The way Israeli Jews observe Sukkot today reflects not an unbroken chain of ancient practice, but rather a fundamental shift in custom that occurred during the medieval period — a shift driven by the increasing influence of European Jewish scholars over Palestinian Jewish tradition. What was once standard practice in the Land of Israel — taking the Four Species (lulav and etrog) even when the holiday’s first day fell on the Sabbath — was gradually abandoned in favor of diaspora customs that prohibited this act.
This change represents one of the most significant transformations in Jewish holiday practice and reveals how geographical centers of Jewish learning shifted power over religious interpretation. For centuries, the Jewish communities living in the Land of Israel maintained their own distinct customs, many rooted in Temple-era practices and local Palestinian Jewish tradition. However, as the medieval period advanced and centers of Jewish scholarship flourished in Christian Europe — particularly in France and Germany — their interpretations of Jewish law increasingly influenced communities across the diaspora and eventually in Israel itself.
The Ancient Israeli Custom
In biblical times and throughout the Second Temple period, the taking of the Four Species — the etrog (citron), lulav (palm frond), hadassim (myrtle branches), and aravot (willow branches) — was a central component of Sukkot observance. The practice commemorates the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness and gives physical expression to the holiday’s thanksgiving themes. In ancient Israel, this ritual was performed throughout the seven-day festival, regardless of which day fell on the Sabbath.
When Jewish life continued in Israel after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Palestinian Jewish communities maintained this tradition. Taking the Four Species remained permissible even on the Sabbath, as long as it was the first day of the holiday (Yom Tov Rishon). This reflected the understanding that certain creative acts were permitted on Yom Tov (the intermediate holidays) and its first day, even when those days coincided with the Sabbath — a principle grounded in rabbinic interpretation of Exodus 12:16, which refers to certain acts of creative work being permitted on these holy days.
The Rise of European Jewish Authority
The shift began in earnest during the 13th century, as French Jewish scholars gained increasing prominence in the broader Jewish world. These scholars — including the influential Tosafists (medieval French Jewish commentators on the Talmud) — developed their own interpretations of Jewish law that increasingly diverged from Palestinian practice. In the case of the Four Species on the Sabbath, the French scholars took a more stringent position: they held that the taking of the lulav constituted a creative act prohibited on the Sabbath, even if the Sabbath coincided with Yom Tov Rishon.
This stricter interpretation gradually became dominant. By the medieval period, the custom had reversed: instead of taking the Four Species even when Yom Tov fell on the Sabbath, the new custom was to refrain from doing so. This practice, which originated in the diaspora rather than in the Land of Israel, eventually became accepted as normative Jewish law, codified in major halakhic works and practiced across the Jewish world — including by Jews living in Israel.
Why This Shift Matters
This change reflects broader patterns in Jewish history that are often overlooked. The authority to interpret Jewish law did not remain centered in the Land of Israel after the Roman expulsion and the subsequent decline of Palestinian Jewish communities. Instead, as Jewish communities flourished in medieval Europe, the intellectual centers shifted northward. The academies of France, Germany, Spain, and eventually Eastern Europe became the dominant authorities on Jewish practice and interpretation.
The transformation of Sukkot observance demonstrates how diaspora custom gradually displaced Palestinian tradition, even in matters that had been practiced continuously in the Jewish homeland. This was not the result of any formal decision or deliberate rejection of Israeli practice, but rather the cumulative effect of changing demographics, the rising intellectual prestige of European Jewish scholars, and the economic and cultural decline of Jewish communities in the Middle East and Mediterranean world.
Historical Context
The 13th century marked a pivotal moment in Jewish intellectual history. The Tosafists — scholars who wrote interpretive glosses (Tosafot) on the Talmud — had become the dominant force in European Jewish scholarship. Their methodology and their willingness to challenge earlier rabbinic authorities made them influential beyond their immediate communities. When these scholars took different positions on halakhic questions, their views carried weight across the diaspora.
This period also coincided with broader changes in Jewish life: the Crusades had devastated European Jewish communities, the Reconquista was reshaping Spain, and Middle Eastern Jewish communities faced increasing pressures from various Islamic dynasties. The geographic dispersion and relative decline of Palestinian Jewry meant that the “default” Jewish tradition increasingly came from Europe rather than from the ancient Jewish homeland.
Modern Observance
Today’s Jewish practice reflects this medieval shift. When the first day of Sukkot falls on Saturday, observant Jews worldwide refrain from taking the lulav and etrog — a practice that would have been unthinkable to ancient Israelites and early medieval Palestinian Jews. Instead, the ritual is performed on the second day of the holiday, which falls on Sunday in the diaspora observance tradition (though in Israel, where only one day is observed, the practice is omitted that year).
This custom is so deeply embedded in modern Jewish practice that many observant Jews are unaware it represents a departure from ancient and early medieval Palestinian tradition. It stands as a testament to how thoroughly diaspora practice replaced local Palestinian custom — a replacement so complete that the earlier tradition is remembered only by scholars of Jewish history and practice.
Source: Arutz Sheva — Translated and expanded by Israel Daily Journal
