The four species (Hebrew: ארבעת המינים arba'at ha-minim, also called arba minim) are four plants mentioned in the Torah (Leviticus 23:40) as being relevant to Sukkot. Karaite Jews build their Sukkot out of branches from the four specified plants (see Other interpretations), while Rabbinic Jews take three types of branches and one type of fruit which are held together and waved in a special ceremony during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The waving of the four plants is a mitzvah prescribed by the Torah, and contains symbolic allusions to a Jew's service of God.
Read more about Four Species: List of The Four Plants, Practice, History, Reciting The Blessing, Selecting The Four Species, Symbolism, Other Interpretations, Bibliography
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“For my own part I think no innocent species of wit or pleasantry should be suppressed: and that a good pun may be admitted among the smaller excellencies of lively conversation.”
—James Boswell (1740–1795)