1. In Service to Humanity

The Jews are supposed to be a “Light Unto the Nations,” spreading knowledge of God and the ethical principles of monotheism and morality. On this holiday, the Temple service included an offering made in honor of each of the different peoples of the world, which Judaism distills down to 70 racial and ethnic divisions. Judaism teaches moral principles of value to all humanity, and, with these 70 offerings, invites each and every people to join our celebration.

2. Learning from The Four Types

On Sukkot there is a commandment to take four species and wave them together:

• The Etrog, which both tastes and smells good
• A shoot from a Date palm, which produces tasty fruit but not a pleasant aroma
• Hadas stems, which are aromatic but not pleasant to eat
• The Willow stem, which has neither taste nor smell

Among many other lessons, the rabbis compare taste to the knowledge of Torah, G-d’s Word, which is inside a person, and aroma to the good deeds performed by a person, which spread like a pleasant smell.

In this way, the four species are comparable to four different types of Jews: those who have both told and good deeds, those who have one but not the other, and those who have neither.

What do we do on Sukkot? We take all four different types and wave them together – if even one of the species is missing, one is unable to fulfill this Mitzvah. We learn through the four species that every Jew is integral to the whole. After pondering our failings and inadequacy on Yom Kippur, the four species are a strong validation of our importance and self-worth.