Hoshana Rabba includes special study and prayer arrangements, which express its unique status as a day on which justice can be mitigated and one can merit salvation.

There are those who stay awake the whole night of Hoshana Rabba, either in the sukka or in the synagogue, and recite the special program for this night known as the tikkun. The tikkun includes the entire book of Deuteronomy, passages from the Zohar, and the entire book of Psalms. Some people immerse themselves in a ritual bath [mikva] before dawn, similar to the immersion done before Yom Kippur.

The morning prayer and the Musaf prayer of Hoshana Rabba are similar to those of the other days of Hol HaMoed, with a few differences: In Ashkenazic communities, some men, especially the prayer leader, wear a white garment [kittel], as on Yom Kippur. Likewise, it is customary for the prayer leader to recite some of the prayers in the tune used on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur.

For other times when it is customary to wear a kittel, see pp. 53, 167, 294.

The first part of the morning prayers, which consists of chapters from the book of Psalms, is known as Pesukei DeZimra. On Hoshana Rabba, Ashkenazic communities include in Pesukei DeZimra the extra psalms that are added on Shabbat and holidays. In the later part of Pesukei DeZimra, one returns to the usual weekday liturgy.

For the Hoshanot after Hallel, it is customary to remove seven Torah scrolls, or even all the Torah scrolls that are in the ark, and place them on the bima. The congregation then encircles the bima seven times, and during each circuit [hakafa] they recite one Hoshana prayer, as appears in the prayer books. Then they add prayers and liturgical poems dealing with rainfall, the success of the harvest, and general requests for salvation in merit of our holy forebears. All this is performed while holding the four species in both hands.

In some communities it is customary to chant between the hakafot certain verses that are related to the seven kabbalistic sefirot. The hakafot in Sephardic communities deal with this theme even more explicitly and at greater length.

Toward the end of this session of prayers and supplications, one puts down the four species and picks up a bundle of five aravot tied together, in order to fulfill the custom of “the beating of the aravot.” This custom dates back to the days of the later prophets.

The common practice is to beat the aravot on the ground, or on a chair and the like. In many communities it is accepted that women and children also perform this custom. For this purpose, every family head must acquire as many bundles of aravot as are needed for each member of his household. In some synagogues, aravot are sold the night before, or even in the morning of Hoshana Rabba. It is advisable to check in advance where and when one can purchase aravot.

There are several customs with regard to the number and location of the beatings. Some strike the aravot two or three times on a chair or other furniture, so that most of their leaves will be torn off. Those who follow the customs of the Arizal are careful to beat them precisely five times on the ground and only on the bare ground. Some combine both customs and first beat the aravot on the ground and afterward on furniture.

After beating the aravot, some recite prayers, in accordance with the accepted texts in their communities. Among Sephardim, there are those who recite the prayer Nishmat Kol Hai (“The soul of all that lives”) from the Shabbat and festival liturgy.

In many synagogues the battered aravot are thrown on top of the synagogue ark. Some have the custom to take them home and preserve them as a token for good fortune, until the day before Passover, at which point they burn them together with the hametz.

On the day of Hoshana Rabba itself, and likewise on Shemini Atzeret and Simhat Torah, the four species should not be used for any purpose other than the mitzva, but after the festival this restriction no longer applies. There are different customs in this regard: Some people pierce the etrog peel with cloves, and then use it for the smelling of spices during the Havdala service throughout the year. The etrog and cloves together provide a particularly good smell. Others make jam from the etrog after the festival. Some keep the lulav, together with the hadasim and the aravot, until Passover eve, and then burn them together with the hametz.

Halakhically, it is permitted to discard the four species after the festival, but this must be done respectfully, placing them inside two bags or wrapping them carefully, so as not to degrade these items with which a mitzva has been fulfilled.

Some people hold a festive meal on the day of Hoshana Rabba. At this meal, many have the custom to eat kreplakh, which are dumplings stuffed with meat. Nevertheless, since Hoshana Rabba is also the day before Shemini Atzeret, one should refrain from eating a heavy meal at a late hour, so as not to spoil one’s appetite for the festival meal to be served that night.

Toward the conclusion of Sukkot and the approach of Shemini Atzeret, some have the custom of entering the sukka and eating a small “farewell meal” there. This meal can consist of just cookies and cake and the like, so that one can recite the blessing of: “…to reside in the sukka” one final time.

At the end of this small meal, some recite a special prayer as they part from the sukka. The following is one example of such a prayer:

“May it be your will, Lord our God and God of our forefathers, that just as I have fulfilled the mitzva and dwelt in this sukka, so may I merit next year to dwell in the sukka of the skin of Leviathan.” (The expression “the sukka of the skin of Leviathan” alludes to an abode for the righteous in the messianic era.)

Because Hoshana Rabba is also the day before a holiday, it is necessary to prepare candles and other matters for the upcoming festival.

Further reading: For more information on Shemini Atzeret, see A Concise Guide to the Sages, p. 294.