2.Take the cup of wine in the hand and say the blessing: ". . . Borei Pri HaGafen." Blessed are You, our God and King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

The Fruit - Walnut
1.Point to the walnut on the plate and say: The walnut has a hard outer shell, but its inner fruit is soft. In the kabbalistic tradition, it recalls our world of Action in which we peel away the outer boundaries to pierce to the spiritual within.

2.Everyone present takes a piece of walnut and utters the blessing: ". . . Borei Pri Ha'Etz." Blessed are You, our God and King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree.

If this is the first time in the season that the walnut is being eaten, add the blessing: " . . . Shehechiyanu VeKiyemanu veHigiyanu Lazman Hazeh." Blessed are You, our God and King of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this special occasion.

3.One of those present reads the following: "Rabbi Tarfon likened the people of Israel to a pile of walnuts: He would say: If one walnut is removed, each and every walnut in the pile will be shaken." - Avot de Rabbi Nathan 18:1

The Second Cup: Blush Wine and the Date
Blush Wine

Note: Any pale pink wine is fine. The blessing indicated below, HaTov V'Hametiv, acknowledges God's bounty. It is intended to be recited when one samples a better wine than the one preceding it. The blush wine should be more expensive or of a better taste than the white wine before it.

1.Say: The second cup of wine is light pink, for the first flowering of the spring anemones. It symbolizes the Divine spark, the stirrings of growth drawn from primeval elements.

2.Take the cup of wine in the hand and say the blessing for a second drink of wine: ". . . Hatov Vehameitiv." Blessed are You, our God and King of the Universe, Who is good and does good.

The Fruit - Date
1.Point to the date on the plate and say: The soft outer fruit of the date recalls the world of Formation. The date's inner core is hard, its impenetrable nature drawing us to contemplate the core of our being and the cycle of our lives.

2.Everyone present takes a date and says: May it be His will that we should be as upright as the date-palm, as it is written: "The righteous shall bloom as the date-palm."

3.One of those present reads the following: "The date palm abounds in blessing, for every part of it can be used; every part is needed. Its dates are for eating; its branches are for blessing on Sukkot; its fronds are for thatching roofs; its fibers are for ropes; its webbing for sieves; its thick trunk for building. . . So it is with Israel: each person plays a part in building the people." - Midrash, Bamidbar Rabbah

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