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I was always told that when shaking the lulav towards the north, for instance, you keep the lulav oriented as usual (pointing towards the ceiling), just turn your body northwards first, and then extend (then withdraw) your arms. Yet I keep seeing people turning their lulav so the lulav top is itself pointing north (not up). Is there any source or opinion for this practice, or is it just a mistake?

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up vote 3 down vote accepted

Aruch HaShulchan OH 651:26

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hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=9102&pgnum=412 . He quotes this as the Rama's way, then notes "but we don't do this." (I.e. instead we always keep the lulav oriented as usual.) Taz and Arizal also say not to invert the lulav. Okay, but it certainly has a source then! –  Shalom Jan 13 '11 at 14:10
Thank you, Curiouser! –  Shalom Jan 13 '11 at 14:10

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