Sukkah 43: The Palm, the Willow, Heresy, and History

On the prohibition of taking the lulav on Shabbat - the issue is moving the lulav, which is a rabbinic precept, as compared to the Torah mitzvah to take the lulav to begin with. This is a bit of a puzzle. But the concern extends to carrying the lulav when it isn't purely for the use for the mitzvah. Part of the question may be resolved by some calendar issues, and perhaps the percentage of those who took lulavim may have been far fewer than these days. And perhaps most significantly, the historical time frame that provides the context for the given rabbinic text. Also, the shift to the willow, the aravah. Which, against the same backdrop of Shabbat is suddenly introduced as a Torah mitzvah, as lulav is, through lulav has actual biblical verses commanding it! Which opens up a dramatic conundrum regarding how and why the aravah became a Torah mitzvah. Hint: It has to do with heresy. [Clear audio throughout, thank God. Maybe we have cleared this hurdle]