דף נושא: הושענא רבה

How is the mitzva of the willow branch fulfilled? There was a place below Jerusalem, and it was called Motza. They would descend there and gather willow branches [murbiyyot] from there. And they would then come and stand them upright at the sides of the altar, and the tops of the branches would be inclined over the top of the altar. They then sounded a tekia, a simple uninterrupted blast, sounded a terua, a broken sound and/or a series of short staccato blasts, and sounded another tekia. Each day they would circle the altar one time and say: “Lord, please save us. Lord, please grant us success” (Psalms 118:25). Rabbi Yehuda says that they would say: Ani vaho, please save us. And on that day, the seventh day of Sukkot, they would circle the altar seven times. At the time of their departure at the end of the Festival, what would they say? It is beautiful for you, altar; it is beautiful for you, altar. Rabbi Elazar said that they would say: To the Lord and to you, altar; to the Lord and to you, altar.

The Order of Circling the Bimah, 3 Seifim: 1. The practice is to bring a Torah scroll to (the bimah) and to circle it once each day and seven times on the seventh day, in memory of the Temple Rem"a: And we take seven Torah scrolls onto the bimah on the seventh day (Mahari"l). There are places that take out every Torah scroll in the Ark (Minhagim) (and that is the practice in these countries).[This is] because they would circle the altar. The circles go clockwise. And on Shabbat we do not circle (Tur) nor do we take Torah scrolls on to the bimah.

How would they fulfill [this mitzvah on the Sabbath]?
They would bring [the branches] to the Temple on the Sabbath eve and place them in golden containers, so their leaves would not dry out. On the following morning, they would be placed next to the altar and the people would take them in the same manner as they did each day.
Since the willow is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah, it is not taken on each of the seven days of the festival as a remembrance of the Temple. Rather, at present it is taken only on the seventh day.
What is done? One takes one branch or many branches in addition to the willow of the lulav, and hits the ground or a utensil with them two or three times. No blessing is recited, because this practice is a custom instituted by the prophets.

The seventh day of Sukkot is also known as Hoshana Rabba. It is an especially significant day because on Sukkot, God renders judgment about how much water there will be during the upcoming year, so on the seventh day of Sukkot, the final verdict is sealed. Since all plant, animal, and human life depends upon water, on this last day of judgment, we multiply our pleas of “hosha na” (“please save”) to God. On this day, we take aravot (sometimes called hoshanot), because they require more water than the other species, and it is easily discernable when they dry out. The Sages made sure that Hoshana Rabba never falls on Shabbat, so that we have the opportunity to plead and cry out for water (Roke’aḥ §221). Just as water sustains physical life, the Torah sustains the life of the spirit. In the words of the Sages, “Water refers to Torah” (Bava Kamma 17a). Accordingly, the judgment concerning water on Hoshana Rabba includes judgment about human life in its entirety, the physical and the spiritual. This is the meaning of Zohar’s statement that there are three times of judgment: Rosh Ha-shana, Yom Kippur, and Hoshana Rabba (Zohar II 142a). Similarly, there is a tradition that God told Avraham, “If your children are not forgiven on Rosh Ha-shana, they will be forgiven on Yom Kippur; and if not on Yom Kippur, then on Hoshana Rabba” (Mateh Moshe §957; Kaf Ha-ḥayim 664:2).

On the seventh of the Holiday [Sukkot], it is the end of the [yearly] judgment of the world, and messages come out from the house of the King. So the restrictive powers [gevurot] are aroused and end on that day, and the willows of the brook are with (another version: depend upon) them. And we need to arouse the restrictive powers for water and to go around seven times, to sate the altar with the water of Issac, since this well of Issac's is filled with water. And when it is full, the whole world is blessed with water.

