The sukkah and the Four Species after the festival
[א] (halacha 103)
Question: What does one do with the sukkah, the four species, and the hoshanos after they have been used?
Answer: A. Regarding the s'chach, the Alter Rebbe wrote1: 'The s'chach wood, after the days of the festival have passed, even though it does not need to be put into geniza, and one may benefit from it and use it for whatever one wishes, [even though by the letter of the law it is permitted to throw it into the garbage2] nevertheless it is proper to be careful not to use it for a degrading use, for that is not respectful toward a mitzvah that has passed. And it goes without saying that one should not step on it, so that one does not treat it in a degrading manner'.
And so the Mechaber wrote3 regarding the four species: 'There is one who says that the hoshana of the lulav, even though it is thrown away, one should not step on it'.
[Regarding the walls, the Pri Megadim wrote4 'It is proper not to make degrading use of them'. But the Alter Rebbe did not mention this, (and it may be that this is because the walls from the outset have a lesser sanctity than the s'chach, and it is rabbinic) but it would seem worthwhile to treat them with respect if it can be done easily].
B. However, in addition to the matter of not treating them in a degrading manner, there is another point that the Alter Rebbe wrote several times5 regarding people of spiritual sensitivity who are stringent that something with which a mitzvah was performed once is fitting to use for performing another mitzvah.
And so he wrote regarding the hadas6 'There are those who say that it is a mitzvah to recite the bracha at the conclusion of Shabbos over a hadas of a mitzvah, since once a mitzvah was performed with it, one should perform another mitzvah with it, and even though it is dry and its fragrance is not so strong, nevertheless it has some fragrance; and there are those who say that it is better to recite the bracha over other spices whose primary feature is their fragrance than to recite the bracha over a dry hadas which has only a little fragrance, and so they practice in these lands; and in any case it is good to place the hadas also alongside the spices over which one recites the bracha "Borei minei besamim" or "Borei atzei besamim", and one will smell both of them and thus fulfill all opinions'.
And likewise regarding the aravos of the hoshanos and the lulav he wrote7: 'There are those who have the practice to burn the chametz with the aravah that they beat on Hoshana Rabbah, since anything with which one mitzvah was performed it is proper to perform another mitzvah with it. And there are those who have the practice to kindle the mouth of the oven with the aravos of the lulav at the time of baking the matzos'.
And regarding the conduct of our Rebbeim, the Nesi'im, the Rebbe Rayatz related8 about the practice of his father the Rebbe Rashab, that they would burn the s'chach in the bathhouse after the festival of Sukkos. And the lulav and hoshanos they burned on one of the weekdays and not in the burning of the chametz.
Regarding the Rebbe's conduct with respect to the four species, in the sefer Maaseh Melech9 it is brought that sometimes the secretary put it into the bonfire, including the esrogim, and the personal attendant Rabbi Gansburg relates10 that the Rebbe burned the lulav and esrog in the burning of the chametz.
And regarding the hadasim, the Rebbe mentioned several times11 the use of the hadasim for the spices of the conclusion of Shabbos.
Therefore, in practice it is proper not to treat the sukkah and the four species in a degrading manner, not to step on them, and not to throw them into the garbage; and we have seen the conduct of the Rebbe's household to burn the s'chach and the four species, and likewise to use the hadasim for spices.
1Si' 638 se'if 19. 2Shu"ar Si' 21 se'if 1. 3Si' 664 se'if 8. 4Si' 21 in Mishbetzos Zahav s"k 2. 5Si' 21 se'if 1. Si' 393 se'if 3. 527 se'if 25. 6Si' 297 se'if 6. 7Si' 445 se'if 12. 8Sefer HaSichos 5693 p. 85. 9P. 193 os 30 and note 47. 10B'Kodesh Penimah p. 25. 11Likkutei Sichos vol. 19 p. 569. Lema'an Yilmedu (Shusterman) p. 146.
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