Evening Kiddush on Yom Tov

Richard B. Aiken

JEWISH FESTIVALS: EVENING KIDDUSH

To fulfill the two requirements for Jewish festival evening kiddush:

Make Kiddush

Say, or hear, the three Jewish festival evening kiddush blessings/segments:

Borei pri hagafen (if on wine or grape juice—preferred option), OR

Hamotzi (on two challot if you have no wine or grape juice, since no chamar medina is allowed for Jewish festival evening kiddush; see Jewish Festivals: Kiddush: Challot for Kiddush) AND

Asher bachar banu mikol am.... mekadesh Yisrael v'hazmanim, AND

Shehecheyanu on all Jewish festival nights, except the last two nights of Passover.  So say shehecheyanu on:

Both nights of Rosh Hashana (in or outside of Eretz Yisrael),

First two nights of Passover (1 night in Eretz Yisrael),

Both nights of Shavuot (1 night in Eretz Yisrael),

First two nights of Sukkot (1 night in Eretz Yisrael), and

Nights of Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah (same day in Eretz Yisrael).

NOTE: There is never any requirement on an individual to drink kiddush wine (except at the Passover seder), but the kiddush wine must be drunk by one or more persons.

NOTE: A woman who had said shehecheyanu when she lit the Jewish festival candles does NOT say shehecheyanu again if she makes kiddush for herself, even when making kiddush at the Passover seder.

NOTE: There is no need to eat a new fruit after saying shehecheyanu on the second night of  Shavuot, Passover, or Sukkot. This is not comparable to Rosh Hashana, since the second festival night was instituted due to uncertainty of the actual date of the holiday, while Rosh Hashana is considered to be one single, long day.

Establish a halachic “meal” (kovea seudah).

NOTE: For evening kiddush, the custom is to go straight to the meal without delay (with no mezonot or snacking first).  B'di'avad if you snacked, it is still OK.

NOTE: At night on Jewish festivals (or Shabbat), you may not say kiddush at a place where you will not eat your evening meal (even if you will hear or say kiddush again at the place where you will eat the meal).

Copyright 2015 Richard B. Aiken. Halacha L’Maaseh appears courtesy of www.practicalhalacha.com Visit their website for more information.