תפלה נאה לאומרה בשעה שאוגדין את הלולב
יהי רצון מלפניך ה' אלהי ואלוהי אבותי שיתקשרו על ידי אגדת לולב זה הגדלה והגבורה והתפארת והנצח וההוד כי כל בשמים ובארץ, לך ה' הממלכה, ועל ידי שלשה הדסים שהם כנגד שלשה אבות אברהם יצחק ויעקב ועל ידי שני בדי ערבות שהם כנגד משה ואהרון ועל ידי לולב ואתרוג שהם כגנד יוסף ודוד יתקשרו ארבע אותיות של שמך הגדול והקדוש, ועל ידי שלשה הדסים אות יוד של שמך הגדול, ועל ידי שני בדי ערבות מלוי ה"ה של שמך הגדול, ועל ידי הלולב מלוי וי"ו של שמך הגדול. ועל ידי האתרוג מלוי ה"ה אחרונה של שמך הגדול, ומשם תשפיע לעבדך (פב"פ) אמתך חיים טובים שעולה כמנין הדס וכמנין לולב עם שתי המלות, ותתן לי זרע כשר וחכם וצדיק שעולה כמנין ערבה עם הכולל, ותתן לי לב טוב וכשר להבין תורה שעולה כמנין אתרוג עם הכולל. ותתן לי זכות שאאגוד אותם בבית מקדשך במהרה בימינו אמן.
The Gemara in Succah (33a) cites a machlokes [dispute] between Rebbi Yehudah and the Rabbanan if there is a mitzvah to bind the lulav (meaning, to tie the lulav together with hadasim and aravos). According to Rebbi Yehudah there is an obligation to do so, and if one doesn't do it the lulav is pasul [disqualified]. According to the Rabbanan it is still kosher if one doesn't do it, however, because of זה קלי ואנוהו, the principle that we like to do mitzvos in a beautiful manner, one should do it. The Rambam (Hilchos Lulav 7:6) and Shulchan Aruch (651:1) rule like the Rabbanan, that due נוי, to make the mitzvah beautiful, one should bind his lulav, however, if one didn't the lulav is still kosher. Below, we will briefly discuss the dinim related to binding the lulav.
The Order of How to Bind the Lulav
The Baʼal Haltur writes that one should bind everything in the order it is written in the Torah, therefore, one should first take the lulav and place it in front of him, then he should gently tuck the hadasim in on the right, and then the aravos on the left.
The minhag based on sod, is to hold the spine side of the lulav (where the middle leaf is prominent and noticeable) facing towards the person holding it and the other side outward (Mishnah Berurah 650:8). They should be placed according to the way they grow, the head facing up, and the side that was cut from the tree facing down.
Making Sure that The Hadasim Are Higher Than the Aravos
One should make sure that the hadasim are slightly higher than the aravos. The reason for this is explained by the Levush (1) who explains that it is because the hadas is mentioned earlier in the pasuk. Furthermore, the hadasim should be visible so that people don't say that one is making a berachah without hadasim.
Rashi in Sefer HaPardes (Hilchos Lulav, siman 191) explains that if one raises the aravos higher than the hadasim he risks his life (the aravos symbolize external forces, and if they are raised higher than the hadasim, one provides external forces with strength and puts himself at risk).
The Biur HaGra (d.h. veyeish likshor) explains based on the Medrash, that the hadasim represent the eyes, and the aravos represent the mouth. Since the eyes are higher up on the body, and the hadasim represent the eyes, we place them higher up on the lulav.
The Lulav's Spine Must Be a Tefach Higher Than the Hadasim
The lulav's spine (apart from the leaves) must be at least a tefach above the hadasim. The Kaf HaChaim (550:9) explains the Shulchan Aruch (650:2) which says that the spine of the lulav needs to be a tefach above the hadasim, to be meʼakev, and even bedieved if one doesn't have this, he doesn't fulfill his obligation. His grandson, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sofer shlita, writes (in a letter to Rabbi Mordechai Genut shlita, Lu'ach Dover Belto, 5764) that one should be careful with this, and it is a pity that people invest a lot of money in their arbah minim, and in practice do not fulfill their obligation because they don't bind them in accordance with halachah.
The Chazon Ovadiah (Arbas HaMinim, pg. 319, halachah 16, he’orah 18) also speaks about this at length and says that if one does not have a tefach of the lulav's spine above the hadasim, one doesn't fulfill his obligation. And he argues on those who say it's okay not to.
The sefer Agudas Yisrael (Rabbi Zlotnik, page 220) points out that this is not like the Moʼadim U’Zemanim (end of Vol. 8) and Even Yisrael (gilyon HaMishnah Berurah) who learn that that the din of raising the lulav a tefach above the hadasim is only a problem regarding the nanuim [shaking] but not in regard to the main mitzvah of taking the lulav.
The Lu’ach Halachos V’Haminhagim (Zeleznik, 5775, page 79, he’orah 465) brings in the name of Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Zeleznik, zt”l, that the din of raising the lulav a tefach above the hadasim, is only if the lulav is tied at the top, but if it is tied only at the bottom, such as when one binds the lulav with a koishekel [holder], then there is no need for an extra tefach, as in such a manner one is able to shake the lulav leaves.
