Hadas is one of the Four species (arba'ah minim–ארבעת
המינים). The others are the lulav (palm frond), aravah (willow), and
etrog (citron). Three hadassim are incorporated into the Four
Species and are bound together with the lulav and aravah. Together
with the etrog, the lulav is 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.
The hadass grows in tiers of three leaves. According to the Halakha,
the most perfect hadass is one whose leaves grow evenly in each set
of three.
[edit] References
Kitov, Eliyahu (1978). The Book of Our Heritage. Jerusalem: Feldheim
Publishers. |