By many mitzvos we find that one should hold the mitzvah item in his hand when reciting the berachah before fulfilling the mitzvah. For example: We find by havdolah, shofar, lulav and bris milah that one should hold the item being used for the mitzvah in his hand when reciting a berachah before performing the mitzvah. Similarly, by birchas hanhenin we find that one should hold the fruit in his hand when reciting the berachah. The question is, do we say the same thing by the mitzvah of kiddushin and require that the chosson holds the wedding ring in his hand when the mesader kiddushin recites the birchas erusin, or is it ok if he only picks it up afterwards?
Why We Hold the Fruit in Our Hands When Reciting a Berachah
The Shulchan Aruch in Hilchos Berachos (206:4) rules, that when reciting a berachah on an item that one plans to eat or smell, one should hold it in his right hand when reciting the berachah. The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 17) quotes the Levush who explains that the purpose of doing so is: כדי שיכוון לבו על מה שמברך - “so that one can have better concentration on what he is making a berachah on”. This halachah is lechatchilah, bedieved however, if one recited a berachah and wasn’t holding the item it is okay.
The Shulchan Aruch (167:3) also writes that when making a berachah on bread, one shouldn’t recite the berachah before he is holding the bread in his hand. By this halachah the Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 22) offers a different reason and says: שאין מברכין על המצוות אלא סמוך לעשייתן – “as when we make berachos on mitzvos, we do it as close to the mitzvah as possible.”
It comes out that there are two reasons for holding the item: 1) So that one has better concentration when making the berachah; 2) So that the berachah is as close to the mitzvah as possible.
