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The mitzva of taking the lulav applies every day of the holiday except Shabbat, and during daytime only. It is preferable to perform the mitzva in the morning.
On the first day of the holiday, ownership of the lulav used for the mitzva is a requirement. Therefore, if one does not own a lulav, another person may transfer ownership to someone else to fulfill the mitzva. During the rest of the holiday, it is enough to borrow a lulav. Someone who uses a stolen lulav is committing a sin, not a mitzva.
Women who take the lulav are fulfilling the biblical mitzva, but they are not obligated to do so.
The lulav bundle (one lulav, three hadasim, and two aravot) should be picked up with the right hand and the etrog with the left.
One should take the four species in the position in which they grow: the end that was connected to the tree should be at the bottom, and the other end should be on top. Accordingly, the etrog’s ukatz (the end of the branch which joined the etrog to the tree) should be at the bottom and the etrog’s slope should be on top.
When we pick up the lulav, its spine should face us. Ideally, the etrog should be held next to the lulav bundle. Holding the four species this way, one then shakes them in each of the four directions, as well as up and down, as we will explain below.
Each day of the holiday, before taking the lulav, the following blessing is recited: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us about taking the lulav.” On the first day, She-heĥeyanu is recited in between this blessing and the mitzva.
