Botanic Gardens Offers Special Tour of Daled Minim

Did you know that a complete collection of all of the Daled Minim is growing in our back yard at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens? See for yourself.

For the 6th year, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens will be hosting a special tour of it’s Daled Minim plants for all to come and see during Chol Hamoed.

Just a stone’s throw from Crown Heights, the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Gardens boast hundreds of exotic flowers and trees from all over the world. Who knew that among the myriad varieties of plants growing in the garden, literally in our back yard, there is also a complete collection of all of the Daled Minim; the Lulav, Esrog, Hadassim and Aravos?

The special collection of the Sukkos plants are maintained by curator Karla Chandler in an artifially controlled climate that best suits the growth of these species in the ‘warm temperate pavilion’ in the garden’s conservatory. Currently, the special species are all next to one another and labeled by their scientific binomial nomenclature. The Esrog tree is labeled “Citron” – citrus medica meaning Medea-an Citrus. It currently does carry two beautiful esrogim. The Lulav tree is just behind the Esrog tree and is labeled “Date Palm” or phoenix dactilifera, and currently has a few remaining unopened Lulavim growing at its mist, (Although this specimen would be ‘kosher’ for the four kinds, it is currently only for display and not available to be used for the mitzvah at this time.) The Hadas bush is just to the right of the Esrog and has a plate titled “Common Myrtle” myrtus communis. Although these are of the strictly ‘kosher’ variety, this year we didn’t process them in order to obtain the whorled leaves stems required. The Arava or Willow has been brought in from the numerous bushes outside the pavilion since they grow just as well outside.

If you are having difficulty finding the collection of the Arba Minim, ask for the curator, Mrs. Karla Chandler to direct you. Ask when to come for pruning time when you might receive some of the fragrant cuttings from the esrog and hadas.

If you with to visit the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens this Chol Hamoed Sukkos you can enjoy Rabbi Yehuda E. Benchemhoun’s eye-opening presentation about the ‘Four Species’ in English, Hebrew or French.

Tours will take place on Chol HaMoed, Sunday from 2-4pm and Tues from 2-4 pm. For a free group tour group tour please call the Brooklyn Botanic Garden visitors information at 718-623-7260.

Travel Directions:

To drive or walk from Crown Heights, proceed west on Crown Street until Washington Avenue, enter at 1000 Washington Ave.

By subway, take the #3 Train to the ‘Brooklyn Museum’ station and enter the gardens at 900 Washington Avenue.

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