TheShehecheyanuberakhah (blessing) (Hebrew:ברכת שהחיינו, "Who has given us life") is a commonJewish prayer to celebrate special occasions. It expresses gratitude to God for new and unusual experiences or possessions.^[1] The blessing was recorded in theTalmud^[2] over 1500 years ago.

The blessing ofShehecheyanu is recited in thanks or commemoration of:

• Generally, when doing or experiencing something that occurs infrequently from which one derives pleasure or benefit.
• The beginning of aholiday, includingPassover,Shavuot,Rosh Hashanah,Yom Kippur,Sukkot,Simhat Torah andHanukkah, but not holidays commemorating sad events, such asTisha B'av.
• The first performance of certainmitzvot in a year, including sitting in asukkah, eatingmatzah at thePassover Seder, reading themegillah, or lighting the candles onHanukkah.
• Eating a new fruit for the first time sinceRosh Hashanah.

  Normally said before the blessing over the fruit, but some customarily say it afterwards.^[3]

  The fruit must be fresh, not dried.^[3]

• Seeing a friend who has not been seen in thirty days.
• Acquiring a new home or other significant possessions.
• The birth of a child.
• Apidyon haben ceremony.
• During a ritual immersion in amikveh as part of aconversion.
• On arrival in Israel.

Some have the custom of saying it at the ceremony of theBirkat Hachama, which is recited once every 28 years in the month of Nisan/Adar II.

When several reasons apply (such as the beginning of Passover, together with the mitzvot of matzah, marror, etc.), the blessing is only said once.

It is not recited at abrit milah byAshkenazim, since the circumcision involves pain, nor at the Counting of the Omer, since that is a task that does not give pleasure and causes sadness at the thought that the actual Omer ceremony cannot be performed because of the destruction of the Temple.^[4][5] However, it is recited bySephardim at the berith milah ceremony.^[6]

Although the most prevalent custom^[10] is to recitelazman in accordance with the usual rules ofdikduk (Hebrew language grammar),^[10] some, includingChabad,^[3] have the custom to saylizman ("to [this] season"); this custom follows the ruling of theMishnah Berurah^[11] andAruch Hashulchan,^[12] followingMagen Avraham,^[13]Mateh Moshe^[14] andMaharshal.^[10]

Avshalom Haviv finished his speech in court on June 10, 1947, with the Shehecheyanu blessing.^[15]

TheIsraeli Declaration of Independence was publicly read inTel Aviv on May 14, 1948, before the expiration of theBritish Mandate atmidnight. After the firstPrime Minister of Israel,David Ben-Gurion, read the Declaration of Independence, RabbiYehuda Leib Maimon recited the Shehecheyanu blessing, and the Declaration of Independence was signed. The ceremony concluded with the singing of "Hatikvah."^[16]

There is a common^{[according to whom?]} musical rendition of the blessing composed byMeyer Machtenberg, anEastern Europeanchoirmaster who composed it in the United States in the 19th century.^[17]

• MP3 file - Shehecheyanu blessing from VirtualCantor.com (tune for the first night of Chanukah)
• Sheet music forShehecheyanu

• List of Jewish prayers and blessings
• Halachipedia article on Shehecheyanu

• Jewish blessings

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