What To Look for When Choosing Aravos for Your Lulav and What Makes Them Pasul

On Succos there is a mitzvah to take the arbah minim, the four species, one of the four species is the aravos. Below, we will briefly discuss what to look out for when choosing yourself a mehudar set of aravos.

The Three Simanim

It's clear from the Gemara in Succah (34a) and ruled in Shulchan Aruch (647:1) that in order for an aravah to be kosher it requires three simanim [signs]. The Bikuray Yaakov (s.k. 1) writes that it is uncommon to find one siman without the other two. The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 6) points out that sometimes young children pick aravos and sell them, in such a case, the buyer is responsible to check they are kosher and have the required simanim. [Practically, nowadays, in the arbah minim markets, virtually all aravos sold have the three ארבעת המינים למהדרין רכח simanim.]

The three simanim are:

1. Elongated like a stream: An aravah leaf's shape is elongated like a stream, not round like that of a tzaftzefa.
2. Sides are smooth, not jagged: Another sign of the aravah is that the sides of its leaves are smooth, not jagged. Aravos can be found in Chutz Laʼaretz without any notches whatsoever, e.g., "Shatzer aravos.”
   Aravos with notches so small that they are barely noticeable are mutar lechatchiloh (Rambam, Hilchos Lulav 7:4, and Shulchan Aruch 647:1). People in Eretz Yisrael use

such aravos since those are the ones that commonly grow there. They use aravos from the banks of the Yarkon River (Chazon Ish, Hilchos Chag BeChag, 6:3) which have small notches, and certainly Motza aravos, whose notches are extremely small.

1. Red stem: Another sign of an aravah is a red stem. The Rema writes, that if the stem will eventually turn red, it is kosher even while it is still green. As long as the stem is not actually white, it can be called “red” (Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 2). Nonetheless, there is a hiddur to take one which is actually red, in Halichos Shlomah (Arbas HaMinim, Perek 10, he’orah 49) they bring that R' Shlomah Zalman Auerbach, would make sure to take aravos which were red, or at least a bit red.

Grown By a Stream (נחל)

Although the wording of the pasuk is: ערבי נחל – “willows of a stream,” it is clear in the Gemara (Succah 33b) that aravos that do not grow by a stream are also kosher. Rashi, Tosfos, and the Ran all explain that even aravos that don't grow by a stream are kosher. However, there is a “mitzvah” to take ones that did.

However, the Rosh and Rambam explain, all that is needed is the “the type of species that grows on the stream”, however, there is no need to specifically take those that grow by a stream.

The Tur brings that “some say” that ideally one should take aravos that grew by a stream. On the other hand, the Taz (647:2) writes the opposite and says that it is better to take aravos that don't grow by a stream, in order to highlight the chiddush that even such aravos are kosher. The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 3) leans towards being lenient like the Taz. [Some prefer aravos that don't grow by a stream, as aravos that grow by a stream dry out much quicker.]

The sefer Me'orer Yeshanim (Perek 26, ois 152) interestingly writes that one should specifically try and get aravos that grew by a stream, הואיל ונפיק מפומיה דהקב"ה – “since the words came out of the mouth of Hakadosh Boruch Hu.” (This is similar to what the Gemara in Succah (32b) brings: רב אחא בריה דרבא מהדר אתרי וחד הואיל ונפק מפומיה דרב כהנא "Rav Acha, the son of Rava, would purposely seek a hadas configured with two leaves emerging from one base and one emerging from a lower base, since this statement emerged from the mouth of Rav Kahana.")

Aravos like lulavim, have no pasul of orlah and tevel. However, they must be lachem [yours], therefore one shouldn't buy from a young child. This is a common issue, as children like to sell aravos, however, one must be careful to buy from someone who has the ability to be makneh.

Grafted aravos are pasul, however, such aravos are very uncommon (Hilchos Chag BeChag, Arbas HaMinim, Perek 6, halachah 16).

Size of the Aravah

Lechatchilah (650:1) the length of an aravah should be 30 cm [Chazon Ish] or 24 cm [Rav Chaim No'eh], bedieved 24 cm [Chazon Ish] or 20 cm [Rav Chaim No'eh].

The size of the aravah is measured on its stem; the leaves that stick out do not count. The measurement goes from the bottom of the stem, even before the leaves start, to its top (Mishnah Berurah s.k. 1).

