Checking the Lulav, 1980

​This is a black and white photograph of a group of men selecting a lulav for the Arba Minim (Four Species) they will use on the festival of Sukkot. The five men, dressed in dark suits, white shirts, and black fedora hats, are standing in front of a table with lulav (date palm) branches lying on it. Based on their clothing, these men are probably Haredi (ultra-Orthodox). The man in the middle is holding a lulav branch upward and is examining it to see whether or not it is kosher, i.e., suitable for use during Sukkot. The other men, some with lulav branches in their hands, are looking intently at the lulav branch and seem to be contemplating its status. This photograph was probably taken in an Arba Minim market where different components of the Arba Minim and sukkah decorations are sold. Buyers go around the different stalls 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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Discussion Questions

Observation

• What catches your attention when you first look at the photograph?
• How many people are in the photograph?
• Describe the people in the photograph.
  What do they look like?
  What are they doing?
• Describe the surroundings.
• Describe the objects in the photograph.

Reading Between the Lines

• For which festival are the people in the photograph preparing?
  What are they holding in their hands?
  How will the object be used?
• What is the verse from the Torah that commands the use of the Arba Minim?
  What are the requirements for a kosher (suitable) lulav?
• What are the other components of the Arba Minim?
• What religious group do you think the men belong to?
  What aspects of the photograph helped you make a decision?

Connections

• Have you or your family ever had your own Four Species?
  Where were they grown?
  Did you buy it as one unit or select each individual component separately?
• Do you like to go shopping with your friends?
  How is a shopping trip with your friends similar to the photograph of the men buying a lulav? What is the benefit of shopping together?

Creative Ideas

• Make a photocopy of the image and draw thought bubbles above the heads of some of the figures.
  Fill the bubbles with what you think the subjects in the photograph are thinking.
• Design an infographic explaining the requirements for all four of the Arba Minim. Suggested websites: Venngage and Canva.

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