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According to my understanding (and please, correct me if I'm wrong), the Bracha of Shehechiyanu (שהחינו) on fruits [and some vegetables?] is recited the first time one partakes of a particular seasonal fruit.

Which modern-day produce is actually seasonal? I may not be too familiar, but aren't almost all fruits and vegetables available year-round these days? And if so, what fruits actually require a bracha of Shehechiyanu (especially pertinent to Rosh Hashanah night)?

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    This is an excellent use of the "time" tag.
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Sep 6, 2011 at 2:28
  • 1
    It depends on your location. In Israel I don't think you can get any fruit at any time of the year at a local store.
    – Ariel K
    Sep 6, 2011 at 4:10
  • All fruits that were seasonal are still seasonal. Some just get shipped further distances than others. (across northern/southern hemispheres) Israel doesn't import fruits world wide, except in small quatities. (so Avacados, for example, are always available in Tel aviv but not other places)
    – avi
    Sep 6, 2011 at 6:41
  • Even if you don't have a new fruit, you should still say Shehechiyanu on the second night kiddush. See torah.org/advanced/weekly-halacha/5766/roshhashanah.html
    – Avrohom Yitzchok
    Sep 6, 2011 at 13:05
  • I thought you were supposed to say shehechiyanu the first time during the year that you eat a fruit, regardless of whether that fruit is in season where you live or was shipped in?
    – Monica Cellio
    Sep 6, 2011 at 13:06

1 Answer 1

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Shehecheyanu applies to vegetables, too (not just fruits that grow in the ground).

Some examples for Israel, in no particular order:

  • spring garlic
  • watermelon
  • melons (the watermelon isn't a true melon)
  • kiwi
  • litchi
  • apricots
  • peaches, plums, nectarines
  • grapes
  • pomegranates
  • figs
  • cherries
  • mangoes
  • carobs
  • hawthorn berries

Even if you don't live in Israel, I'm pretty certain you can't get all of these whenever you want.

I should add that one says Shehecheyanu on each variety of fruit, too, so this list really includes a lot more that it looks like.

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