1,203. Hoshana Rabbah

Hilchos Shofar, Succah v’Lulav 7:22

The mitzvah of the willows (aravos) was fulfilled as follows on Shabbos: They brought the willow branches to the Temple before Shabbos and placed them in golden vessels to keep the leaves fresh. On Shabbos morning, they would place the branches near the altar and the people would take them as they did on the other days. Since the mitzvah of the willow is not explicit in the Torah, it is not taken on each of the seven days of Succos in remembrance of the Temple. Nowadays, it is only taken on the seventh day (i.e., Hoshana Rabbah), as follows: one takes one or several willow branches in addition to the willow of the lulav. He strikes the ground or some utensil with them two or three times. No bracha is recited because doing this is a practice that was instituted by the prophets.

Hilchos Shofar, Succah v’Lulav 7:23

On each day of Succos, they would walk around the altar once with their lulavs in hand. They would recite, “Please, God, save us. Please, God, give us success” (Psalms 118:25). On the seventh day (Hoshana Rabbah), they circled the altar seven times. The universal practice in the Rambam’s day was to place the ark in the center of the shul and to circle it each day, the way that they previously walked around the altar, in remembrance of the Temple. [Our practice is to walk around the bimah.]