Dried Out and Shriveled

It's clear from the Mishnah (Succah 33b) and ruled by the Shulchan Aruch (647:2) that if the majority of the leaves of an aravah are dried up it is pasul. The Ra'avad (Tomim De’im) defines and is ruled by the Bikuray Yaakov (s.k.4) cited in the Sha'ar HaTziyun (s.k. 6), that dried out means: משבלה הירקות לגמרי – “the leaves lost their green color entirely”. If, however, the leaves crumble under a fingernail but are still green, they are kosher.

The Aruch HaShulchan (8) adds that it's impossible to say an aravah is pasul because it crumbles under a fingernail, because it is very common for it to reach this point after one day.

It is important to note that the Pri Megodim (Eishel Avraham s.k. 2) is in doubt, if perhaps aravos are more stringent than hadasim, and are pasul if the leaves crumble under a fingernail.

The Shulchan Aruch (648:2) rules that: ערבה במושה בשירה "a partially dried out aravah is kosher”. The Magen Avraham says that ideally it should be avoided. The Elyah Rabbah says it is kosher lechatchilah. The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 11) writes that since aravos are very common, it is best to avoid such aravos.

If the tops of the aravah leaves are burnt from the sun, the Chut Shoni (Succos pg. 289) says they are kosher.

Black Leaves

When certain aravos – e.g., Shatzer aravos – get wet, their leaves become black. They are not pasul since black leaves are not considered dried out, but it is proper to replace them for hiddur mitzvah (Chukei Chaim).

Severed Top

The Mishnah (Succah 33b) and ruled by the Shulchan Aruch (647:2) says that if the top of the aravah is severed it is pasul. The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 10) cited in Kaf HaChaim (s.k. 15) says that this is only if the wooden stem was severed; if the top leaves fell off, it is kosher.

Lavluv

Some aravos [that can be found in Eretz Yisrael] have two small budding leaves growing at the top that eventually develop into bigger leaves. These are called the lavluv.

The Steipler (Orchos Rabbeinu, Vol. 2, pg. 253) held that an aravah without lavluv is perfectly lechatchilah, and there is no concern of the top having been severed, as the only thing that may have come off is the leaf and not the wood.

R' Yaakov Yisrael Fisher (Shu”t Even Yisrael Vol. 9, he’oras on Mishnah Berurah 650:1) explains that even if the lavluv falls off, the aravos are kosher, since it is not recognizable that the top has been severed, therefore, Klal Yisrael until the last generation never bothered looking for it [implied from his words is, that even if the lavluv falls off after the aravos are picked from the tree they are still kosher].

The opinion of R' Shlomah Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomah, Perek 10, Devar Halachah 23) was that aravos without lavluv are kosher, as long as it fell off whilst they were still on the tree, however, if they fell off after it was picked, then they are pasul. However, if one has aravos without lavluv he may assume it fell off whilst it was still growing, unless one knows otherwise.

However, for himself he was stringent to make sure to take aravos for his lulav and for Hoshanah Rabbah that had lavluv, like the minhag Yerushalayim. Since according to the Magen Avraham (647:3) ideally one shouldn't take aravos which had some of its leaves fall of.

The sefer BeChaim U’Berachah writes that aravos with lavluv are better, as the main kashrus of an aravah is determined by its top. The main reason in Yerushalayim they are particular to buy aravos with lavluv is because then they can be certain that the top was never severed (Chut Shoni pg. 289)

Leaves Fell Off

If most of an aravah's leaves fell off, it is pasul; if a minority fell off, it is kosher. The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 11) writes, since aravos are readily available one should lechatchilah not take aravos which had some of its leaves fall off.

[Some say, that according to the Mishnah Berurah, one should be careful that not even one leaf fell off. Some argue that this is too far, as although aravos are readily available, aravos without a single leaf falling off are not.]

Caution When Inserting Leaves Into a Holder ["Koishekel"]

One must be careful when inserting hadasim and aravos into “koishekel” holders. They should be inserted gently; otherwise, the leaves can come off and they can easily end up without three tefochim of leaves. Even if three tefochim remain above the holder, the part of the hadasim and aravos that is held is a bare branch and not kosher. Thus, there are not four minim.