Every year when Sukkot rolls around, the Jewish world collectively scrambles to assemble the perfect arba minim – the four species of lulav (palm branch), etrog (citron), hadas (myrtle), and arava (willow). While some folks obsess over the smoothness of their etrog or the alignment of their hadassim, others end up discovering that halacha has more than a few curveballs to throw into the mix.

Let’s walk through some classic scenarios – muktzah puzzles, myrtle mix-ups, bracha blunders, inspection debates, and even shopping strategies – each one showcasing the tension between ideal mitzvah performance and real-life hiccups.

When Your Myrtle Breaks on Yom Tov

The Catch-22 of Muktzah and Smell

Imagine this: the hadas, once snugly tied into the lulav bundle, suddenly snaps on Yom Tov. At first glance, it seems like a win-win situation. Originally, one wasn’t allowed to smell the hadas while it was part of the set, because it was designated for the mitzvah. But now that it’s broken, shouldn’t it be fair game for sniffing?

Not so fast. Enter the world of muktzah – items “set aside” and thus off-limits on Shabbat or Yom Tov. Since the hadas was designated as part of the four species mitzvah bundle, it stays restricted for the entire day, even if it becomes unusable mid-festival. Halacha says once it’s locked in for mitzvah use, it can’t suddenly switch jobs halfway through (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 653, 665).

In other words, no matter how nice it smells, that broken hadas isn’t becoming your air freshener.

The “Mad Myrtle” Dilemma

What Kind of Hadas Counts?

Everyone knows you can’t just grab a lemon off the shelf and call it an etrog. But what about hadassim? Do they all count?

Turns out, not exactly. The Torah describes a anaf etz avot, usually understood as a myrtle branch whose leaves are thick and cover the stem (Leviticus 23:40). The classic halachic requirement is that the hadas must have three leaves growing evenly from the same point on the stem – what’s called meshulash.

But what if two leaves are level and the third sticks up higher? That’s called a hadas shoteh – literally, a “mad myrtle” – and it doesn’t qualify (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 646:3).

Of course, Jewish communities found creative ways around the challenges of local horticulture. In parts of Europe, kosher hadassim with perfectly aligned triples were rare, so people relied on more lenient rulings, arguing that their two-leaf varieties weren’t technically “mad” and thus could be used. Still, the gold standard remains the classic triple-leaf alignment.

Pro tip: If your hadas looks like it had a fight with a geometry teacher, maybe keep looking.

Blessings Gone Awry

What If a Myrtle Falls Out?

Picture the scene: you recite the bracha on the four species, only to realize a split second later that one of your three myrtles has gone rogue. Did the blessing count? Do you start over? Do you need to make another bracha?

Halacha doesn’t make this simple. Some authorities suggest that since the four species can technically be taken sequentially (Talmud Menachot 27a), one could just add the missing hadas without re-blessing – provided there was no interruption. Others argue that once there’s a hefsek (a break between the blessing and the mitzvah), the blessing no longer covers the added branch.

To complicate matters, there’s debate about whether three hadassim are strictly required. While most authorities rule that three are necessary (Mishna Sukkah 3:4; Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 651:1), Ramban holds that even one myrtle might suffice. Because of this uncertainty, many rule that if you already blessed and shook with two, you probably shouldn’t make another blessing when you add the third, just in case the first one already “worked.”

So, bottom line: you’ll need to shake again with the full set, but best avoid doubling up on blessings unless you’re very sure.

To Inspect or Not to Inspect

Why Tzitzit Gets Checked, But Arba Minim Don’t (Usually)

Anyone who wears tzitzit knows the halacha: check the strings before making the blessing, since a missing or untied string isn’t obvious at first glance (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 8:9). But curiously, there’s no parallel instruction for checking the lulav and etrog daily before the mitzvah. Why not?

The reasoning is practical. Tzitzit can fray or unravel quietly, leaving the wearer unaware. But the four species? If something invalidates them, you’ll probably notice. Missing leaves? They’re on the floor. Broken tip? Obvious. Black spots on the etrog? You can see them. Pitam (the little protrusion at the top) fell off? Hard to miss.

Since you pick up the species directly when performing the mitzvah, you’re naturally inspecting them by handling them. That said, many pious Jews still glance them over carefully each day – because really, who wants to risk a week of fruitless fruit-shaking?

When to Buy Your Arba Minim

Sooner or Later?

Finally, the age-old shopping debate: should you buy your lulav and etrog set during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah (the Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) to rack up extra mitzvot, or wait until after Yom Kippur when you’re spiritually purified and maybe able to find a more beautiful set?

This boils down to a halachic tug-of-war between two principles:

  1. Mitzvah Bo Yoter Mi’shlucho  –  the earlier you do a mitzvah, the better. Don’t delay if you can act now.

  2. Hiddur Mitzvah  –  beautifying a mitzvah is also a Torah value, sometimes worth waiting for.

The Radbaz leaned toward earlier, while others pointed out parallels to Kiddush Levana, which is often delayed until after Yom Kippur in order to perform it more beautifully. Stories circulate about great rabbis who embodied both approaches: some bought their set before Yom Kippur, while others insisted on waiting.

The moral? If you’re worried the market will sell out, grab your set early. If you’ve got connections to that one guy with the perfect Italian etrog, maybe waiting makes sense.

Takeaway: Juggling Halacha with a Smile

What emerges from all these cases is the balance halacha strikes between lofty ideals and practical realities:

  • Once designated for mitzvah use, a myrtle doesn’t get to change careers mid-Yom Tov.

  • Not every myrtle is equal – hadas meshulash reigns supreme.

  • Blessings and mistakes get tangled in technicalities, but the goal is always to fulfill the mitzvah without wasting words.

  • Daily inspections aren’t always mandated, but paying attention never hurts.

  • Timing your purchase is part logistics, part spirituality, part personality.

And perhaps that’s the charm of the arba minim: each one teaches patience, awareness, and the art of juggling halachic detail with everyday life.