א נוֹטֵל אֶת הַלּוּלָב עִם הָאִגּוּד וְשִׁדְרַת הַלּוּלָב כְּנֶגֶד פָּנָיו בִּימִינוֹ, וְאֶת הָאֶתְרוֹג בִּשְׂמֹאלוֹ. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁבְּכָל הַמִצְוֹת צְרִיכִין לְבָרֵךְ עֲלֵיהֶן קֹדֶם עֲשִׂיָּתָן, וְגַם הָאֶתְרוֹג צְרִיכִין לְהַחֲזִיק דֶּרֶךְ גְּדִילָתוֹ, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁהָעֹקֶץ שֶׁבּוֹ נֶחְתַּךְ מִן הָאִילָן יִהְיֶה לְמַטָּה, וְהַשּׁוֹשַׁנְתָּא לְמַעְלָה, עַל כֵּן כְּשֶׁהוּא נוֹטֵל אֶת הָאֶתְרוֹג קֹדֶם שֶׁמְבָרֵךְ, יִטְּלֵהוּ בְּהִפּוּךְ, הָעֹקֶץ לְמַעְלָה וְהַשּׁוֹשַׁנְתָּא לְמַטָּה, שֶׁלֹא יֵצֵא בוֹ. וּמְבָרֵךְ מְעֻמָד עַל נְטִילַת לוּלָב. (לְפִי שֶׁהַלּוּלָב גָּבוֹהַּ מִכֻּלָן, חָשׁוּב הוּא וְנִקְרֵאת כָּל הָאֲגוּדָּה עַל שְׁמוֹ). וּבַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן, מְבָרֵךְ גַּם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ. וְאִם חָל הַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן בַּשַׁבָּת, שֶׁאֵין נוֹטְלִין בּוֹ לוּלָב, אֲזַי מְבָרֵךְ שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי. וּמְנַעְנֵעַ לְאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת כַּסֵּדֶר הַזֶּה, מִזְרָח, דָּרוֹם, מַעֲרָב, צָפוֹן, מַעְלָה, מָטָּה. וְכֵן בַּנִעְנוּעִים שֶׁבַּהַלֵּל, וְכֵן בַּהַקָּפָה, יִזָּהֵר לְקָרֵב אֶת הָאֶתְרוֹג אֶל הַלּוּלָב, שֶׁלֹא יִהְיֶה פֵּרוּד בֵּינֵיהֶם. אִם הִפֵּךְ וְנָטַל אֶת הָאֶתְרוֹג בַּיָּמִין וְאֶת הַלּוּלָב בַּשְׂמֹאל, יַחֲזוֹר וְיִטְלֵם בְּלֹא בְרָכָה.
1 You should take the lulav, together with the bundle, the stem [spine] of the lulav facing you—in your right hand, and the esrog in your left hand. As in all mitzvos, you must say the berachah on the lulav before performing the mitzvah. You must also hold the esrog in the manner it grows, that is, that the stem from where it was cut off the tree should point downward and the pitam [knob on top] upward. Therefore, when you pick up the esrog before saying the berachah, you should hold it upside down, with the stem facing upward and the pitam downward, in order not to fulfill the mitzvah before saying the berachah. Then, while standing, you should say the berachah Al netilas lulav [Concerning the taking of the lulav ]. (Because the lulav is taller than any of the other species, it is considered more important, and the entire bundle is called by that name.) On the first day of Sukkos you should also say Shehecheyanu. If the first day of Sukkos occurs on Shabbos, when we do not take the lulav, then you say Shehecheyanu on the second day. After the berachah you turn the esrog around, and holding it close to the lulav, so that there is no separation between them, you wave [the species] towards the four points of the earth, in this sequence: East, South, West, North, up and down. When waving during Halleil and during the Hoshanos, you should also be careful to hold the esrog close to the lulav, so that there is no separation between them. If you did it in the opposite manner, and took the esrog with the right hand and the lulav with the left hand you should take them again, without saying the berachah.