08 Sep SAYING SHEHECHEYANU AND MAKING A SEUDAH UPON COMPLETING A SEFER

And they spoke to him
(Yaakov) all of Yosef’s
words that he spoke to
them, and he saw the
wagons that Yaakov
sent to carry him, and
the spirit of Yaakov

their father was brought to life!
Bereishis 27:27
Publishing a sefer involves a tremendous
amount of hard work and dedication. When all
that effort finally culminates in receiving the
first copy of the book, there is an incredible
sense of joy and accomplishment. On such an
occasion, should the author recite
shehecheyanu? Should he make a seudah?
And would it make a difference if the book is
published during the Nine Days (between
Rosh Chodesh Av and Tisha B’Av)?
Two Reasons to Recite Shehecheyanu
There are two possible reasons to argue that a
person should recite shehecheyanu when he
publishes a sefer. First, the Tur (Y.D. 270)
quotes his father, the Rosh, that it is a mitzvah
for every Jew to publish sefarim. He
understands that the goal of the mitzvah to
write a sefer Torah is to facilitate Torah
learning, and therefore he expands the
obligation to include all sefarim, including

chumashim, mishnayos, gemaras, etc. This is
accepted l’halacha in the Shulchan Aruch
(Y.D. 270:2). Thus, when someone publishes
a book, in addition to the general mitzvah of
studying and spreading Torah, he fulfills the
special mitzvah of publishing a Torah book.
Moreover, the Rema (Y.D. 28:2) writes that
when one shechts an animal for the first time,
he should recite a shehecheyanu when
performing the mitzvah of kisuy hadam, and it
is logical to assume that the Rema would say
the same thing the first time a person fulfills
any mitzvah for the first time. On the other
hand, the Mechaber writes (O.C. 22:1) that
one who puts on a tallis for the first time
should recite a shehecheyanu, but only
because it is no less than what would be
required for any other new garment. This
implies that the Mechaber, unlike the Rema,
holds that the mitzvah itself is insufficient to
require a shehecheyanu.
The Magen Avraham (1), though, suggests
that there is a difference between a common
mitzvah (tzizis), which would not warrant a
shehecheyanu upon its initial performance,
and a rare mitzvah (kisuy hadam), which
would warrant a shehecheyanu. On the other
hand, the Taz (1) suggests that one always
recites a shehecheyanu on a new mitzvah, as

does the Shach (Y.D. 28:5). Based on this
discussion, everyone would seem to agree that
one should recite a shehecheyanu on
publishing a new sefer, since this would be a
fulfillment of a rare mitzvah.
Second, the Sefer Chasidim (1020) writes that
when one finishes a “melacha gedolah” — “a
great project,” even when it’s not a mitzvah,
he should recite shehecheyanu. Thus, besides
the consideration for the mitzvah that is
fulfilled when publishing a sefer, the joy of
completing the book with all the work
involved should be enough reason to say
shehecheyanu.
The Poskim
Many poskim write that a person should in
fact say shehecheyanu when he publishes a
sefer, though some are hesitant. Rav Yaakov
Emden (Mor U’Ketziah 263) writes that there
is certainly a chiyuv to recite a beracha, since
there is no greater joy in this world than
simchas HaTorah, and the writing and
publishing of a sefer brings incredible joy.
Similarly, the Netziv (Ha’Amek She’eilah
171) recommends reciting shehecheyanu
when finishing a sefer, and he goes on to
elaborate on what each word of the beracha
means in the context of the joy of Torah. The
Minchas Elazar (4:65) also writes that he
would recite a shehecheyanu with shem
u’malchus whenever he completed a new
volume. In the introduction to the Minchas
Yitzchak, Dayan Weiss rules that one who
writes a sefer is in fulfillment of v’atah
kisvu lachem and should say a shehecheyanu
upon doing so, just as would one who
completes a sefer Torah.
The Chida writes in his commentary to the
Sefer Chasidim that based on what the Sefer
Chasidim, as cited above, says, one who
finishes a sefer must recite a beracha, but the
Chida himself is unsure, and suggests
reciting it without shem u’malchus. The
Shut Yad Yitzchak (2:259) also argues that
one should not recite shehecheyanu when
completing a sefer, because he cannot be
certain about the quality of his Torah or
whether it will be accepted in the community.
Similarly, the Kaf HaChaim (223:26) and
Rav Elyashiv (m’pi ha’shemuah) both hold
that one should only recite a shehecheyanu
for a new sefer in the presence of a new fruit
or garment, thereby removing the safek.
Otherwise, he should say it without shem
u’malchus.
However, even if there is no obligation to
recite shehecheyanu when publishing a
sefer, there is a strong argument that it is
permissible and not a beracha l’vatalah. As a
general rule, the Bach (29) writes that if one
feels an overwhelming sense of joy and
wants to recite a shehecheyanu, he is
permitted to say it even if he is not
technically obligated to do so. He explains
that shehecheyanu is the exception to the
general rule that one may not recite a
beracha unless mandated by Chazal.

Similarly, the Yeshuos Yaakov (225:3) writes
that the rule of “safek berachos l’hakel” does
not apply to shehecheyanu, and that if one
feels any safek as to whether he should say it,
it is a sign that he should do so.
The Three Weeks and Nine Days
Although there is a custom not to purposefully
do something that would require one to recite
shehecheyanu during the Three Weeks, if a
situation presents itself that warrants the
beracha, one should say it. Thus, for those
who maintain that one says a beracha on a new
sefer it would be true during the Three Weeks
as well. Additionally, Rav Yaakov Emden
argues that since a sefer brings joy not just to
the author, but to all who will learn from it, the
correct beracha is not shehecheyanu, but hatov
vehameitiv, which is said on good tidings and
events that affect more than one person. If this
is the correct beracha, there certainly is no
problem reciting it during the Three Weeks.
We avoid shehecheyanu because we don’t
want to thank Hashem for specifically bringing
us to “this time,” but there is no objection to
reciting hatov vehameitiv, as it makes no
mention of the time period.
The joy that accompanies the publishing of a
sefer may also be sufficient reason to allow
one to eat meat as part of a seudah during the
Nine Days. The Teshuvos Tiferes Shmuel (55)
writes that one who completes a sefer on erev
Pesach is permitted to have a seudah instead
of fasting. This would seem to indicate that
one would also be permitted to eat meat at the
seudah if it takes place during the Nine Days.
Similarly, the Teshuvos Chikekei Lev (Y.D.
56) writes that one who finishes a sefer is
permitted to have a seudah, even if it is in the
middle of his aveilus or on a day when he
would have to fast. He adds that even one who
merely edits, lays out, or sponsors the sefer is
permitted to eat on such an occasion.
Some argue that according to the authorities
that if one cannot make a shehecheyanu with
shem u’malchus for a new sefer, a person
could also not make a seuda with meat during
the Nine Days. This is especially true
according to the Yad Yitzchak, who argued
that we cannot be certain of the level of the
Torah in the sefer and therefore should not
make a beracha on it. Nevertheless,
considering that the minhag is to permit eating
meat during the Nine Days for a siyum,
regardless of whether the mesayeim has truly
mastered the mesechta, it stands to reason that
one who completes a sefer should be permitted
to do so as well.