Instructions for the Use of the Lulav and Esrog

1. In your right hand, take the Lulav (palm branch) together with the hadassim (3 myrtle branches) on its right
and the Aravos (willows 2 branches) on its left, with the spine of the Lulav (darker green column) facing you.
In your left hand, take the Esrog (citron fruit), with the stem (wider part) facing upwards. (A left handed person
should take the Lulav in his left hand the the Esrog in his right)
2. While standing and facing east say the bracha (blessing) Al Netilas Lulav (Artscroll page 630). On the first
day of Sukkos say the bracha (blessing) Shehecheyanu.
After the bracha(s) turn the Esrog over (so that the stem faces downward) and hold it close to the Lulav to that
there is no separate between them
Wave the species towards the six point of the earth, in the following sequence:
Straight ahead
To the right
Behind you
To the left
Upwards
Downwards
Note: You do not have to wave the Lulav forcefully shaking it slightly to rustle the leaves is sufficient. It should
be shaken three times in each direction before moving on to the next direction. When waving downward you
should lower only your hands while the Lulav and other species remain in an upright position.
If by mistake you took the Esrog with the right hand and the Lulav with the left hand you should shake them
again without saying the bracha(s).
3. The four species are also waved during the recital of Hallel (Artscroll p. 632-642).
A. They are waved when the verse Hodu (p638) is recited. The order of waving is as follows:
There are six words in Hodu besides the name of Hashem and at each word you should wave in a
different direction but when saying Hashem you should not wave:
At Hodu wave straight ahead
At Ki towards the right
At Tov towards the back
At Ki towards the left
At Leolam upwards
At Chasdo downwards
B. The four species are also waved during the verse Ana Hashem Hoshia Na (p640). This verse is
recited twice and the species are waved twice.
This verse has three words besides the name of Hashem and at each word you should wave in two
directions but when saying Hashem you should not wave.
At Ana wave straight ahead and towards the right
At Hoshiah towards the back and left
At Na - upwards and downwards
C. In the Hodu at the conclusion of Hallel (p640) the species are waved again as above (section A).
4. On the first two days of Sukkos you cannot fulfill this mitzvah with species that were borrowed they must
actually belong to you. Therefore if someone needs to borrow a Lulav set the proper procedure is to give it to
them as a gift (theby legally transferring ownership) on the condition that it be returned (thereby insuring they
get it back). The borrower then performs the mitzvah and then returns the set to the owner. This procedure
does not work for minors (those under Bar / Bas Mitzvah).
5. The four species are not waved on Shabbos
6. This mitzvah may be done all day. It may not be performed at night. A man may not eat before performing
the mitzvah. A woman is not obligated to perform this mitzvah and may therefore each beforehand. Although not
obligated women may perform this mitzvah and recite the bracha(s) just as a man does.

For a more detailed discussion of the laws of the four species see Kitzur Shulchan Aruch chapters 136-137.
The source of this mitzvah is Leviticus, chapter 23, verses 39-40.