Every Sukkot, Jews around the world pick up the Four Species – arba minim – the lulav (palm branch), etrog (citron), hadassim (myrtle), and aravot (willow) – and shake them in six directions. But why do we shake the lulav at all? What’s the meaning behind the motions, the verses, and the many local customs that go with it?
This article dives into the halachic sources, kabbalistic teachings, and centuries of tradition behind lulav-shaking – plus a few humorous realities, like tallitim slipping off mid-wave.
Shaking in the Sukkah: A Custom with Roots
In some Sephardi and Chassidic communities, there’s a custom to walk out to the Sukkah after the morning prayers (Shacharit), recite the blessing on the lulav, give it a good shake, and only then return indoors for Hallel and Hoshanot.
The Talmud states that all seven days of Sukkot, one should make the Sukkah their primary dwelling – eating, drinking, studying, and even relaxing there (Sukkah 28b). The logic follows: if you can fulfill a mitzvah in the Sukkah, why not?
The Kabbalists took it further. Rabbi Isaac Luria, known as the Arizal, taught that ideally one should pray in the Sukkah and take the lulav there right after morning prayers, before Hallel (Sha’ar HaKavanot). Not everyone follows this today – some point out that separating the blessing from Hallel isn’t halachically ideal – but the custom persists in many places.
The Psalm 118 Shake-a-Thon
According to the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 651:1), the lulav is waved during Hallel at three verses:
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“Give thanks to the L-rd, for He is good; His kindness endures forever” (Psalm 118:1)
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“L-rd, please save us” (Psalm 118:25)
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The closing “Give thanks to the L-rd” (Psalm 118:29)
The Rema (the Ashkenazi gloss on the Shulchan Aruch) adds one more: “Let Israel say, for His kindness endures forever” (Psalm 118:2).
But some German and Hungarian communities wave during all four opening verses of Psalm 118 (verses 1–4). Their source? The medieval Tosafists, who noted that if the congregation responds with “Give thanks,” the prayer leader might as well wave along each time too (Tosafot on Sukkah 37b). Apparently, Ashkenazic ancestors liked a little extra shaking.
Turning, Tilting, or Totally Mistaken?
Now, about technique: when facing north, south, east, west, up, and down, should the lulav stay pointing upward or should it tilt in the direction being honored?
Some communities point the lulav toward each direction; others keep it upright the entire time. The Aruch HaShulchan (Orach Chaim 651:26) notes that while some early authorities mentioned pointing the lulav itself, most later opinions – including the Taz and teachings of the Arizal – prefer keeping it upright. The symbolism, after all, comes from the movement, not the angle.
Blessing Before or After Picking It Up?
Here’s a puzzle: blessings on mitzvot are usually said right before performing them – over la’asiyatan (“before the action”). But the mitzvah of lulav technically starts the moment you pick it up.
Tosafot (Sukkah 39a) ask this very question and give practical solutions:
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Pick it up in stages – first the lulav, then the etrog – so the blessing falls in the middle.
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Hold the etrog upside down until after the blessing.
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Or simply hold everything while intending not to fulfill the mitzvah until after the blessing.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 651:5) records these options, and most communities today follow one of them. Rambam, ever the minimalist, may have preferred making the blessing before picking it up at all (Hilchot Lulav 7:6), but practice leaned the other way.
Tallit Troubles: The Struggle Is Real
Every year, someone waves their lulav enthusiastically… and their tallit slides right off. Tight wrapping? Loose wrapping? Shoulder pads? Nothing seems to help.
Practical advice over the years includes:
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Rolling the tallit edges over the shoulders for extra grip.
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Using a slightly rougher fabric instead of slippery wool.
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In extreme cases, adding discreet Velcro (not on Yom Tov, of course).
Apparently, piety does not guarantee friction.
Why Three Shakes?
The Jerusalem Talmud (Sukkah 15b) mentions shaking three times in each direction, though it debates whether to shake three times while moving outward, inward, or both. Rambam (Hilchot Lulav 7:9–10) codifies three shakes per direction, as does the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 651:9).
The Rama adds his own twist: shake three times with a rustling sound. Because nothing says “mitzvah accomplished” like the holy swish of palm leaves.
The Kabbalists again assign deeper meaning: three shakes in each of the six directions at four points in Hallel total seventy-two shakes, whose numerical value (gematria) equals the Divine Name associated with chesed (lovingkindness). More shaking, more blessing (Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaLulav 3).
The Great Downward Dilemma
Pointing down seems simple – just lower the lulav, right? Not so fast.
Some lower it vertically three times. Others push diagonally toward the ground and back toward the heart, keeping it upright. Chabad custom, for example, uses six motions per direction – outward and inward three times each – always keeping the lulav upright and starting every motion from the heart (Sefer HaMinhagim Chabad).
Apparently, even gravity has competing minhagim (customs).
Why No Announcements?
Before blowing the shofar, many synagogues review the laws and local customs out loud. But before Hallel on Sukkot? Crickets.
Turns out, most communities simply don’t treat the waving order as a big deal. Different people in the same synagogue may even follow different customs without issue. Historically, Jewish law requires unity on core practices to avoid lo titgodedu (splintering into factions), but directional choreography never made the list. Even in Talmudic times, people in the same place waved differently (Mishnah Sukkah 3:9).
At the Core of the Lulav Mitzvah
And that may be the biggest takeaway: while the lulav and etrog unite Jews in one mitzvah, the details leave room for variation – halachic, kabbalistic, and practical. Whether waving three times or seventy-two, in the Sukkah or the synagogue, vertically or diagonally, with a cooperative tallit or one sliding south, the mitzvah remains the same: to rejoice, to pray for blessing in all directions, and maybe to laugh a little when someone forgets which way is east.