Hadassim

20 Jun 2006

[sing. “Hadas”]; called by the Torah “twigs of a ‘braided tree’ ; ” namely, the Myrtle, which is called “braided” because the leaves on each of its branches come in triplets. Three such twigs make up one of the “Arba Minim,” the “Four Species, or Types of Agricultural Produce” which the Jew is commanded by the Torah to hold together and wave in all directions. The symbolism of this act, at least according to one opinion in the Talmud, is to show the supremacy of G-d, its Creator, over Nature.