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TThe following is from today's OU Kosher Halacha Yomis:</div>
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<p><strong><strong class="ContentPasted0">Q. On Rosh Hashanah night after reciting
<em class="ContentPasted0">Hamotzi</em>, I will eat a number of foods as a <em class="ContentPasted0">
siman tov</em> (good omen) for the coming year. Among those, it is customary to eat three fruits: apples (dipped in honey), dates and pomegranates. What is the
<em class="ContentPasted0">halacha</em> for fruits eaten at the beginning of the meal on Rosh Hashanah? Do I recite a
<em class="ContentPasted0">beracha</em> of <em class="ContentPasted0">Borei Pri Ha’eitz</em> on these fruits or are they covered by
<em class="ContentPasted0">Hamotzi</em>? If a <em class="ContentPasted0">beracha</em> is required, which fruit should I eat first?</strong></strong></p>
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<p class="ContentPasted0">A. The Mishnah Berurah (583:3) writes that one is required to recite
<em class="ContentPasted0">Borei Pri Ha’eitz</em> (one time) on these fruits. The
<em class="ContentPasted0">beracha</em> of <em class="ContentPasted0">Hamotzi</em> does not cover these items because they are served as a “<em class="ContentPasted0">siman tov</em>” (a good omen) to merit a good year, and not as part of the meal.</p>
<p class="ContentPasted0">When eating more than one fruit, <em class="ContentPasted0">
halacha</em> establishes rules of priority (<em class="ContentPasted0">kedimos</em>) based on the level of importance of each item. Which fruit is eaten first on the night of Rosh Hashana? There are three different opinions in the
<em class="ContentPasted0">poskim</em> about this matter. In general, fruit of the seven species of Israeli listed in the Torah (Devorim 8:8) take precedence, because they are more important. Furthermore, dates have a more prominent position than pomegranates
in the aforementioned verse, and for that reason, they take precedence for <em class="ContentPasted0">
brochos</em> as well. As such, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach <em class="ContentPasted0">
zt”l</em> (Halichos Shlomo, Tishrai,1:17) writes that the <em class="ContentPasted0">
berocha</em> of <em class="ContentPasted0">Ha’eitz</em> is recited on the dates and the pomegranate and apple follow without an additional
<em class="ContentPasted0">beracha</em>. The Kaf Hachayim (583:14) quotes others who maintain that the
<em class="ContentPasted0">Borei Pri Haetz</em> is recited on the apple on the night of Rosh Hashanah because the apple dipped in honey is the most important
<em class="ContentPasted0">siman tov</em> of the evening, as reflected in Kabalistic literature (see Maharil Hilchos Rosh Hashana 7). It is well known that many great rabbis recited the
<em class="ContentPasted0">beracha</em> on the apple first. Still other <em class="ContentPasted0">
poskim</em> recommend avoiding the issue altogether by not bringing the dates and pomegranates to the table until after the
<em class="ContentPasted0">beracha</em> is recited on the apple. The <em class="ContentPasted0">
beracha</em> is recited on the apple while having in mind the other fruit, but they are left in a different room until after the apple is consumed (See Sefer Piskei Teshuvos 583:2).</p>
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<p class="ContentPasted0">Professor Yitzchok Levine<br>
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