Location
The general minhag is like the Mateh Moshe (siman 927) and the Shlah (Maseches Succah, Perek Ner Mitzvah, ois 16) which is ruled by the Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 12) to bind three hadasim on the right, two aravos on the left, and the lulav in the middle.
According to the Arizal (Pri Etz Chaim, Sha'ar Lulav, Perek 1), cited in the Magen Avraham (s.k. 4), the lulav should be in the middle, one hadas on the right side, a second hadas on the left side, and a third hadas on the lulav's spine. And for the aravos - one on the right and one on the left (see picture on the right).
The Pri Megodim cited in the Shaʼar HaTziyun (s.k. 11) writes that one shouldn't do this unless he is muchzak as being a chosid [established as being a pious person], and even then, he should only do it in private.
On the other hand, the Siddur HaTanya and the Shu”t Yeishiv Moshe (2:146) write that everyone should do this. This is the minhag of many mekubalim, and a number of chasiddishe kehillos.
The sefer Minhag Yisrael Torah discusses if the minhag of the Arizal is to put the aravos on top of the hadasim, or the hadasim on top of the aravos.
A Proper Knot
According to the Shulchan Aruch, one should tie the lulav with a proper knot, the type of knot that is forbidden to make on Shabbos and Yom Tov, which consists of two knots, one on top of the other, however, doing a simple bow is not enough. The Rema is lenient and allows a simple binding and says that one can wrap something around the three species and tie it into itself. The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 11) concludes that the bottom knot should be a proper knot, and the rest can be like the Rema.
Binding the Lulav Itself
In addition to the mitzvah of binding the lulav together with the hadasim and aravos, the Mordechai (Succah, remez 751) brings from the Ravyah that there is a mitzvah to tie the lulav itself. The reason for this is, that when the Torah writes כפות תמרים which refers to the lulav, it writes the word כפת without a “vav”, which is similar to the word כפות, which means a spoon. This indicates that for six days the lulav should be like כף אחת, a single spoon, and on the seventh day we untie it. i.e. for the first six days of Succos the lulav should be tied, and on the seventh day which is Hoshanah Rabbah, we untie it.
The Mishnah Berurah (651:14) writes that one shouldn't tie the top of the lulav with rings, in order to ensure that one can shake the leaves properly. For this reason, one should make sure to leave at least a tefach from the top of the lulav untied. From the Mekor Chaim (author of Chavas Yair, siman 650), Shulchan Aruch HaRav (651:11) and Bikuray Yaakov (651:10) it is clear that this means from the spine of the lulav and not from the leaves at the top.
The Kaf HaChaim (s.k. 12) mentions the custom of tying the lulav together with the hadasim and aravos in a manner which ensures that the hadasim and aravos don't fall off to the side, therefore, we make rings out of lulav leaves to tie around the hadasim and aravos to keep them together so that they do not fall to the sides.
Number of Rings
The Rema writes that the minhag is to make three knots on the lulav itself. The Mishnah Berurah explains that this corresponds to the three Avos. According to the Taz, the knot of the binding can count as one of the three, and it's enough to add just two more. However, according to the Elyah Rabbah an additional three on the lulav itself are needed. The sefer Chaim U’Berachah (ois 288) writes that the minhag is to make three whilst binding the lulav and another two on the lulav itself. According to the Arizal, it is customary to make eighteen knots.
Lulav Holders (Koishekel)
The Shu”t Mishneh Halachos (Vol. 11, siman 520) writes that most of the world binds the lulav with a koishikel. On the other hand, the Shu”t Beis David (siman 454) writes that it is not appropriate to use a koishikel, because it does not fulfill the requirement of binding, additionally a lulav needs to be bound like אגודת אזוב, bundles of hyssop, which is two knots one on top of the other. The Chasam Sofer (Succah 36b) disqualifies using a koishikel as he holds that it is not considered ואנוהו, beautification of the mitzvah.
The sefer Ogurah BeOhalecha (pg. 12) cited in Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 8) allows using a koishikel, as the reason for binding the lulav is because of נוי, beautification, and it just needs to be tight so that there is no concern of the knot opening, therefore, there is no reason to not allow a koishikel.
[It could be that the notion that a koishikel is considered a knot, is only if there is one sleeve that binds everything together, like it says in the sefer Halichos Chag BeChag (pg. 331) that one should make sure that the hadasim, aravos and lulav all touch each other at the bottom, otherwise it could be that one doesn't fulfill the mitzvah of binding the lulav.]
The Bikuray Yaakov writes that there must be a knot that is forbidden to make on Shabbos holding all the minim [species] together, therefore, if one makes separate rings for the separate minim, there must be a common knot tying them all together at the bottom
In Halichos Shlomah (Perek 11, he’orah 55) it is brought that R' Shlomah Zalman Auerbach zt"l made on top of his koishikel a double knot, this was also the opinion of R' Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l.
Don't Leave the Arbah Minim Soaking in Water
After preparing the lulav, don't leave it soaking in water for 24 hours straight to keep it fresh, as the part that is in the water will become בבוש pickled, and there is a problem for the arbah minim to become בבוש, see Shulchan Aruch 648:15.