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Shehecheyanu on Yom Ha'atzmaut

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Shehecheyanu on Yom Ha'atzmaut בס''ד (Rabbi Johnny Solomon ([email protected] Shehecheyanu on Yom Ha’atzmaut 1. ר' יהודה לייב מיימון1, למען ציון לא אחשה ע' 10 בנוגע ל''שהחיינו'' זוהי כידוע ברכה Regarding Shehecheyanu this is, as is well known, a שיכול כל איש לברך בשעה שהשמחה bracha that any person can recite at a time when there is joy in their domain and in their heart, and this is במעונו ובלבבו וזה תלוי לגמרי בדעתו של .entirely dependent on the mindset of that person אדם 2. רב בן-ציון עוזיאל2, שו''ת משפטי עוזיאל חלק ח ס' כג ושפיר שרי לן לתקן ברכה זאת בשם And it is correct for us to establish this bracha and ומלכות ביום זה, שכל תושבי א"י נמלטו recite it in full while using the name of G-d, because all the inhabitants of the land of Israel fled from this משעבוד זה שהיה כרוך בסכנת מות oppression which was [at the time] encroaching upon ליחידים וגם לציבור כולו, שהשלטון הזר being a danger of death for both individuals and the )= הבריטי( שהפקיר את דמינו, וגם רדף (wider community, where the alien (British government placed no value on our blood and even בעונשי מות כל נושא נשק, לבלי נוכל pursued any one of us carrying a weapon with the אפילו להגן על עצמנו, ולולא הכרזת threat of death penalty, such that we were unable to המדינה שאיחדה את כל הישוב היהודי even protect ourselves. And so, had it not been for לחטיבה אחת, להיקהל ולעמוד על the declaration of the State which unified the entire Jewish Yishuv into one unit to gather together and to נפשם, כי אז שטפונו המון צבאות stand up for our own lives, then the many armies of המלכים שמסביבנו שנתוספו על אויבנו the countries around us would have joined with our בארץ, ואזי המים שטפונו נחלה עבר על enemies in the land, at which time the waters would נפשנו המים הזדונים, ועל כגון זה ודאי have carried us off and the torrent would have swept up into the seething waters. For in such a situation, שצריך ומחוייב להודות בשם ומלכות [it is certainly required and necessary to praise [G-d לגואלנו ה' צבאות שמו, שהחיינו וקיימנו by invoking the name of G-d for redeeming us and ליום הזה, כמו שמברכים אניסא דרבים for giving us life and sustaining us to this day, in the בשם ומלכות. same manner that we recite a blessing upon a public miracle by invoking the name of G-d. …בברכת שהחיינו שהיא מחויבת בכל In the case of Shehecheyanu, which is required in… דבר שיש בו שמחה, מצאנו דאין כאן all instances where there is joy, we find that there is חידוש הלכה, אלא זאת היא הלכה פסוקה no halakhic innovation here [by requiring its להודות לה' אשר שמחנו בישועתו ופדה recitation]. Instead, it is a clearly codified halakha that we should praise G-d for the joy of our salvation and אותנו ממות לחיים. .for redeeming us from death to life …ואין כאן ספק ברכה, אלא ודאי מצוה This is not a doubtful bracha. Instead, it is certainly… לדברי הכל. a mitzvah [to recite the bracha] according to everyone. 1 Rabbi Yehuda Leib Maimon (1875-1962) 2 Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel (1880-1953) 1 בס''ד (Rabbi Johnny Solomon ([email protected] 3. תלמוד בבלי מסכת עירובין דף מ עמוד ב ואמר רבה כי הוינא בי רב הונא Rabba said: When I was in the house [of study] of Rav Huna, we raised the dilemma: What is [the halakha איבעיא לן מהו לומר זמן בראש with regard] to saying the bracha of time on Rosh השנה וביום הכפורים כיון דמזמן HaShana and Yom Kippur? [Do we say that] since [these Festivals] come at fixed times we recite the לזמן אתי אמרינן או דילמא כיון bracha, or perhaps, that since they are not called דלא איקרו רגלים לא אמרינן לא pilgrim Festivals we do not recite [it]? [Rav Huna] did not have [an answer] at hand. When I came to the הוה בידיה. כי אתאי בי רב יהודה house [of study] of Rav Yehuda, he said: I recite the אמר אנא אקרא חדתא נמי bracha on time [even] on a new gourd [and I certainly אמינא זמן א"ל רשות לא קא recite it on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur]. I said to him: I have no dilemma [about the fact that one has מיבעיא לי כי קא מיבעיא לי the] option of [reciting it]; the dilemma I have is [about חובה מאי א"ל רב ושמואל whether there is an] obligation? [Rav Yehuda] said to me that it was Rav and Shmuel who both said: One דאמרי תרווייהו אין אומר זמן recites [the bracha on] time only on the three pilgrim אלא בשלש רגלים... והלכתא Festivals…. The halakha is that