a thick tree" implies three; "willows of the brook" implies two, and even if two [of the hadasim] have their tips broken off, and only one is whole [the lulav is valid] R. Tarfon said: : three, even if all have their tips broken off. R. Akiva said: Just as there is one lulav and one etrog, so there is one hadas and one aravah.

According to whom? If you will say, According to Abba Shaul,did he not say: It is written, “willows of the brook” implying two, one referring to the [aravah in the] lulav and the other to [the aravah for use in] the Temple? If you will say it is according to the rabbis, did they not have it as an accepted tradition, since R. Assi said in the name of R. Yohanan who said it in the name of R. Nehunya of the Valley of Beth Hovartan: The laws of the ten plants, the aravah and water libation were given to Moses upon Mount Sinai.

1) As was its performance on a weekday, so was its performance on Shabbat, except that they would gather them on the eve of Shabbat and place them in golden basins so that they would not become wilted. 2) Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka says: they used to bring palm branches and they would beat them on the ground at the sides of the altar, and that day was called “[the day of] the beating of the palm branches.” 3) Immediately after beating the willows (or palm branches) the children undo their lulavs and eat their etrogim.