After the Mishnah deals with the limits of the rules of what is Sukkah and who is obligated in using it it shifts it attention to the 4 species we use of the holiday. First of that list is the Lulav, palm frond. We read:

A lulav that was stolen or that is completely dry is unfit for use in fulfilling the mitzva of the four species. The lulav of a tree worshipped as idolatry [asheira] and a lulav from a city whose residents were incited to idolatry, which must be burned along with all the city’s property, are unfit. If the top of the lulav was severed or if the palm leaves were severed from the spine of the lulav, it is unfit. If its leaves, although still attached, were spread and are no longer completely joined to the spine, it is fit. ( Mishnah Sukkah 3:1)

What was the common element of the lulav being stolen, connected to idolatry, or having the top or leaves severed from the spine? I am not sure I have an answer to that question, but focusing on the last part made me think of a famous midrash exploring the connection between the four species. There read:

Rabbi Mani began: “All my bones will say: Lord, who is comparable to You” (Psalms 35:10) – this verse is stated only for the sake of the palm branch. The spine of the palm branch resembles the spine of a person, the myrtle resembles the eye, the willow resembles the mouth, and the citron resembles the heart. (Leviticus Rabbah 30:14)

In this context I will reframe my question on the mishnah. If the lulav represents the spine of a person what does it mean that is unfit for use if it has the top or leaves severed?

This question reminded me of “Night Family“, a great episode from Rick and Morty. (Season 6, Episode 4). This is a direct parody of the workplace sci-fi thriller series Severance.

SPOILER ALERT:

As the plot goes, at breakfast, Rick introduces his family to a “Somnambulator”, a device which can make their unconscious bodies perform tasks while they sleep. Bodies under the influence of the device are referred to as “Night People”. The family use the Somnambulator to make their unconscious selves do all the chores they don’t want to do in their waking hours, with the exception of Jerry, who treats his Night Person as a pen pal. When Night Jerry writes a letter requesting that the family rinse their dishes before going to bed, Rick becomes incensed and leaves a mess for the Night People to clean up. This prompts the Night People to rise up against the “Daymanoids” (as they call their conscious selves). Under the leadership of Night Summer, they hijack the Somnambulator and create an army of robots, which they use to enslave the Daymanoids. The Daymanoids effect an escape, but Night Summer chases them down and sedates them, causing them to become Night People permanently.

If the lulav represents our spine, we are mandated to take extra care of its connection to our brain (top), our neurological system (leaves), and our very identities. It is easy to compartmentalize and not live as complete embodied beings. If we do not careful regarding the severance between the lulav and its parts we might suffer from severance in our own lives. To live in joy is to live as a complete self-actualized self.

Chag Sameakh