Shehecheyanu

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

  1. ^ Isaac Klein, A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York, 1979, p. 48: "Whenever we experience something new, such as eating fruit for the first time in its season, the advent of a holiday, or a joyous occasion in the family, we recite שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה"
  2. ^ Berachot 54a, Pesakhim 7b, Sukkah 46a, etc.