Kashrus Kurrents, Fall 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shehecheyanu <\/em>is part of many occasions and rituals. In the parlance of the\nGemara, it is often referred to as zman<\/em>, the blessing of time. This bracha<\/em>\nexpresses appreciation for special occasions in our lives \u2013 things that only\nhappen from time to time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is especially interesting that the minhagim <\/em>of when Shehecheyanu<\/em>\nis said are often not in line with the strictest letter of the law. This\narticle will explore some of the common \u2013 and uncommon \u2013 halachos<\/em> and minhagim<\/em>\nof this bracha <\/em>relevant to the Moadim<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shehecheyanu <\/em>is said at the onset of every Yom Tov to mark the increased\nholiness of the day.[1]<\/a> Although\nit may be said \u2018even in the marketplace\u2019 once Yom Tov has arrived, the\nimplication of the Gemara in several places is that the ideal time to say Shehecheyanu\n<\/em>is during Kiddushand, indeed, it is included in the standard text\nof Kiddush.[2]<\/a>\nNevertheless, the common custom is that women say it when they accept Yom Tov\nat candle lighting.[3]<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on the above, it is clear that a woman who has said Shehecheyanu\n<\/em>at candle lighting should not repeat Shehecheyanu <\/em>if she says Kiddush.\n<\/em>Ifshe is being motzi<\/em> others in Kiddush who have not yet said\nShehecheyanu<\/em>, she should delay saying Shehecheyanu<\/em> until Kiddush,\nor they should say it themselves.In any case, a woman who has already\nsaid Shehecheyanu<\/em> at candle lighting may still answer amein<\/em> to\nthe Shehecheyanu<\/em> said during Kiddush, even though she is no longer\nobligated in this bracha<\/em>. Since the person saying Kiddush is obligated\nin it, it is not considered a hefseik <\/em>for her to answer his bracha<\/em>.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A\nman who is lighting Yom Tov candles should not say Shehecheyanu <\/em>at candle\nlighting, since he will say it as part of Kiddush. Some suggest that he recite Kiddush\nimmediately in order that Shehecheyanu<\/em> apply to the candle lighting as\nwell.[5]<\/a> Should\none omit this bracha<\/em>, it may be said anytime throughout the course of\nYom Tov, including Chol Hamoed.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n On Yom Kippur,\n<\/em>women who light candles say Shehecheyanu <\/em>at candle lighting. Men,\nand women who do not light candles, say it following Kol Nidrei<\/em>. In the\nabsence of Kiddush, one accepts the kedusha <\/em>of Yom Kippur with this bracha\n<\/em>(if said before nightfall), and all the prohibitions of the day take\neffect. Therefore, a woman who is not accepting the fast at candle lighting\nshould not say Shehecheyanu <\/em>at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In chutz la\u2019aretz,\nShehecheyanu <\/em>is recited during Kiddush on the second night of Yom Tov just\nas on the first night. This is based on the principle of sfeika d\u2019yoma<\/em>,\nthat we treat the second night (and day) of Yom Tov as if it were the first in\nevery way. However, on Rosh Hashana, it is a matter of dispute whether the\nsecond day is a repetition of the first day due to sfeika d\u2019yoma<\/em>, or an\nextension of the first day (yoma arichta),<\/em> in which case Shehecheyanu<\/em>\nwould not be repeated. Therefore, one should set a new fruit on the table or\nwear a new garment in deference to the opinion that Shehecheyanu <\/em>is not\nnecessary on the second night. However, even if these items are not available,\none should still recite Shehecheyanu <\/em>on the second night.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In\naddition to the holiness of the Yamim Tovim<\/em>, we recite Shehecheyanu <\/em>on\nmitzvos<\/em> that are only done from time to time, such as shofar and\nlulav<\/em>. When possible, these brachos<\/em> are incorporated into a single bracha<\/em>,\noften with Shehecheyanu <\/em>of Kiddush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As with Kiddush,\nit is questionable if Shehecheyanu <\/em>should be said before blowing the\nshofar on the second day of Rosh Hashana. Ashkenazim do say it on both days,\nwhile Sephardim do not say it on the second day. In deference to the opinions\nthat it should not be said, it is preferable for the baal tokeah <\/em>to wear\na new garment when reciting Shehecheyanu<\/em> on the second day.