Temporary shelters, branches of palm, willow and myrtle, and citrus fruit — the symbols of the Sukkot, the biblical festival of Tabernacles, or Booths. Plants clean the air and subtly effect us by their fragrance. We see them as physical things that are useful to us in the physical realm, while God uses references of them in the Bible to teach spiritual lessons as symbolic representations of people.

In this study, we’ll explore what each of these symbols teach us about ourselves and how the Holy One of Israel wants to recreate us.

Sukkot is seven days plus one. The first and eighth days are holy days, and we are called to live in booths, which are temporary dwellings, during the first seven days. The general rule is the booths should be uncomfortable enough that one would not want to live in them if it started raining or snowing. 

Four plant species are customarily waved, shaken and displayed during Sukkot. There are two species of plant specifically named in Leviticus 23: date palm and willow. The myrtle and olive came later and the citron, which is called an etrog in Hebrew, came into use even later than that. 

At the time of Moses, the most common fruits in the land of Israel are listed in Deuteronomy 8. The etrog and other citrus fruits were not used at that time, as the etrog is native to China not to the Promised Land. 

We see in Nehemiah 8:13–18 that Nehemiah added the use of olive and myrtle tree to the Sukkot celebration along with an unknown “oil” tree. 

Plants clean the air and subtly effect us by their fragrance. We see them as physical things that are useful to us in the physical realm, while God uses references of them in the Bible to teach spiritual lessons as symbolic representations of people. 

The book of Judges gives us some more details about the spiritual nature of different trees. Read through Judges 4:1–9. 

Date palm (tamar): Righteous judgment

Jericho was also known as the city of palms, which Joshua conquered. The palm tree was closely associated with the prophetess Deborah, who by all accounts, was very well known as a woman of wisdom, judgement and greatness. Psa. 92:12 also refers to the righteous and wise as a palm tree. The righteous also produce fruit even in their old age. 

When Messiah came into Temple at the Triumphant Entry, the people were waiving palm leaves, which were still heavily associated with righteousness and His role as the judge of all. 

Myrtle (hadas): Pleading before the judge

In Isaiah 41:14–24, we read how the people are thirsting and desiring God. When we fast on Yom Kippur, you experienced literal thirst and hunger and that was not on accident. 

We also see that Queen Esther was intimately associated with the myrtle. Her real name was Hadassah, a Hebrew word related to the word for myrtle. Her name was changed to hide her Jewish identity. 

“’For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?’ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ‘Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.’ So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.” (Esther 4:14–17 NASB)

Esther already called for a fast but she adds that she will also pray and plead to God for peace and security for her people. 

The angel in the book of Zechariah is standing in a myrtle grove asking for God to judge a situation (Zechariah 1:7–17). The myrtle represents fasting, prayer and pleading a case to a king or judge. 

Willow (arabim): Sadness and stress