KABBALAH BENCHING LULAV PRACTICE

Tracking the Sfirot in Jewish life brings me joy and serves as a reference. This is a practice I have used for decades, found in a Mizrahi Mahzor Hozen Ovadiyah for Sukkot.

BLESSING

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל נְטִילַת לוּלָב.

Barukh Atah Adonai Elohaynu Melekh haOlam asher kidshanu
b’mitzvotav v;tzivanu al netilat lulav. Amen

You are a fountain of blessings Adonai, Sovereign of all hidden and
manifest, who brings us holiness when through mitzvot and connects with us through taking the lulav.

בפעם הראשונה מוסיף:
add Shehekhiyanu the first time you bench lulav each year

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָֽנוּ וְקִיְּמָֽנוּ וְהִגִּיעָֽנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה.

Barukh Atah Adonai Elohaynu Melekh haOlam Shehekhiyany v’kiyamanu v’hee-giyanu laz’man hazeh.

You are a fountain of blessings, Adonai, Sovereign of all hidden and
manifest, enlivening, sustaining, and getting us to this time here and now. Amen.

WAVING THE LULAV RITUAL

Face East. This is important. The directions are
Hold the lulav in your left hand, take the etrog in your right hand with the pitom on the bottom
Press the lulav and etrog together in front of your heart.

Say the blessing

Turn the etrog so the pitom is on top.

Hold the lulav and etrog together at your heart to start. Now we shake the lulav. Each direction is a portal to a Divine attribute according to Kabbalah, Miarahi, and Sfard siddurim.

Portal for HESED, GRACE shake three times to the right (South) return to your heart
Portal for G’VURAH, BOUNDARY, MEMBRANE shake three times to your left (North) and return to your heart.
Portal for TIFERET, HARMONY, BALANCE, shake the lulav three times in front of you (East) return to your heart.
Portal for NETZAH, SUSTAINABILITY, ETERNITY, VICTORY, shake three times above (Up) , return to your heart.
Portal HOD – HOLY SURFING, RIDING THE WAVES OF LIFE, HUMILITY, PROJECTING BEAUTY WITHOUT CLAIMING IT, GRATITUDE,Shake three time downward and return to your heart..
Portal for SH’KHINAH, PRESENCE shake lulav west behind you, while facing east, (West) three times and return to your heart.

Please Let me know how it goes if you try it.

Divine Names for each of the six directions based on the long version of Sefer Yetzirah