סימן קלז סעיף 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.
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.1If you take both of them in one hand, according to some poskim you have not fulfilled your obligation and you must take them again with two hands as prescribed. According to Mishnah Berurah we should be stringent and follow this ruling but another berachah should not be said. (Mishnah Berurah 651:15) 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 mitzvah2According to Beis Yosef there is another option—to have in mind that you are not fulfilling the mitzvah until you have them all in your hand. Vilna Gaon writes that this is the best way. (Ibid 651:25) 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.3If you did not say the berachah Shehecheyanu on the first day, you may say it on any of the other days. (Ibid 651:29) 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,2According to Beis Yosef there is another option—to have in mind that you are not fulfilling the mitzvah until you have them all in your hand. Vilna Gaon writes that this is the best way. (Ibid 651:25) and holding it close to the lulav, so that there is no separation between them, you wave [the species]4In addition to holding the Four Species together—which is sufficient for the fulfillment of the mitzvah—you should also perform the waving (or shaking) of the Species in the same manner. (Ibid 651:49) towards the four points of the earth, in this sequence: East, South, West, North, up and down.5It is preferable to face east while waving the Species. The sequence followed in most Ashkenaz congregations is: straight ahead (i.e., east), right (south), back (west), left (north), up and down. The generally followed manner of waving is to stretch out the arms and shake the bundle enough to rustle the leaves of the lulav, and then draw the bundle close to the chest and shake again. This procedure is repeated three times in each direction. (Ibid 651:47) 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.
תנא דבי אליהו כל השונה הלכות בכל יום מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא שנאמר הליכות עולם לו אל תקרי הליכות אלא הלכות (נדה ע"ג.)