But our guest of honor today is the common Willow twig, which is rather plain, bland and uninteresting. Not a rare exotic specimen, the Willow grows everywhere. To be perfectly honest, the Willow is no beauty. It is certainly nothing like those charming cherry blossoms that are a sight to behold.

The Willow offers no fruit, and it lacks good taste. It has no interesting pattern like a Maple leaf, and the 'Kosher' Willow used on Sukkot has no zig-zag serrated edge. Typically, the long and narrow Willow leaf resembles a pair of tightly pursed lips, without any expression at all.

Yet we chose to highlight the Willow here, because Jewish tradition highlights it among the 'Four Kinds' used on Sukkot this time of the year.

First and foremost is the prestigious and exotic imported Etrog fruit of the citrus family. Then comes the tall and proud Lulav branch of the date Palm, and the aromatic and fragrant Myrtle branch. Last, but not least, the 'Four Kinds' set is incomplete without the Willow. Even the most beautiful and expensive Etrog in the world (See box) is worthless without the lowly Willow twigs.

The Willow takes a beating, but it has a lot of saving grace during the Hoshanos prayers. As Sukkot reaches its climax on Hoshana Rabbah, the whole service literally revolves around this humble twig!

Obviously, the Torah sees a unique quality in this lowly Willow, and for very good reason.

It is plain and simple. The Etrog & Lulav's classy sophistication can make them so proud and arrogant to lose sight of life's simpler things. They may look down condescendingly on those lesser endowed, or they may dismiss and ignore them completely, as if they didn't exist. This leaves much to be desired.

The Torah insists that the humble Willow is integral to the Mitzvah. It is a crucial part of the equation, and provides a universal proper balance.

And here is a little pun, if you will; the name 'Willow' expresses G-d's Will in the Low.

Now that we appreciate the Willow's special role, let's go out into the field to see how the Willow lives.

The Weeping Willow

The biggest and most visible Willow is the Weeping Willow (which is not the Sukkot variety). Unlike other trees whose branches grow upward, the drooping Willow branches cascade and fall, a downcast mournful appearance that makes it look like it's 'weeping.'

A Weeping Willow can grow rapidly into a large tree (up to 30 to 50 feet) that overhangs a big circular area of the ground below. The flexible Willow twigs (called 'wands') are used for weaving and basketry, and the varying twig thickness and color are ideal for creating patterns. Willow wood is used for fuel, charcoal, and posts. Willow bark provides tannin and a medicinal substance, called salicin.

Waters of Babylon

The scientific botanical name of the Weeping Willow, Selix Babylonica, may have its roots in Psalm 137 (recited before grace after meals in the weekday Birkat Hamazon):

"By the waters of Babylon, we sat and wept, as we remembered Zion. On the Willows, there we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us: "Sing for us of the songs of Zion." How can we sing the songs of Zion on foreign soil? If I forget thee O Jerusalem...if I will not raise Jerusalem above my joy."

The River Willow

Identifying Willows is a difficult task even for a professional botanist, as there are at least 70 different kinds of Willow. The Sukkot variety is the 'River Willow' (called Arava) with a reddish-brown twig and long, smooth and narrow leaves.

The Sukkot Willow is not a big tree, but an overgrown shrub living peacefully near a stream whose branches shoot straight up.

Like all plants, the Willow requires a lot of tender care. Willows are susceptible to fungi, which can destroy the bush and cause the leaves to shrivel up. Like all plants, Willows need adequate sun and water to grow, but more than any other plant, it thrives on a great abundance of water. This is why the Willow is so central to our Sukkot prayers for rain and water.

Willows are excellent for drainage control as they sink deep roots that soak up great amounts of water. As pioneer species that flourish in moist soil, Willows control stream banks and mountainside erosion. Stakes of green branches will often sprout if they are merely driven into damp earth.

The more a Willow is pruned, the bigger and the better it grows. Willow twigs that are slightly drier, with a narrower leaf that hugs the branch are considered nicer than large lush floppy leaves that hang down.

Big Sukkot Demand

The humble Arava becomes big time during Sukkot, a single twig can fetch a dollar or more. There are hundreds of privately owned Willow bushes in the Jewish community of Monsey, New York, and almost every home in the town of Monroe has its own Willow bush. A group of wholesalers cultivates a commercial Sukkot Willow farm in upstate New York.

Preservation Tips

During Sukkot, the Willow in the Lulav set becomes disqualified if the leaves do not retain their green color and turn black or dark purple.

People preserve their Lulav Willows (Aravot) by keeping them in a bowl of water, a wet paper towel or wet newspaper. It also helps to keep them refrigerated.

The younger the shoots are at the time they are harvested, the longer the Arava twigs will remain fresh after cutting to last through the holiday.