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When should the bracha on lulav be recited, and should it be "al" or "li"? The shiur develops the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s position that the act of taking the lulav is itself part of the mitzvah (מצוה), and that there is an issur to perform a mitzvah without a bracha. This leads to a fundamental difference from Tosafos (תוספות) and other Rishonim, explaining why various proposed solutions (holding upside down, kavana farkert) fail according to the Rambam.
This shiur presents an in-depth analysis of the halachic issues surrounding the bracha on lulav, focusing on when the blessing should be recited and what its proper text (nusach) should be. The central question is whether one should make the bracha before picking up any of the four species, between picking up some but not all, after picking them all up but before waving them, or only after the mitzvah (מצוה) is complete. The shiur begins by reviewing the various opinions brought in Tosafos (תוספות), including holding the esrog before the lulav, holding one upside down, or having kavana not to be yotzei the mitzvah initially. The Mechaber follows Tosafos, while the Taz and the Gra offer different evaluations of which approach is best. The Baal HaMaor suggests waiting until after taking all four species, before the na'anuim (waving).
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Sukkah 39a
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