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 Rabbah: One shouldn’t hold the lulav with a towel, it must be held fully - lekicha tamah. 

 Summary 

 Rava: Holding by means of something else, is still considered holding. 

(According to Tosfos, the towel extends beyond the lulav and creates a sort of handle which he is holding; but merely grabbing it with a towel wrapped around one’s hand is not under discussion here).

 Rava: I have proof from the following mishna: 

“If the bundle of eizov (11.2) is too short to be dipped, it can be lengthened by means of a thread or it can be held with a fork.” 

But the Torah uses the expression of lekicha with regard to Eizov, so we see that it is still considered holding it.

 Challenge: There it is attached to the eizov, but in our case the towel is not attached to the lulav?

-(According to Rashi, this mishna is discussing a completely different case than holding something wrapped in a lulav, but according to Tosfos, the cases are similar because the lulav isn’t just wrapped in a towel but extended by means of a handle)._

A different proof: 

“[If the ashes of the Parah] fell from the tube into the vessel [where it is to be mixed into the Mayim Chaim], it is possul. 

It seems that if one spilled the tube intentionally, it would be kosher even the though the Torah uses the expression of “lekicha”. 

This is indeed a satisfactory proof.