[Avodah] Shehecheyanu on Matza

Micha Berger via Avodah avodah at lists.aishdas.org
Thu Nov 5 13:18:27 PST 2015


On Tue, Oct 20, 2015 at 10:17:43PM -0400, Akiva Miller via Avodah wrote:
: After writing the above, I found that Beur Halacha 641 "L'atzmo" does seem
: to hold that the Shehecheyanu is specifically on *building* the sukkah. He
: says that the Shehecheyanu "on the sukkah" applies only to one who built
: his *own* sukkah, and NOT to guests...

So, assuming this is so (since it's what I've assumed all along)...

: Here's another distinction between when we do or do not say Shehecheyanu:
: Mishne Brura 651:2 says that the sukkah gets a Shehecheyanu because it is
: made anew each year, in contrast to a shofar or megilla which lasts for
: many years, and also in contrast to Chanuka neros which are made each year
: but are not obviously so. I've always wondered why this logic wouldn't
: allow us to say Shehecheyanu when baking or preparing our Seder Matzos.

: R' Micha Berger wrote:
: > To my mind, this is where the assymetry resides. The pasuq
: > says "ushemartem es hamatzos", using the shoresh of
: > "shemirah" would mean it's a lav. So baking matzos doesn't
: > get a birkhas hamitzvah or a shehechiyanu, ...
: 
: If you're saying that "ushemartem es hamatzos" is purely negative, then Rav
: Shimon Eider explicitly disagrees...

Not negative in the sense of action vs inaction.  If it were, then
ushemartem es hamatzos wouldn't subsume the baking, and the symmetry
to building a sukkah would be complete.

It's a lav because the pasuq uses the shoresh /sh-m-r/, but that doesn't
rule out including necessary actions. And just as your quote from R'
Eider shows that it includes pro-actively guarding the matzos, it also
includes the baking. So the heksher mitzvah isn't "just" a hekhsher
mitzvah, it's also a lav.

Unlike building a sukkah.

Which would imply that we don't just omit a shehechiyanu on a lav
due to a lack of motive, there is an actual reason not to, one that
trumps including heksher mitzvah in the shehechiyanu.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Take time,
micha at aishdas.org        be exact,
http://www.aishdas.org   unclutter the mind.
Fax: (270) 514-1507            - Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv, Alter of Kelm



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