Sukkot - 5782

Sukkot - 5782

Rabbi Hal Miller

The order of the blessings said together with Kiddush [Shulchan Aruch

section 643]

With the additional blessings during Sukkot, the order in which to make

blessings can be a little confusing. Although there is a simple answer, just

follow the machzor, knowing the rules can help if your situation is a little

out of the ordinary. So what order should the blessings be made?

First, what are these blessings? Any time we go into a holiday or Shabbat

we sanctify the day with kiddush. When we reach a specific milestone, we

recite the blessing on the season (zman), she'he'cheyanu. With some holidays,

we have an additional blessing specific to that holiday, in this case as we

begin fulfilling the commandment to dwell in a sukkah.

The Gemora [Sukkot 56a] lists a number of opinions about the order of

making these three blessings. "Rav said sukkah and afterwards zman

because the obligation of the day takes precedence. Rabbah bar bar Chanah

said, zman and afterwards sukkah because that which is frequent and with

that which is not frequent, that which is frequent takes precedence." Beit

Shammai say first the day then the wine. Beit Hillel say first the wine then the

day. Others give more opinions, each with an argument and citations. Rosh says

to do it one way the first night and a different way the second night.

Rav Yosef Caro wrote the Shulchan Aruch to sift through these kinds of debates

and give us a ruling to live by. In 643:1, he writes, "The order of the Kiddush is

wine (kiddush), sukkah, and subsequently time. This is because time refers both

to the sanctification of that day and to the mitzvah of sukkah." Then in 643:3, he

adds, "On the other days, one should make the blessing over the sukkah before the

blessing ha'motzi. It is the practice to make the blessing over the sukkah after the

blessing ha'motzi, before one partakes." But Rama differs: "This is how one acts on

a weekday, but on Shabbos and Yom Tov when kiddush is made, one makes the

blessing (of sukkah) after kiddush."

As is often the case, it remains difficult to figure out what to do. The Chofetz Chaim

wrote in Mishneh Berurah exactly what we need to know: "Wine, Kiddush, Sukkah.

Because one cannot make a blessing over the sukkah before one makes the blessing

in sanctification of the day. The day becomes holy first and subsequently one

becomes obliged to abide in the sukkah."

But in this case, our question remains. The Mishneh Berurah doesn't seem to address

all the various blessings, so what did he mean? He separated out the blessing over the

wine from the blessing of sanctification of the day, then follows with sukkah. He left out

the blessing she'he'cheyanu over the season. This seems to be an issue with how each

of the opinions defines each blessing. Our rabbis therefore declared that the order is:

wine, kiddush, sukkah, season.