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Four Kinds, Six Directions

Meditation in Movement

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Four Kinds, Six Directions: Meditation in Movement

The movements we make with the Four Kinds each day of Sukkot are a meditation on bringing our emotions into balanced harmony. This meditation is grounded in the kavanot of the Ari, as explained in the siddur of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi.
Handouts:
 Lulav_Meditation  
Aravah Lulav Hadas Etrog Four Kinds Naanuim Meditation
Tzvi Freeman is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth and, more recently, Wisdom to Heal the Earth. Subscribe to The Daily Dose of Wisdom and Freeman Files for regular updates.
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Philip Paranthoiene Hamilton , NSW , Australia October 13, 2025

Thank you from the heart.
A beautiful page in my life.
This made my day complete. Reply

George Waters Derby CT October 14, 2024

Possibly one of the most beautiful meditations I have ever seen.
I can see where mastering it, to where there is absolute beauty and flow in the movements is something that will take time, along with the proper thoughts, but this is one meditation I sincerely hope to someday master. Reply

Anonymous October 2, 2020

thank you. It is nice to find info from the Ari for english speakers like this. Do you have a website? Reply

Itche Brooklyn October 10, 2019

How does lulav and hadas add to 18 Reply

Anonymous India September 27, 2018

Does this way of lulav go well with all nusachim or is it just for Chabad? Reply

Tzvi Freeman September 28, 2018
in response to Anonymous:

This is all according to the Arizal (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria), who Chassidim, Sefardim and Jews of the Middle East generally follow. Many Ashkenazim will also choose to follow this in order to have the kavanot of the Arizal.

Note that the movements are to the east, west, etc., but your face is always towards Jerusalem. In this video, I’m standing west of Jerusalem and so facing east. Someone north of Jerusalem will be facing south and therefore start by thrusting the lulav straight ahead. Reply

Gershon Wachtel Jerusalem September 23, 2018

Brilliant. No other words are necessary. Reply

Nicole James Mount Vernon September 22, 2017

How does one become Jewish? Reply

Doriel Kingsport, TN USA October 1, 2017
in response to Nicole James:

At the top right of this website there is a search box. Type in "How to Become Jewish" A video will come up that will outline the process, and there is other material to read. Reply

Yaakov lexington,virginia,24450 October 21, 2016

Very nice peaceful ....Ethrogs are grown in one particular town in Italy ...Most Chassidum only purchase these. Rabbi very humble and helpful. שלום Reply

Amichai Schneller st.cloud MN March 5, 2014

growing estrogs I've learned how to grow etrogs in doors, but it's tedious and takes a very long time. Not like roses! I started out growing small oranges...and thought, ya know what, why not try etrogs? Could I sell them? Reply

Steven Valley Stream August 31, 2013

Different custom Four kinds and six directions is the common practice I believe among the various communities/practitioners, whether the custom/nusah of "ashkenaz", "edot hamizrah", "ari" or "sefard". As many know, the custom of "ashkenaz"

Not having seen the video or made the comparisons yet, have you compared the kavanot of "ari" during naanuim to those of the other customs? Are the kavanot of each mutually complementary? Reply

shirley wlgin, elgin, il October 3, 2012

succot all of these were very sonderful comments. I enjoyed all of them. thank you readers and students. Reply

david temirtau, kazahstan October 2, 2012

nice o.k. fun! p.s. chag hameach! B^H umatuka ktiva vehatima tova ! tzvi freeman Reply

shirley friedman elgin, , il usa September 30, 2012

meditation in movement I thourally enjoyed learning how to use the luvav and etrov. My rabbi of many years never really explained the putpose of the etrov and the luvov. I am learning so very much from my new Chabad Rabbe and his wonderful Shul and this Chabad connection. I thank you so much. I also enjoy all the Yiddish from the other videos. It is starting to come back to me a bissel at a time. Reply

K. Goddard bhutan October 17, 2011

beautiful & visionary meditation & explanation interesting how the therapeutic movement of lulav & estrog creates harmony, (like yoga, tai chi, & 'sitting' meditation) ...

& you also show a balance of energy fields, kabbalistically speaking, with the power of the hebrew names (as shown in the diagram).

As in, by extension, the therapeutic field of energy psychology, where there is a perceived relationship between auras, color & the magnetic resonance of healing sounds ...

Where Joseph's coat of many colors is the auric field, & the inner armour of the physical (& spiritual) body is strengthened & balanced by the power of the hebrew letters... in this way the field energy of the body would be balanced, healed & made whole.

Just a thought.
L'Chaim. Reply

Shoshannah August 24, 2011

Thank you, Rabbi Freeman i especially found your remarks about the 'why more than 3 hasidim' very illuminating.

: please forgive my ignorance, but ... is the state of the 'arbah minim' the mature state? or is this just 1 level of reading it?
is this about physical alignment as it exists within us ... since it is the 'daat of the person who is moving them in 6 directions'

is it just the luluv & estrog that is ultimately moved in 6 directions? i liked your diagram, but i felt, being a seasoned meditator & a longtime yoga student, that somewhere, did there need to be a place for the upward spiral of the human sitting in yogic pose?

{seriously, i think to a scientist this would be quantum physics!!}

bravo & thanks for your guidance. Reply

M. Cohen Chicago, il September 28, 2010

Lulav Meditation Very informative. the program will, I hope, give more meaning toward my davening Reply

Jeff Forman Farmingdale, NY/USA September 28, 2010

Great Presentation Can You Make It downloadable? Thank you. Reply

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman September 27, 2010

Why more than three hadasim? Someone wrote, asking: If the hadasim are the three midot of chesed, gevura, tiferet, why would you need more than 3 hadassim? And why not more than 2 willows which represent the reactive emotions of competing and surrendering if those emotions are the more difficult ones to change anyway?

My response:

In an immature person, the midot of chesed/gevurah/tiferet are wrapped within the reactive midot of netzach/hod/yesod. Within them are furthered wrapped the intellect--chochmah/bina/daat. This is what the Zohar calls "three within three." It is represented by the korban Pesach where the head was roasted on the belly of the Pesach lamb--since Pesach is the birth of the Jewish People.

In a mature person, all has been unfolded: The intellect dominates over the midot and the higher midot over the lower ones. That is the state of the arbah minim: The aravot are hidden within the hadasim and the entire arba minim are dominated by the daat of the person who is moving them in six directions. Reply

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman September 27, 2010

6 or 4? Someone wrote, asking: In the Shema Yisrael, we are told to meditate on how G-d is found in all four directions--represented by the last letter of the word "echad"--the dalet, which is the fourth letter of the alefbet. Why here do we meditate on six directions?

My response:

א = אלופו של עולם
ח = ז' רקיעים וארץ
ד = ד' רוחות העולם

Echad is spelled alef chet dalet

Alef (1) stands for the Master of the World
Chet (8) stands for the seven heavens and the earth
Dalet (4) stands for the four directions ("winds") of the world

It turns out that the directions of up and down are covered by the letter chet. Reply

Richard Raff September 22, 2010

Four Kinds, Six Directions Rabbi Tzvi Freeman has a joyous job of explaining this to the masses. i would think it wouldn't be an easy job but still a joy to even teach to others. Some day all Jew will be able to go back to the desert and plant these seeds. We should plant the seeds of Chessed, Gerurah, Tiferret, Netzach,Hod ,Yesod, Malchut. So that G-d can truly trust us to take care of His Garden once again. For G-d is here and G-d is there, G-d is truly everywhere. Reply

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