Shehecheyanu
The way to greet a new and exciting moment.

by Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple

The musical rendition of Shehecheyanu you hum is probably by Meyer Machtenberg, an Eastern European choirmaster who flourished in the United States a century ago.

The Shehecheyanu blessing has been part of Jewish life for nearly 2,000 years. Beginning in the Talmud, it is the way in which we greet a new and exciting moment. We say, "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has kept us in life, preserved us and enabled us to reach this time." It implies three things:

1. God has "kept us in life." Life is the supreme blessing. It is true that Jonah said it was better to die than to live, but his despair was momentary. If ever any of us should want to give up on life, the answer is to find a good deed to do and suddenly living will have meaning once again.

It is not only our own life that we should preserve at all costs, but that of others. Elie Wiesel, writing about the Holocaust, summed it up by saying, "A child died - and it wanted to live." Every child, every human being has a right to live. If anyone, God forbid, has the thought of killing someone, then a much better option is to perform an act of love and humanity for them.

2. God has "preserved us." Every moment is dangerous, wherever we are. Amazingly, we almost always reach the end of the day safe. If we complain about the problem of evil, isn't there also a problem of good? So many good things happen to us that every day we should bless God that we can wake up, we can live, we can move, we can think, we can love, and we can spend another day usefully.

3. God has "enabled us to reach this time." Which time? Every time, every moment, every day. So many special days punctuate the year and human life. Someone who is getting older and not so well says, for example, to a grandchild, "I want to be there at your Bar Mitzvah. I want to be there at your wedding." And so often, superhuman effort of will keeps them going. No wonder they want to say Shehecheyanu.

Whoever we are, every day is a privilege to celebrate; and we can all echo Shehecheyanu and be excited at the thought that life is so full of joy and exhilaration.

Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple AO RFD is Emeritus Rabbi of the Great Synagogue, Sydney. He is now retired and lives in Jerusalem, where he spends his time writing, delivering shiurim, and editing books for Targum Press. He also writes articles for various publications, including Hamodia.

Rabbi Apple's new book, a lavishly-illustrated history of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, is a lively story that links up with Jewish and Australian history. Don't miss out on your copy!