Is it permitted for a Sephardic woman to shake Lulav without a blessing?[1]
Yes, and so was customarily done in the most illustrious of Sephardic homes, as testifies the Ben Ish Chaiy[2], “In our home the women are accustomed to shake Lulav and say a blessing over it.” However, according to Kabala women are not to shake the Lulav in all the directions, but are simply to shake it one time, and it suffices.[3] Now, although many Sephardic Poskim of today [i.e. Rav Ovadya and Rav Yitzchak Yosef] argue on the allowance for women to say a blessing over Mitzvos that they are exempt from, nonetheless, even they do not argue against the concept of women shaking without a blessing. To quote from Yalkut Yosef[4], “Nevertheless there is a slight Mitzvah that she shake Lulav without a blessing.” [This comes to negate a misconception among some Sephardim that according to their view women are not to shake Lulav at all and doing so is like the reform movement of women who wear tefillin.]
[1] See Admur 17:3; 589:2; Michaber 589:6; R”H 33a as rules Rebbe Yossi and Rebbe Shimon; Rabbeinu Tam; Ran; Rosh there; Beis Yosef 589; Kaf Hachaim 589/22
[2] Rav Poalim 1:12;
[3] Rav Poalim 1 Sod Yesharim 12 based on Kabala; Eitz Hasadeh 568:11; Meorei Or 3 p. 69; Nitei Gavriel
[4] See Yalkut Yosef Daled Minim p. 689
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