27 Apr HALACHICALLY SPEAKING: BIRCHAS HA’ILLANOS

The Gemorah in
Berochos states,
“when the month
of Nissin is upon
us, one goes out to
recite a beracha
on a tree that is
starting to bud.”
The Shita Mekubetzes says this
beracha was instituted because it
expresses Hashem’s continuous
renewal of creation. The Aruch
Ha’shulcan says that although some
do not recite this beracha, a G-d
fearing person should.
The Obligation
Both men and women are obligated in this beracha. This beracha
is not considered a mitzvahs asei
sh’zman gerama, since it is not
dependent on the month of Nissin
alone, but when the tree begins to
bud, therefore, women are obligated in this beracha as well. Some
say that women do not have an obligation to actually go out and nd
a tree, but if they happen to pass
one, a beracha should be recited.
When Is The Beracha Recited
Many poskim maintain that the beracha may only be recited during
the month of Nissin, in fact many
are careful to recite the beracha on
Rosh Chodesh Nissin. Others say
that based on kabbalistic reasoning, the beracha should only be
recited during the month of Nissin.
Nonetheless, most poksim maintain that it may be recited in the
month of Iyar as well. Some say if
one sees the tree budding in Adar it
is permissible to recite the beracha
at that time. If one already recited
the birchas ha’illanos in Nissin etc.,
and then traveled to a dierent part
of the country at a time when the
trees begin to bud, no beracha is
recited.
At Night
It is permissible to recite the beracha at night as long as one can see
the budding on the tree. However,
if there is not enough street light
then the beracha may not be recited. If one is traveling
in a car, etc. and sees
the budding
through the car window, a beracha may
be recited.
On Shabbos
Some poskim maintains that one is not
allowed to recite
this beracha on
Shabbos. Some say
one might come to
pull o a bud of the
tree, while others
say that one might
carry a siddur. Nonetheless, virtually all
of the poskim main- tain that this
beracha may be recited on Shabbos and the two previously mentioned concerns are not applicable.
The Number Of Trees
Many poskim main- tain that one
should recite the beracha on two or
more trees, however, other poskim maintain that the beracha may
be recited on one tree. This seems
to be the custom today, since we do
not reside in neighborhoods where
a lot of fruit- trees grow
in one area.
In A Field Or In The City
Based on a reading of
the Rambam some
poskim are of the opinion that initially one
should recite the beracha in a eld outside of
the city. However, if this is dicult,
then the beracha may be recited in
the city itself. Today, the custom is
to recite the beracha on a tree that
is in the city, since we do not live in
an area that has many trees, and
there is no obligation to go to a
farm.
The Beracha
The Kaf Ha’chaim quotes a leshem
yichud to be re- cited before saying the beracha on the tree. Some
pertinent halachos are; one does
not have to hold the blossom in his
hand, the beracha should be recited loudly, the bera- cha is Boruch
Ata Hashem etc…. Some say
bolamo daver, while others do not
say this. There is no need for one to
remove his glasses in order to recite
the beracha when seeing the
blossom. The nusach is l’hunos
although the Gemorah has a dierent nusach. If someone tells you
that there is a tree located in a
certain place, until you actually see
it, no beracha is said.
How Many People
Some poskim maintain that the
beracha should be recited with a
minyan of people, however, the
custom is that one may recite the
beracha by himself.
If one Did Not Recite The Beracha The First Time
Many poskim say if one passes a
tree that is blossoming, and does
not recite the beracha, he may recite it at a second sighting. While
other poskim argue with this, and
maintain that if no beracha was
recited the rst time, then the opportunity to make a beracha the
second time was lost.
What Type Of Tree
The beracha may be recited
only on a fruit tree. One may
not recite the beracha on a
tree that does not produce
fruit. If a person unknowingly recited a beracha on a
non- bearing fruit tree, he
does not have to recite
another beracha on a fruit
tree. One may not recite a
beracha on branches of a
tree that may con- tain a
blossom. Leaves/Fruits Of
The Tree One may not recite a
beracha on a tree that only
has leaves, and one may not
recite a beracha on a tree
whose fruits are ripe.
A Grafted Tree
A beracha may not be recited on a
tree that has been grafted with
another type of tree. Grafting takes
place on many trees, and one
should note that none of the
Birchas Ha’illanos trees is a problem because of grafting. Many
people think that a nectarine is
grafted in a non-permitted way;
however, this is not the case, therefore, birchas ha’illanos may be recited on a nectarine tree.
On An Orlah Tree
Some say that a beracha may not
be recited on a tree during its rst
three years, which is commonly
known as orlah. In Chutz L’uretz,
where orlah is d’rabbanan, some
say one may recite a beracha on an
orlah tree.