נחמיה, פרק ח׳, פסוק ט״ו

As the Festival of Booths approaches, the nation's leaders organize the public, issuing clear instructions on gathering natural materials to fulfill the commandment. A public proclamation is passed throughout the cities, commanding the people to spread the word about the upcoming celebration [רש״י, מצודת דוד, שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון]. The people are directed to go out to the mountains and bring back tree branches still adorned with their leaves [רלב״ג, מצודת דוד]. Although the instructions list various types of trees together, this does not necessarily mean every person must gather all of them at once. Instead, it indicates a choice, allowing individuals to select and bring from among the different available trees [אבן עזרא].

The instructions carefully distinguish between branches intended for the roof of the booth and those meant for the ritual taking of the Four Species. Generally, the less beautiful branches are reserved for the roofing [שטיינזלץ]. For instance, olive branches and branches from the oil tree—identified either as a barren tree [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם] or a resin-producing tree like pine or persimmon [ר׳ סעדיה גאון]—are specifically gathered to build the roof.

A precise distinction is also made regarding the myrtle branches. The primary approach among commentators is that standard myrtle leaves refer to the wild myrtle, which features long, leafy branches that are invalid for the Four Species and are therefore used for the roof. In contrast, the thick tree refers to the proper myrtle used for the Four Species, earning its name because its leaves are thickly braided and overlap one another [רש״י, ר׳ סעדיה גאון, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, אבן עזרא]. However, a differing opinion suggests the exact opposite: the standard myrtle is used for the ritual, while the thick tree represents the invalid branches used for the roof [מלבי״ם]. Yet another perspective proposes that both are simply different varieties of the same tree, selected either for their beauty or their pleasant fragrance [רלב״ג]. As for the palm leaves, there is broad agreement that these refer directly to the palm fronds used for the ritual [רש״י, ר׳ סעדיה גאון, מצודת דוד]. The citron and willow branches are not explicitly mentioned simply for the sake of brevity, as their inclusion was entirely taken for granted [מצודת דוד].

The final directive to make the booths exactly as written serves to teach a crucial legal point. By explicitly mentioning olive and oil trees—which are not part of the Four Species—the instructions actively reject a preexisting opinion that the roof of the booth could only be constructed from the Four Species themselves. Instead, the leadership emphasizes that the booths must be built precisely according to the original laws of the Torah, without adding extra restrictions, thereby fully permitting the use of barren branches for the roof [מלבי״ם].