By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com It seems to be a simple enough halachic question. But is it so innocuous? Or is there something more to it that is involved?  Does the question touch upon the deepest and most fundamental aspects of who we are as a nation?  Have we hit upon one of our greatest contemporary or not-so-contemporary challenges of our existence? Let’s get to the question and answer first. THE QUESTION A yeshiva student, has just finished davening and a rigorous learning session.  The young man is singularly devoted to his studies.  After the learning session he enters the Sukkah with some mezonos in hand.  He recites the Mezonos.  He then recites the laishev baSukkah.  But of the 12 words in that latter blessing – he leaves out 4 of them.  He leaves out, “asher kid’shanu b’Mitzvosav v’Tzivanu – Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us..” He recognized his error almost instantly after he has taken his first bite.  The question is now what?  Has he, post facto, fulfilled his Mitzvah of reciting the proper blessing on the Mitzvah of eating in the Sukkah?  Must he repeat that blessing?  Must he repeat that first blessing also – the Mezonos? A BRIEF TRIP THROUGH HILCHOS ERRORS IN BRACHOS We know the statement of Rabi Yochanan in the Gemorah in Brachos (40b) where states that any bracha that does not contain shaim uMalchus – Hashem’s Name and Kingship is not a bracha. It must also contain the shape and form of a bracha – such as starting with the word “Boruch.” We also know that the Mishna Brurah writes (214:3) that if one leaves out the word “attah” [word number 2 in the bracha], the bracha is still valid post facto. The same is true if one leaves out one of Hashem’s Names – Either Hashem or Elokainu – the bracha is valid post facto. We also know that if we leave out the word, “HaOlam” after the word, “Melech” – that there is a debate between the first Lubavitcher Rebbe (based on Prisha 167:4’s citation of Tosfos) and the Erech haShulchan as to whether that is a fitting description of Hashem’s Kingship, leaving out “of the world” or “universe.”  Chabad Chassidim and many others hold that the blessing must be repeated because just plain Melech is not apt enough of a description.  Others are more lenient and hold that it is. We also know that there is a concept of sharing some of the elements of the bracha too. If a bracha is next to another one, it can share the first three elements – but this is not true of short brachos, only of long brachos. Long brachos are found in bentching and in Shmoneh Esreh. Only long brachos can share the first three elements. Shockingly enough, the issue is only first addressed in the Shalmei Todah written by Rabbi Shalom Ben Tzion Fulman zt”l of Bnei Brak, a Dayan in Rav Nissim Karelitz’s Beis Din. RAV FELMAN’S PSAK Rav Felman zt”l cites a ruling of Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l that a person who leaves out these four words has, in fact, not fulfilled the requirement of the blessing because he has left out the ikkar mashmaos habracha – the essential meaning of the […]

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