This is a photograph of an older man showing a boy, maybe his son or grandson, how to check a lulav to see if it is suitable for use (kosher) as part of the Arba Minim (Four Species). The Arba Minim are one of the central mitzvot (commandments) of the festival of Sukkot. The man, wearing the attire of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews, is showing the boy how to examine the tip of the lulav to check if the leaves of are close together, as defined by halacha (Jewish law). The young boy, who is also holding a lulav in his hands, is looking closely and seems very interested in learning from the older man. This photograph was probably taken in an Arba Minim market where various components of the Arba Minim and sukkah decorations are sold. Buyers go around the different stalls in the market looking for the best specimens of each of the four species and combine them to create their own Arba Minim.
The lulav is the closed stem or frond of the date palm tree. In order for it to be kosher, it should be straight and not split along the leaves. It is used as one of the four species – the willow, myrtle, and etrog – to fulfill one of the major commandments of the festival of Sukkot. Each component of the Arba Minim has its own list of requirements making it kosher. While some people purchase the set as a whole, in Israel it is quite common for a person to select each species separately to ensure their quality.
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Sukkot and the Four Species - The Festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles) has two central commandments. The first is that Jews should live in a temporary abode (Sukkah) for seven days (eight days outside of Israel). The second is that on every day of the festival, Jews take the Four Species (Arba’at HaMinim) in hand and make a blessing over them.
Each of the Four Species has certain requirements for them to be fitting (Kosher) for the commandment (Mitzvah). According to tradition, the buyer should check that the requirements are present in each of the species. The Four Species consist of the Lulav (palm branch), the Etrog (citrus fruit), Hadass (myrtle branches) and Aravah (willow branches).
