Willow

Hebrew: עֲרָבָה, aravah
Name in the Mishnah: עֲרָבָה, פְּתִילַת הַאִידָן – aravah, petilat ha’idan
Family: Salicaceae
Scientific name: Salix acmophylla

Willow refers to several species of deciduous or evergreen trees. The family includes only two genera: Salix (willow) and Populus (poplar). In Israel, six species of this family can be found, growing wild along riverbanks and other wet habitats. Its reddish branches are flexible, and its outer branches hang to the ground. Willows are distributed worldwide across the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, with their origin likely traced to China.

Willow tree wood is light and soft. Willow trees can be cut back to encourage the growth of long shoots suitable for weaving. These shoots can be used to make baskets, and were used by the poor to bring bikkurim, the first fruits, to the Temple. The bark can also be stripped to make other items, including a type of bench-like tool called a treskel, used for eating bread. Various findings suggest that in the past, willow braches were also used to weave fishing nets, baskets, traps, fences, and more.

The bark and leaves have been used in traditional medicine for pain relief, fever reduction, and treating inflammation. Salicyl, the active ingredient in aspirin, was first isolated from the bark and leaves of the willow tree and named after its scientific genus. The willow’s medicinal properties were recognized as early as Talmud timed; the Sages permitted waving willow branches over a sick person on Shabbat.

Different willow species can hybridize with each other, both in the wild and in cultivated varieties, leading to the creation of hybrid subspecies. This has made it difficult to distinguish between the various species.

The willow is mentioned in the Torah in plural form (arvei nachal, river willows), as a tree growing near water sources and as one of the species to be waved on Sukkot. Its rapid growth symbolizes the thriving of the Jewish People and is also mentioned as the trees that the Babylonian exiles hung their harps while lamenting the destruction of the First Temple. In Talmudic sources, the willow is mentioned in the context of its various uses, besides its identification as one of the four species and the laws associated with Sukkot. Some authorities believe that petilat ha’ilan, mentioned in the Mishnah Bameh Madlikin, is a thread produced from various parts of the willow.

Use in the Temple: The Mishnah states that the Kohanim (priests) would descend to Motza to harvest willows each day throughout the duration of Sukkot. They would stand them near the altar and encircle it once. On the seventh day of Sukkot (Hoshanah Rabbah), they would encircle the altar seven times. The Tanna’im disagree whether this practice had the status of biblical law as a halachah leMoshe miSinai, or if it was reintroduced by the early prophets after its status as such had been forgotten. In remembrance of the Temple, it is customary today to bundle five willow branches and hit them on the ground. Since this is a custom, no blessing is recited.

The botanical characteristics of a kosher willow include:

A red stem (branch the leaves are attached to).
Long and narrow leaves
Smooth edge of the leaves. It need not be completely smooth; it is sufficient to be as smooth as a scythe, that is, small serrations. However, if the edge resembles a saw and is significantly serrated, it is not kosher.

For a willow to be kosher, it should not be truncated. One of the signs of this is that there is lavluv, a small leaf developing at the top of the branch. This leaf’s presence indicates that the branch is whole. A branch without lavluv can also be kosher, but the presence of lavluv makes it easier to identify the whole status of the branch.