Daily Chidush: When do we make the SheEchyanu Blessing?

0:00How are you? Hope you're having an amazing day. Shabbat's coming up. One of the loyal fans, one of the tzaddikim, asked a good question and I got the answer and, Baruch Hashem, we wanted to do a little shiur about it, which is the question of when is it appropriate to make the blessing of Shehechiyanu v'kiyemanu v'higianu lazman hazeh. you know, this is a blessing that anytime there's a significant event, for example, you eat the fruit for the first time during the season, the time that we get to a holiday, we say it. But also, there is a halacha, which combined with minhag, which is a custom, Doing it when you're getting something new. When you have something new or when you buy something new, you're supposed to do it. But you know, although the Shulchan Aruch says to make the blessing of Shehecheyanu when you get a new kli (which kelim would literally mean utensils), the interpreters and the translators of Chazal actually said that this is actually referring to clothing. The minhag of actually making a blessing on utensils, whether it be pots, pans, or forks and knives, even if it's a very expensive set, is not done anymore. So the only time that you do Shehecheyanu is when you're actually, when you purchase a brand new...

1:14interpreters and the translators of Chazal actually said that this is actually referring to clothing. The minhag of actually making a blessing on utensils, whether it be pots, pans, or forks and knives, even if it's a very expensive set, is not done anymore. So the only time that you do shehecheyanu is when you actually, when you purchase a brand new piece of clothing, whether it's a new dress—of course, being modest—or it's a new suit or even a new shirt, but only if it makes you happy. If you're the type of person that buys a new shirt every other day and it no longer makes you happy, then you don't make that blessing. This is in such a case where there's sometimes, unfortunately, people that are so into the ta'ava (the desire) ...of buying material that they end up buying new things on a regular basis just because they feel the need to buy something and not necessarily because they want what they're buying. Just like you see sometimes there are rich people who have a brand new car every few months.

2:26or they have a collection of 30, 50, 100 cars, but they never actually drive them. These are very sick people, unfortunately. And even though it looks cool and it looks like fun and they make TV shows about these poor people, the reality is that there's no one more miserable than they are. And the reason why is because someone that doesn't have and finally attains even the smallest thing, the smallest item on their list of desires, is as happy as if he was created today. Whereas someone that has everything he wants and doesn't want, and there's nothing that gets in his way of getting everything, ends up losing the value of what he ends up having. So he ends up just trying to fill this hole that he has in his heart, which is really in his neshama, by attaining new things on a regular basis. He buys a new car, and, you know, in the beginning, he enjoyed it for a year. The next time he buys a car... he only enjoyed it for six months. The next time you buy the car, you're enjoying it only for two months, all the way to the point where, in many cases, I've seen this firsthand: somebody buys a car and literally the next day regrets buying it because he sees somebody else has that same car in a different color and he's like, "Ah, I wish I would have bought it in black."

3:44So this is, unfortunately, a sickness of desire, and the further we are from Hashem, the more this desire will have control over us. But back to the matter at hand as far as what you make a blessing for. It's so much so that you know where Chazal is very specific that the only thing that you're making a blessing on is on clothing, but clothing that are making you happy. So even if someone bought a two-million-dollar house, or you know, which is, you know, spent their life savings doing it, he doesn't make a blessing. it's so much so that you know where Chazal is very specific that the only thing that you're making a blessing on is on clothing, but clothing that are making you happy. So even if someone bought a two-million-dollar house or, you know, spent their life savings doing it, he doesn't make a blessing. Even if someone just wrote a huge collection of Torah books, he spent all his life's wisdom that he's attained through very, very hard work writing these books and pretty much sacrificed his life to write these books. And I could tell you from a little small experience that I have in writing articles over the years, each article is mamash—it takes a piece of your neshama. So, I could just imagine writing books or a series of books, nonetheless.

