It is especially proper to wear Shabbat clothes on this day. The appropriate greeting for this day is “Gut Yom Tov” or “Chag Same’ach.”
Some wish each other a “gmar tov,” “gmar chatimah tovah,” “a gutt kvittel,” or “pitka tava.” This means that the final sealing of the judgment should be a good one. Although this is not the official Chabad custom, the Lubavitcher Rebbe used these expressions on several occasions.
- The Ot Chaim Veshalom (by the Munkatcher Rebbe, Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira) says that one should not say “gmar tov,” which literally means “good ending,” but rather, ”gmar chatimah tovah” – a sealing for the good.
It is customary in many communities to come to Shul early on this day.
- There are five days that one should arise early to go to Shul: Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, Hoshana Rabbah, Purim, Tisha Be'Av
- A mnemonic to remember these days is the verse וַיַשְׁכֵּם אַבְׁרָהָם בַבֹּקֶר (“Avraham arose early in the morning.”
- אַבְׁרָהָם stands for אב (Tisha Be'Av), בריאת העולם (Rosh HaShana, day of Briat Ha’olam/creation of the world), רבה (a reference to Yom Kippur which is referred to as the great fast day [Rabbah means great]), הושענה רבה (Hoshana Rabbah), מגילה (Purim on which we read the Megillah)
Shacharit
In some communities, the chazzan wears a kittel (white garment resembling a shroud) on this day. This is not the Chabad custom.
- Some have the custom of praying the Pesukei DeZimrah of Shabbat and Yom Tov on this day (except for Nishmat since there is no additional soul on Hoshana Rabbah) as well as the Kedusha of Musaf. This is not the Chabad custom. Indeed, the Arizal prayed the standard Chol HaMo’ed prayers on Hoshana Rabbah except for the Hoshanot.
- Before Hallel, one should remove the two upper rings binding the lulav, leaving only the three bottom rings. (Some have the custom of removing the rings after Hallel, before Hoshanot.)
- Several reasons are given for the custom of removing the binding rings: 1) To increase in joy with the extra spreading of the lulav branches. 2) The waving of the lulav is done as a prayer to G-d that He protect us from bad winds and dew. Thus, on the final day of the prayers for rain, the waving is increased. 3) The lulav branches, which are now more spread out, represent the Jewish people who are spread out amongst the nations. 4) The removal of the constricting rings also represents the easing of the birth pangs and birth of Moshiach.
- It is customary to take out all the Sifrei Torah from the Aron Kodesh (holy ark) and have people hold them at the bimah (table for the Torah reading) during Hoshanot. Preferably, people who do not have their own lulav and etrog should be given this honor. If there are not enough people who do not have lulavim to hold the Torah scrolls, the scrolls should be placed on the bimah (Torah reading table). All the Hoshanot are then recited while the congregation and Chazzan circle the Bimah seven times (Siddur pg. 368). The Aron Kodesh remains open during the Hoshanot.
- When reciting the Hoshanot, the Chabad custom is that the chazzan begins reading aloud from the stanzas which begin with the letter samach or ayin just as he does during the Hoshanot of the other days of Sukkot (according to Chabad custom).
Seven Circles
Several reasons are given for the seven circles around the Bimah.
- This is similar to the procedure in the Bait HaMikdash on this day.
- In addition, the number of circles around the bimah corresponds to the number of circles the Jews walked around the city of Jericho when conquering it. This may be related to the custom that some have to blow the shofar while circling the bimah. This is reminiscent of the Kohanim blowing the shofar while circling Jericho. In addition, our circling the bimah once on each of the first six days of Sukkot and seven times on the seventh day parallels the way the Jewish people encircled Jericho before the walls came tumbling down.
- These seven circles also resemble the seven times the Kallah walks around the Chattan under the Chuppah. This is done to prepare the Chattan and Kallah for their unification. We are similarly preparing ourselves for our unification with G-d which takes place on Shemini Atzeret.
At the conclusion of the Hoshanot, the Sifrei Torah should be returned to the Aron Kodesh, and the Chazzan should recite Kaddish. One should then take the five Aravot and beat them on the ground five times. One then recites the paragraph beginning Yehi Ratzon.
The (Kabbalistic) reason for striking the willows on the floor is in order to obliterate (Divine) judgments from this world.
According to the Arizal, one should not hold the aravot together with the lulav and etrog as this can cause an improper “mixture” of Chessed (kindness) and Gevurah (severity). Women customarily fulfill the minhag of striking the aravot on the floor.
No blessing is recited for this ceremony since it’s a minhag (custom) established by the early prophets rather than a mitzvah. In addition, since it represents purging the evil forces from this world, it’s inappropriate to say a blessing on this act just as one doesn’t recite a blessing when washing mayim acharonim.
