Q&A: The Four Species
The Four Species
Question
Hello Rabbi,
During the holiday I wondered whether the four species are one commandment or four separate commandments. I’m sure many have already discussed this at length, but in my poverty of knowledge I haven’t studied Tractate Sukkah, so I’d be happy if the Rabbi could answer this, and if possible also point me to sources.
Also, I wanted to ask whether there are other commandments regarding which this same question can arise. I only thought of tefillin [and I recall that this is a dispute among the medieval authorities (Rishonim)] and the four cups.
Answer
Maimonides counts them as one commandment. For an explanation, see his eleventh principle in the Book of Commandments. There he also discusses tzitzit and tefillin, and says that tzitzit is one commandment (the blue thread and the white), whereas tefillin are two commandments. See there in Nachmanides’ glosses, where he disagrees with him. The whole issue of combining details into one commandment is discussed there, in the eleventh principle. See also my article on the eleventh principle in the book Yishlach Sharashav.
Discussion on Answer
Thank you very much.
Even with rabbinic commandments, it would seemingly still make sense to discuss what exactly they enacted, no?
I don’t think so, because there’s no practical difference at all. With Torah-level commandments, you can discuss how many commandments to count in the enumeration of the commandments, but even there there’s almost no practical difference (maybe the practical difference is how much money one should spend on it).
Wouldn’t it have practical significance for the question of whether they prevent one another from fulfillment, for example? And surely there are a few other practical differences too.
No. See Maimonides there.
The four cups are rabbinic, of course.