The four species and Sukkot Exhibit at Neot Kedumim

"Three things are beyond me; four I cannot fathom"
(Proverbs 30:18).
According to midrash, even King Solomon, the wisest of men, had trouble identifying the Four Species of Sukkot. The sages of the Talmud debated the merits of various candidates for the Four Species. These pages of the Talmud come to life in the "Ascent of the Four Species," where the various candidates grow along a comfortable, scenic trail.
"You shall dwell in sukkot seven days…in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people dwell in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 23:42-43).

The rabbis of the Mishna and Talmud ruled on the validity of some 50 kinds of sukkot. The Neot Kedumim staff has constructed life-size models of over 20 of the sukkot discussed by the sages. The texts debating the validity of the sukka appear beside each model.

A sukka that is higher than
20 cubits" (Mishna Sukka 1, 1)

"...A sukka on the back of a camel"
         (Mishna Sukka 2, 3)

←
"A sukka on the deck of a ship"
(Mishna Sukka 2, 3)

→
"A sukka with a grapevine or pumpkin vine trained over it"
(Mishna Sukka 1, 4)

↑
"A sukka on the roof of another sukka"
(Mishna Sukka 1, 2)

↑
"A sukka in a treetop"
(Mishna Sukka 2, 3)

  


←

"A sukka on a cart"
(Mishna Sukka 2, 3)

→
"A sukka like a cone-shaped hut"
(Mishna Sukka 1, 11)