4:44Even though you don't make a blessing when you purchase a new car, you don't make a blessing. Why? Because the custom was not to do so with those items. The only thing that did hold, the only thing that is valid, is when somebody purchases a new piece of clothing that they're going to enjoy. So, for example, if someone bought a New kiddush cup like just this gentleman did. A new kiddush cup for Shabbat. This is, you know, something very special, something you know that they're going to enjoy, b'ezrat Hashem, something that's going to be part of holiness. And they want to make a blessing, so what you can do is actually wait until you buy a piece of clothing and make a blessing for the clothing and... And in your mind, intend for it to also be for the cup itself. And then use the cup. So anytime you make the Shehecheyanu, you have to use it. So for example, if you're making the blessing for the piece of clothing, you have to actually put it on and then you can take it off. And then with regards to the cup, since you've already said it in your mind that this blessing for the clothing also...

6:02It's for something else that's new, which is the cup. Since you're not allowed to make the blessing only for the cup, therefore you're making it for the clothing. But once you've made the blessing... You use the cup, you put something in it, any type of beverage, you put wine in it, but then you'd have to make another blessing. So the best thing to do is to actually make a blessing on some type of drink, water or Coca-Cola or whatever your drink that you like is. And the key is to make sure that you're always keeping Hashem's name in mind where you're not just throwing blessings out there without any rhyme or reason. So much so, to add something to everything is obviously we're all obligated... And the key is to make sure that you're always keeping Hashem's name in mind, where you're not just throwing blessings out there without any rhyme or reason. So much so, to add something to everything is, obviously, we're all obligated to make blessings before we eat so much that anyone who eats without making a blessing is considered as if he stole from Hashem. I would not want to be on that list of thieves from Hashem. You know, the punishment is much more severe than going to jail. So, you know, we need to make blessings before we eat and after we eat, of course. to make blessings before we eat, so much so that anyone who eats without making a blessing is considered as if he stole from Hashem. I would not want to be on that list of thieves from Hashem. You know, the punishment is much more severe than going to jail. So, you know, we need to make blessings before we eat and after we eat, of course.

7:14But again, if someone doesn't know what the blessing is, let's say they have a fruit or vegetable and they don't know whether it's Borei Pri HaAdama or Borei Pri HaEitz. In that particular case, if you don't know what the blessing is, or let's say if it's a cookie, and they don't know if it's mezonot or shehakol, which happens very often during Pesach, because the cookies are made differently, or if it's anything else, if you do not know the blessing, do not make a blessing, do not eat. Do not eat until you find out what the blessing is. So you have to make sure that you know what the blessing is, because just saying, a blessing, uh, without knowing for sure that that's the blessing, is using Hashem's name. So instead of getting a mitzvah, unfortunately, one is committing one of the biggest sins, which we discussed yesterday. This is why we use the word "Hashem" for God's name versus His real name that's spelled out in the Torah. So always want to make sure that you're careful with all of these things. This is the foundation of Yirat Shamayim, which is fear of the Almighty. A person with fear of Hashem, this is what Shlomo HaMelech says, is the sign of wisdom. Anyone that has fear of Hashem, that's the first sign of wisdom. If someone is not fearing Hashem, is not careful with their blessings, and not careful with the way they use Hashem's name, is not careful of how they behave, they have nothing.

8:42They could be a scientist. They could be a president. They could be anything they want in the material world that we live in. But it means absolutely nothing because the real world is eternal. This world is temporary. So it is very, very important to make sure that we do these things. And it's to teach us that we have to take Hashem in mind at all times. And that is the beginning and the foundation of Yirat Shamayim. So thank you for learning with me. May Hashem continue to bless you. And may all of you have a Shabbat Shalom Mevorach. Kol Tov. That we have to take Hashem in mind at all times. And that is the beginning and the foundation of Yirat Shamayim. So thank you for learning with me. May Hashem continue to bless you. And may all of you have a Shabbat Shalom Mevorach. Kol Tuv.