Every day of Sukkot (except Shabbat), we “take” the Four Kinds: the lulav, etrog, myrtle and willow. For how to pick your set, check out How to Select the Best Lulav and Etrog. Now that you have your set in hand, the question is: what do you do with it? Let’s explore that below!

When and How Should the Kit be Assembled?

The Four Kinds are even more beautiful when tied together in one neat bundle, so there is a mitzvah to tie them (except for the etrog).1 While you can technically use anything to bind them,2 it’s customary to use rings or a basketlike holder made of lulav leaves so as not to have a foreign substance separating your hands from the Four Kinds.3

If it’s your first time making a bundle, don’t worry! You can either follow the instructions in How to Bind the Lulav Bundle or ask the vendor to do it for you.

According to the Arizal, the ideal time and place to make this bundle is in the sukkah, right before the holiday begins.4

Who Takes the Lulav and Etrog?

If you’re a Jewish male over the age of bar mitzvah, you’re obligated to perform this mitzvah.5

If you’re a Jewish female, you’re technically exempt (read more about that here), but it’s customary to do it and say the same blessings as the men (some Sephardic women do not).6

Children who know how to wave the lulav properly are obligated by rabbinic law to do so, as this trains them to do mitzvahs.7

When Do I Wave the Lulav and Etrog?

We do this mitzvah every weekday of Sukkot, a total of six days (but not on Shabbat).8

It must be done during daylight hours, ideally between sunrise and sunset. However, if necessary—like if you have an early flight—you can do it from dawn.9 If you missed doing the mitzvah before sunset, you can do it until nightfall, but without the blessings.10

The ideal time to wave the lulav and etrog is in the morning. The Chabad custom is to do it in the sukkah before morning services11 (see footnote for other customs12).

Can I Eat Before Doing the Mitzvah?

As a rule, we avoid eating or drinking when we have a mitzvah to do, so we don’t get distracted and delay the mitzvah (or forget about it entirely). Therefore, it’s recommended not to even have a drink before taking the lulav and etrog.13 However, if you won’t have the opportunity to do this mitzvah until the afternoon, you can have something to eat.14

If you’re in the habit of eating something before morning prayers (as is customary in Chabad), make sure to do this mitzvah before your morning snack.

There is more leniency for women, who can have a snack before performing the mitzvah, and in cases of weakness, can even have a meal with bread.15

Does It Need to Belong to Me?

The Torah says, “And you shall take for yourselves on the first day…”16 The Torah only mandates this mitzvah for all Jews on the first day of the holiday, while those who were visiting the Holy Temple were to do it all six days. After the Temple was destroyed, the sages declared that we should take the lulav and etrog every day of the festival to remember the Temple practice.17

But there is an important difference. On the first day, we need to perform the mitzvah exactly as the Torah instructs us, which means that each person should use their own lulav set.

But what if your friend or neighbor doesn't own a lulav set? You can gift your set to them, on the condition that they will gift it back to you after they’ve performed the mitzvah.18

You should articulate this arrangement, but if you didn’t, don’t worry—it’s generally assumed that everyone follows this understanding.19

It is questionable whether this is an issue on the second day of the holiday in the diaspora (which would require you to give the lulav as a conditional gift even to those using it after you on the first day). But it is clear that there is no such requirement on all subsequent days, and there is no need to give it as a conditional gift.20

What if you wish to share your lulav with a child? By Torah law, kids are not able to effect transactions (e.g., they can “acquire,” but cannot give away to someone else). So how can the child return the lulav to you after having used it? They can’t! So make sure that you (and other adults) use the lulav and etrog before you give it to any kids on the first day.21

If you wish to accommodate the opinion that the lulav must belong to you even on the second day, purchase a second set just for kids.22

How Do I Hold the Lulav and Etrog?

Hold the Four Kinds facing upwards, similar to how they grow. Even though the etrog actually grows hanging down from its stem (ukatz in Hebrew), you hold it with the stem facing down (and the pitam facing up).23

If your lulav is long, be mindful not to bump it into the walls or covering of your sukkah24!

What Is the Procedure for This Mitzvah?

Here’s how to perform the mitzvah step by step:

Face east the entire time (even if that isn't toward Jerusalem, e.g., some locales in Israel).

  1. Take the lulav in your right hand (or left if you’re a lefty25) with the spine facing you.26 Don’t pick up the etrog yet, but have it unwrapped and ready in front of you.
  2. Recite the blessing Al Netilat Lulav. Then, take the etrog in your left hand (or right for lefties).
  3. On the first day of Sukkot (or the first time you do the mitzvah), recite the Shehecheyanu blessing while holding the etrog in your left hand and the lulav in your right.
  4. Bring the lulav and etrog together so that the top third of the etrog touches the lulav bundle at a slight angle (see alternative custom on how to hold the lulav and etrog in footnote27 ).
  5. You’ve now fulfilled the mitzvah! But the sages instituted the custom to wave the lulav set in all directions at this point (and again during the Hallel prayer, see below). Wave in the following directions, rustling it when your arms are extended and then returning it to your heart after each motion:28
    • Three times to the right (southeast).
    • Three times to the left (northeast).
    • Three times forward (east).
    • Three times upward—raising the lulav, then lowering it slightly below chest level (symbolizing drawing divine influence into the world) before returning it to the heart.
    • Three times downward—lowering the lulav, then raising it slightly above chest level (symbolizing the elevation of the world) before returning it to the heart.
    • Three times over your right shoulder (twice to the southwest, once due west).

    Tips to Remember:

    • Keep the etrog covered by your hand throughout the waving, uncovering it slightly for the last wave.29
    • Make sure the lulav remains upright during the entire waving process, even when waving downward. Do not turn it upside down.
    • Always face east while waving, even though you wave the lulav set in all directions.

    See here for an illustrated guide.

    How Do We Wave the Lulav During Hallel?

    As mentioned, the sages instituted that we also wave the lulav and etrog at key points during the Hallel service each morning of Sukkot (besides Shabbat).

    According to Chabad custom, we hold the lulav without the etrog for the entire Hallel, only picking up the etrog when it’s time to wave.

    Wave the lulav and etrog at the following points:

    1. Hodu (right, i.e., southeast) laShem ki (left, i.e., northeast) tov (forward, i.e., east), ki (up) le'olam (down) chasdo (back, i.e., twice to the southwest, once due west). (This is only done the first time we say hodu at this point in the Hallel.)
    2. Ana (right, left) Hashem hoshia (forward, up) na (down, back).
    3. Ana Hashem hoshia na. (Follow the same procedure as above.)
    4. Hodu laShem ki tov, ki le'olam chasdo. (The first time only. Follow the steps of the first hodu.)

    How Do We Do Hoshanot?

    Immediately following Hallel (some Ashkenazim do this after the Musaf prayers), we circle the bimah and recite a litany of prayers known as Hoshanot. Hold the lulav in your right hand and the etrog in your left hand during Hoshanot. Since you need two hands to hold the lulav and etrog together against your heart, it’s best to have a small siddur or card that you can use to follow along with the service as you march around.

    Learn More About Hoshanot

    Can I Smell the Etrog and Myrtles?

    You should avoid intentionally smelling the hadasim during Sukkot. It’s also best not to deliberately smell the etrog during Sukkot to avoid the question of whether a blessing should be recited.30