Kashrus Kurrents In App

Bracha On Newly Flowering Trees: Birchas Ha’ilanos Guidelines

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Spring 2009 | Reviewed February 2025

Q: There is a bracha which is recited once a year upon seeing a newly flowering fruit-bearing tree. I have a number of questions regarding Birchas Ha’ilonos:

When is the optimal time to say this bracha? Does the bracha have to be said during the month of Nisan?

What rules apply concerning the location of the person when saying the bracha? How far away can you be from the tree when saying the bracha? Can you be inside a house or other structure? Can you be in a car? Is it necessary to be at a site where there is more than one tree?

What limitations are there regarding the type of tree over which this bracha may be recited? Does the tree need to be fruit bearing? How old should the tree be? Can the tree be […]

Erev Shabbos GridLock: A Halachic Guide for the Delayed Friday Afternoon Traveler

By: Rabbi Dovid Heber

Published Winter 2013

A Halachic Guide for the Delayed Friday Afternoon Traveler

Every few months, the phone rings on Erev Shabbos with a similar shayla: “We are not sure if we will reach our destination in time for Shabbos. What should we do?” If the call comes from people who are stuck in traffic, my response has been, “Are you calling to find out the halachos, or to hear the best alternate routes to reach your destination?”