The biblical feasts, including Shabbat, are referred to continuously as moedim or “appointed times” because they are special days. Often they are accompanied with specific aspects of remembrance, thanks, or rejoicing. The seventh and final one of these is called Sukkot or the festival of booths. Only this festival is referred to as “the time of our joy”. Agriculturally it was the harvest time. Spiritually, it was the completion of a process that began with YHVH’S people at Passover, progressed with his revelation at Pentacost, and continued with their rejoicing at Sukkot. One special command with this feast is the putting together of four objects.

They are the citron, a date palm branch, a myrtle branch, and a willow. The citron has both taste and fragrance. The date palm has taste from the date, but no fragrance. The myrtle has a fragrance, but no taste whatsoever. The willows neither have a taste nor a fragrance. The Rabbis explain that the “taste” represents Torah knowledge and the fragrance represents “good works”. So the four species represent the four types of the people of YHVH. Some are like the citron, knowing the Torah and doing good deeds. Some are like the date palm, they know their Torah but lack good works.

Others are like the myrtle, ignorant of their Torah, but still do good works in the world. The last are like the willows who do not know Torah and do not have any good works in life. The four species are all bundled together because all kinds must be united in the family of YHVH’S people. The last ones who neither taste nor smell you might see as the born agains who get saved at the end of their life, like the thief on the cross did. They get in the Kingdom alright, but it’s only by the skin of their teeth as they say. Others are like the born again Christian who tries his best to do good works in his walk, but has been told the Torah was done away with. He’s sincerely doing the best he can with what knowledge he has.

Then there’s always the born agains who know about the Torah but are just plain lax in life when it comes to helping others. They usually end up as “pew potatoes”. Maybe they were taught from childhood to only worry about three people in life, me, myself, and I, because they never seem to progress beyond that point. The ones with the taste and the fragrance have to be the Messianics who “know” and “do” the Torah. Which one of the four represent you?