“V’haarev na befinu”

Between etrog jelly and a concoction of willows 

The etrog, which has both taste and smell, is considered to be the choicest of species.  The willow, the most “inferior” of them, lacks taste and lacks smell. At the end of the holiday, on Hoshanah Raba, the two exchange roles: the etrog is set aside in favor of the willow. Why? What lies between the two? What does S.Y. Agnon to say on the matter, and how is this connected to the blessings of the Torah and the start of the year?

Rabbanit Yafit Kleimer is a lecturer in Bible, Midrash and Jewish philosophy at Matan, Emunah, and WebYeshiva. She is a member of Beit Hillel and the Meshivat Nefesh venture, and until recently a director of Tzahali.