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Building the\nsukkah is itself a mitzvah, and technically Shehecheyanu <\/em>can be said\nfrom when construction is completed.[9]<\/a> However,\nwe delay this Shehecheyanu <\/em>until the first night of Sukkos, to include\nit in the Shehecheyanu <\/em>said at Kiddush.[10]<\/a> Thus,\nthe Shehecheyanu<\/em> on the first night of Sukkos incorporates two separate\npoints: the zman<\/em> of the Yom Tov and the sukkah itself.[11]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n For that reason,\nthe order of Kiddush changes from the first night of Sukkos to the second. On\nthe first night, Shehecheyanu <\/em>includes the sukkah and should be said\nafter leisheiv basukkah<\/em>.On thesecond night, it does not\ninclude the sukkah and is only said as part of Kiddush. Thus, it is said\nimmediately after Kiddush, before leisheiv basukkah.<\/em>[12]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Since this Shehecheyanu\n<\/em>covers both the zman <\/em>and the sukkah, if Kiddush must be said outside\nof the sukkah, Shehecheyanu<\/em> should be said as part of Kiddush, <\/em>on\nthe zman<\/em>, and again when one first eats in the sukkah.[13]<\/a> If\none is unable to eat in the sukkah the entire first day of Sukkos, then Shehecheyanu\n<\/em>should be said after leisheiv basukkah <\/em>during Kiddush of the second night,\n<\/em>as is usually done on the first night.[14]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n As Rabbinically\nordained holidays, Chanukah and Purim do not have the same intrinsic holiness as\nthe other Yamim Tovim<\/em>. As such, Shehecheyanu <\/em>is primarily recited\non the mitzvos <\/em>of the day and not on the day itself, although one should\nhave the day in mind as well, since it is a time of miracles.[15]<\/a> Therefore,\non Chanukah it is said on lighting and seeing the Chanukah candles. If Shehecheyanu\n<\/em>is omitted at the first candle lighting, it should only be recited at the\ntime of the next candle lighting, and not during the course of the day.[16]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n On Purim, Shehecheyanu<\/em>\nis recited primarily on the mitzva ofreading the Megillah, although one\nshould have the mitzvos<\/em> of seudas Purim<\/em> in mind as well.[17]<\/a> Here\nagain, customs differ. Sephardim say Shehecheyanu <\/em>once, at the reading\nof the Megillah at night, and have in mind to include the daytime reading and\nthe other mitzvos<\/em> of the day, whereas Ashkenazim repeat it at the\ndaytime Megillah reading, and only then have in mind the other mitzvos<\/em>\nof the day.[18]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The night of the Seder is rife with mitzvos<\/em>.\nThe Rambam counts eight that are relevant nowadays, and the Vilna Gaon is\nreported to have said that there are sixty-four different mitzvos<\/em> at the\nseder. Primary among them are the arbah kosos<\/em>,eating matzah and maror<\/em>,\nandthe recitation of the Haggadah. These mitzvos<\/em> are done once a\nyear and should require a Shehecheyanu.<\/em> Practically, Shehecheyanu<\/em>\nis said only once, as part of Kiddush at the beginning of the Seder. The\nAbudraham[19]<\/a> suggests that\nthis Shehecheyanu <\/em>includes the other mitzvos<\/em> of the night as\nwell.[20]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In other cases\nwhere one Shehecheyanu<\/em> includes several mitzvos<\/em>, the Mishnah\nBerurah<\/em> makes a point of mentioning that one should have all the mitzvos<\/em>\nin mind when saying the bracha<\/em>.[21]<\/a> Regarding\nthis, he is strangely silent. It seems that the Seder is considered one unit,\nand all its component mitzvos<\/em> are automatically included in the initial Shehecheyanu,\n<\/em>so there is no need to have specific intent for each mitzvah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Levush\nnotes that there are seventeen mandated recitations of Shehecheyanu<\/em>\nthroughout the year, corresponding to the gematria <\/em>of ‘tov’.<\/em> A siman<\/em>\nfor this is: \u201cKi lekach \u2018tov\u2019 nasati lachem<\/em>, for I have given you a good\nacquisition.\u201d[22]<\/a> This siman<\/em>\nhighlights the essence of Shehecheyanu<\/em>: Hashem has given us so many days\nand ways to connect with Him. On each Moed<\/em>, with each special mitzvah,\nwe say Shehecheyanu<\/em> to thank Hashem that we have merited to draw closer\nto Him at this time. [1]<\/a> Except for Acharon\nShel Pesach<\/em>, which is not a separate Yom Tov in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> See Eruvin<\/em>\n40b, Pesachim<\/em> 102b, Succah<\/em> 47b.