- Q. Dear Rabbi, I have noticed that some of may friends serve new unusual fruits on the first night of Rosh Hashanah. Is there any reason why we should have a new fruit on the table during Kiddush also on the first night of Rosh Hashanah?
A. There is not. Numerous people mistakenly confuse the first night of Rosh Hashanah with the second night and place a new fruit on the table on both nights. However, there is no basis for eating a new fruit on the first night, and indeed, lechatchilah, (on the onset) one should specifically not serve any such fruit on the table when Kiddush is recited.
The reason being that some poskim hold that the shehecheyanu recited during Kiddush, which is a blessing over the Yom Tov day, and the shehecheyanu that one needs to recite over a new fruit, are two different “types” of shehecheyanu blessings, and one cannot fulfill both requirements with one shehecheyanu blessing.
According to this opinion, even if the fruit were on the table during Kiddush, another shehecheyanu would have to be recited over the fruit when it is time to eat it.
While this is not necessarily the opinion of all poskim, in order to avoid getting involved on this uncertain question, one should not serve that fruit on the table before Kiddush, and then recite shehecheyanu over it when he is ready to eat it during the meal, thus gaining an additional proper shehecheyanu brocho also.
Important Numbers
