Take for yourselves on the first day fruit of the beautiful tree, date palm branches, leaves of thick trees, and brook willows—and rejoice before God your Lord seven days.

“Fruit of the beautiful (hadar) tree”—this is God, about Whom it is written, “You wear glory and beauty (hadar)” (Tehillim 104:1).

“Date palm branches”—this is God, about Whom it is written, “A righteous One flowers like a date palm” (Tehillim 92:13).

“Leaves of thick trees”—this is God, as it is written, “God stands between the myrtles” (Zekharyah 1:8).

“And brook willows (aravot)”—this is God, about Whom it is written, “Praise the Rider on the clouds (aravot), Yah is God’s name!” (Tehillim 68:5).

“Fruit of the beautiful tree”—this is Sarah, whom God beautified with good old age, as it is said, “And Avraham and Sarah were old” (Bereishit 18:11).

“Date palm branches”—this is Rivkah. Just as the date has fruit and thorns, so too Rivkah raised both a righteous and wicked child (Yaakov and Esav).

“Leaves of thick trees”—this is Leah. Just as the myrtle is crowded with leaves, so too was Leah crowded with children.

“And brook willows (aravot)”—this is Rahel. Just as the willow withers before the other three species, so too did Rahel die before her sister.

The spine of the lulav is like the spine of a person,

and the hadas is like the eye,

and the aravah is like the mouth,

and the etrog is like the heart.

King David said, “There are no other body parts greater than these are like the entire body.” That’s what “All of my bones will speak to God” (Tehillim 30:10) means.