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/a> There seems to\nbe no early source for this minhag.<\/em> See Mishnah Berurah<\/em> 263:25\nand Shaarei Teshuva<\/em> ad loc<\/em>., 5 (quoting Sheilas Yaavetz<\/em>),\nwho conclude that one \u201cneed not protest\u201d against women who say Shehecheyanu <\/em>while\nlighting candles.<\/em> On a related note, even lighting Yom Tov candles is not\nmentioned in the Gemara, Rif and Rambam. It is first mentioned by the early\nAshkenazi poskim<\/em>, quoting a Yerushalmi that is no longer extant. In\nfact, the Teimani<\/em> custom is to light Yom Tov candles without a bracha<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/a> Some\ncontemporary poskim<\/em> (Har Tzvi O.C. <\/em>1:154, Yechave Daat <\/em>3:34,\nShevet Levi <\/em>3:69, Shmiras Shabbos Kehilchasa <\/em>44, 4) suggest that\nanswering amein<\/em> to Shehecheyanu<\/em> is indeed an interruption and\nshould be avoided. However, Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe<\/em> O.C. <\/em>4:21.9)\nand Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Shmiras Shabbos Kehilchasa <\/em>47 note 215)\nboth point out that this concern was not mentioned by any of the earlier\nauthorities, and the custom is to answer amein<\/em>. See also Halichos\nShlomo, Moadim (<\/em>Chapter 9, note 37), who points out that on Sukkos (and\nPesach), the Shehecheyanu<\/em> at Kiddush includes the mitzvos <\/em>of the\nnight as well, which are not yet relevant during candle lighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [5]<\/a> Mateh\nEfraim <\/em>599:9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [6]<\/a> Regarding Shavuos,\nChok Yaakov<\/em> (473:1) writes that Shehecheyanu<\/em> can be recited for the\nseven days after Yom Tov, since the korban chagigah,<\/em> which is brought on\nevery Yom Tov, can be brought for seven days after Shavuos. (For this reason,\nmany shuls have the custom not to recite Tachanun<\/em> for the week after\nShavuos.) His is a lone voice among the poskim<\/em>, and one should not say Shehecheyanu\n<\/em>past the end of Shavuos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [7]<\/a> O.C. <\/em>600,\n2, M.B. ad loc., <\/em>2and 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [8]<\/a> O.C. <\/em>600,\n3 M.B. <\/em>7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [9]<\/a> This is similar\nto one who purchases a new object; Shehecheyanu <\/em>is not said until the\nitem is ready for use (Rav Moshe Heinemann).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [10]<\/a> O.C.<\/em> 641 and 643, 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [11]<\/a> However, Shehecheyanu<\/em>\nis not said on the mitzvah of sitting in the sukkah. Thus, if one first says Shehecheyanu\n<\/em>in someone else\u2019s sukkah, and then enters his own, or if one builds a\nsukkah on Chol Hamoed, he will need to say Shehecheyanu<\/em> again (Rav Moshe\nHeinemann). For a survey of the relevant literature and many contemporary\nopinions, see Sukkas Chaim, Sukkos <\/em>vol. 1, pp. 501-506.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [12]<\/a> O.C. <\/em>661. Even though the rule of sfeika d\u2019yoma<\/em> would dictate\nthat the second night be an exact repeat of the first, since one can say Shehecheyanu<\/em>\non the mitzvah of sukkah even before Sukkos, the obligation to say it is fully\ndischarged on the first night (M.B.<\/em> 661:1). A similar reasoning applies\nto lulav<\/em> as well. Since Shehecheyanu <\/em>may be said on the lulav<\/em>\nfrom when the arba minim<\/em> are assembled even before Yom Tov (since, as\nwith Sukkah, the bracha<\/em> is not on the mitzvah but on the lulav<\/em>\nitself), sfeika d\u2019yoma <\/em>does not require repeating it on the second day (M.B.<\/em>\n662:2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [13]<\/a> Rema O.C.<\/em>\n641.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTimes\nof Holiness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Yom Kippur<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The Second Night of Yom Tov and of Rosh Hashana<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Timely\nMitzvos<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Shofar<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Sukkah<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Chanukah <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Purim<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The Mitzvos of Pesach<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
All the Good Times<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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