[Avodah] Do They Really Deserve a Beating?

[R Wolberg]

The willow which symbolizes the Jew without Torah learning and good deeds
and also symbolizes the "mouth" is taken in our hands and beaten (havatat
aravot) on the floor five times. There are many, many different reasons
given for this obscure ritual. I would like to offer my own: I see the
beating of the willows parallel to the azazel ritual. In other words, the
willows become the scapegoat. 

 

Why five times? Five is a significant number: Five senses, Five Books of
Moses, Five pointed star, (this symbol of the five-pointed Star and the
corresponding number five have been consonant symbols for Man for as long as
there has been written record, dating back to the earliest centuries, Five
fingers on each hand, Five toes on each foot and the word "quintessence"
means the fifth essence. In  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics> physics,
quintessence is a  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothesis> hypothetical
form of  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_energy> dark energy postulated
as an explanation of observations of an
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerating_universe> accelerating universe.
The ancients saw a link of God to man in the number five. Geometrically it
is a pentagon. In three dimensions it is a pyramid, like the Great Pyramids
in Egypt. So as you can see, beating the willow 5 times may have greater
meaning than meets the eye.

 

Another beautiful thought: The word for willow "aravah" also means "sweet,"
so that our prayers should be sweet before the Almighty.

 

So when you beat the willows, be sure to pray for a sweet year and a
quintessence of Avodas HaShem.

 

Richard Wolberg

 

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