Q. Do you say sheheyanu on new fruits that come from grafted trees or were genetically engineered?
A. Poskim disagree if one should recite sheheyanu on peiros murkovim or fruits from grafted trees. Kaf Hachaim Sofer (225: 26) maintains that since they were created by a prohibited act it is improper to bless Hashem with a brocho dedicated to joy. Sheilas Yavetz (63) disagrees. (However, everyone agrees that you make the normal brocho on fruits of trees). Rav Poalim (2: 36) maintains that out of doubt, one should not recite sheheyanu.
Ohr Letzion (2: 14) is of the opinion that on the fruits that grew from the original grafted tree, one should avoid reciting sheheyanu, however, if one was to take the seed from that fruit and replanted, on the new fruits one may bless, since no aveira was done directly on them. (See Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 295: 7).
Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is to avoid reciting sheheyanu. However, on genetically engineered fruits he maintains that sheheyanu can be recited, if one actually likes the fruit and derives pleasure from eating them.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a
Important Numbers