And after pounding the willow, he should say this supplication:May it be Your will in front of You, Lord G0d, and God of our fathers, who chooses good prophets and their customs - that you accept our prayers and our circles (hakafot) with mercy and desire. And remember for us the merit of Your seven pure ones, and remove the iron curtain that separates between You and us. And pay heed to our prayers and make good the sealing for us - suspend the earth over the emptiness - and seal us in the book of goodly life. And upon this day, give to Your mighty Presence five restrictions (gevurot) sweetened by the pounding of the willow, the custom of Your holy prophets; and arouse love among them and let them be kissed with the kisses of Your mouth, which sweetens all the restrictions and all of the judgements. And shine upon Your mighty Presence with the name (Yod hay vav), which is dew of lights, Your dew. And from there, bring the flow to Your servant who is praying (x, the son/daughter of y) in front of You (forgiveness), that You will lengthen his/her days and forgive him/her for all of his/her sins, iniquities and rebellions; and stretch forth Your right arm and Your hand to accept me with full repentance in front of You. And open Your goodly storehouse, to satiate water for the parched soul, as it is written (Deuteronomy 28:12), "The Lord will open for you His goodly storehouse, the heavens, to provide rain for your land in its season and to bless all your undertakings." Amen.

The fifth (in Eretz Yisrael, the sixth) day of Chol Hamoed is Hoshana Rabbah. It is customary to stay awake the preceding night and to study Torah, according to the order printed [in the Tikkun], because on Sukkos we are judged with regard to water, upon which human life depends, and this day is the last day of Sukkos, and all depends upon the conclusion [of judgment.] At Shacharis additional candles are lit in the synagogue, as on Yom Kippur, and the Chazzan wears a kittel. Lamenatzei'ach [for the choirmaster] is said as on Yom Tov, and Mizmor lesodah [a psalm of thanksgiving] is also said, but Nishmas [the soul] is not said. We say Ein kamocha [There is none like you], and Shema Yisrael, as on Yom Tov. In the Kedusha of Musaf we say Na'aritzecha [We will revere].

For Hoshana Rabbah: We have already written about why the sages, may their memory be blessed, fixed many prayers on this day. It is that it is called Hoshana Rabbah, since even the lowly ones and the lowly generations can be redeemed [lehivashaya] upon it. For they are the aspect of the willow [which is also used by itself on this day], no taste and no smell. So we must, therefore, understand what their power is. It is indeed written: I was brought low and He saved me (Psalms 116:6). Its understanding is that because they know that they are lowly and need redemption, they will have redemption. And that which the sages, may their memory be blessed, accordingly wrote (Rosh Hashana 17a:9), "Even though I am lowly, I am fit to be saved," is from the reason mentioned above. And this is like it is found in the Gemara (Chullin 89a:5), "Not because you are more, etc. for you were the fewest (Deuteronomy 7:7): Even when the Holy One, Blessed be He, bestows goodness upon them, you diminish yourselves." See there. And this is truly the trait of the Children of Israel. When the Holy One, blessed be He, in His kindness, bestows bounty upon them, they contemplate the truth, that they are not fitting for this and diminish themselves greatly. And this is in fact the trait, since redemption comes to the lowly. And hence when our righteous Messiah speedily arrives, the main redemption is prepared to be specifically with the lowly generations. And the explanation of I was brought low and He saved me is also that after the redemption they remain lowly, as they must know that it was with supernal kindness. And so too is it with the four species [waved on Sukkot]. The willow needs to negate itself to the other species. And that is the [meaning of the] sign of the difference between the leaf of the willow and the tzafzafah, that the leaf [of the former] is pointed up and that [of the latter] is round, such that from its lowliness it becomes built up, so it is disqualified. But the willow points to the other species taller than it, and that is [why] its leaf is pointed. And likewise do our generations need to negate ourselves to the earlier generations, to be redeemed in the merit of our fathers. So then the redemption will be prepared for us more than for the earlier ones. And this is [the meaning of] I was brought low and He saved me. And God, may He be blessed, who is the One who helps the lowly, should have mercy and pity and redeem the poor and lowly people. As what can be lower than us now? And redemption is the Lord's.