one recites [the bracha on] time on Rosh HaShana and on Yom Kippur, and אומר זמן בר"ה וביוה"כ והלכתא the halakha is that one may recite the bracha on time זמן אומרו אפילו בשוק: .even in the market, as it does not require a cup of wine 4. תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף כג עמוד א א"ר חייא בר אשי אמר רב Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi said [that] Rav said: One who lights a Hanukkah light must recite a blessing. And Rabbi המדליק נר של חנוכה צריך Yirmeya said: One who sees a burning Hanukkah light לברך ורב ירמיה אמר הרואה נר must recite a blessing. Rav Yehuda said: The first day of Hanukkah, the one who sees [burning lights] recites של חנוכה צריך לברך אמר רב two blessings, and the one who lights recites three יהודה יום ראשון הרואה מברך ב' blessings]. From there on, the one who lights recites] two [blessings], and the one who sees recites one ומדליק מברך ג' מכאן ואילך blessing]. The Gemara asks: What blessing does he] מדליק מברך שתים ורואה מברך omit [on the other days]? The Gemara answers: He אחת מאי ממעט ממעט זמן omits [the blessing of] time. And let us omit the blessing of the miracle? [The] miracle is [relevant on] ונימעוט נס נס כל יומי איתיה. .all of the days 5. רב משולם ראטה3, שו''ת קול מבשר חלק א ס' כא תבנא לדינא בנידון דידן, ביום שנעשה בו What comes out in terms of the law on this matter is נס לכל ישראל ממיתה לחיים ומעבדות that on the day when a miracle occurred to the entire people of Israel, where they went from death to life לחירות והוקבע ליו"ט היינו יום העצמאות, and from subjugation to freedom, and as such a לדעת הפר"ח אין לברך שהחיינו ולדעת ,festive day was established that is Yom Ha’atzmaut המאירי )שהפר"ח לא ראה את דבריו according to the Pri Chadash one should not recite Shehecheyanu, while according to the Meiri (which ובכהאי גוונא לא אמרינן הלכה כבתראי, the Pri Chadash did not see and as such we do not 3 Rabbi Meshulam Rath (1875-1962) 2 בס''ד (Rabbi Johnny Solomon ([email protected] כידוע( ומהריעב"ץ והר"י מולכו ובעל ס' presume that the law follows the later halakhic משנה ברורה צריכים לברך שהחיינו. ואם ,authority, as is known), and Rabbi Yaakov Emden and R. I Molcho, and the author of the book Mishna יברכו שהחיינו לפני אמירת הלל כמ"ש Brura, it is necessary to recite Shehecheyanu. And if מהר"ש מווילנא אפשר דשפיר דמי גם you recite Shehecheyanu prior to saying Hallel, like לדעת הפר"ח. Rabbi Shlomo of Vilna writes, it is possible that this would be effective even according to the Pri …העולה מכל זה לדינא, אף כי אין להטיל .Chadash חובה על כל איש שיהיה צריך לברך What comes out from all this in terms of the law… שהחיינו ביום העצמאות, אבל כל מי is that while it is not possible to require every person שרוצה לברך הרשות בידו ואין בזה שום ,to recite the Shehecheyanu on Yom Ha’atzmaut nonetheless whoever wishes to say the bracha may do חשש של ברכה לבטלה, וכל מי שיודע so and there is no concern whatsoever of reciting a בעצמו שנהנה ושמח במאורע של bracha in vain. Moreover, whoever knows within תקומת המדינה ביום ההוא שהוקבע themselves that they are pleased and joyous from the ליו"ט אין ברכתו רשות אלא חובה. ונכון event of establishing the State on that day that it was established as a festive day, then their bracha is להסמיך ברכת שהחיינו לאמירת הלל, obligatory, rather than merely optional. And it is היינו לפני ברכת הלל אם אומרים את proper to recite the Shehecheyanu just prior to saying ההלל בברכה )לפי שורת הדין כמו Hallel, that is before the bracha of Hallel if you say שהוכחתי לעיל( או לפני התחלת אמירת Hallel with a bracha (which is permissible as I have proven above) or before the recitation of Hallel if you הלל אם אומרים הלל בלא ברכה. say Hallel without a bracha. 6. רב יהושע מנחם אהרנברג4, קול תורה אף כי אני בעניי ביארתי... שמצוה Even though I myself have explained… that it is a לעשות ויו''ט ואף לומר הלל אבל לברך mitzvah to make a simcha and a festive day, and even to recite Hallel [on Yom Ha’atzmaut], where did anyone זמן מהיכא תיתי לומר כן מי עדיף get the idea that it would be permissible to recite מחנוכה ופורים דאי לאו מברכין זמן על Shehecheyanu? Who said that [Yom Ha’atzmaut] is המצוות שתקנו חכמים באותן הימים greater than Chanukah and Purim when, were we not to recite Shehecheyanu on the mitzvot that our Sages לא היו מברכין על עיצומו של היום instituted for those days, we would not have made a כמ''ש להדיא בפר''ח.
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