[Avodah] Birchat Hachama

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Joel Rich asked:
> Has anyone seen anything on a preference for a tzibbur to be
> yotzeh with shomeiah koneh/amen versus each individual saying
> the bracha on their own?

I can't offer any written sources, but the practice I've seen is that we are yotzay with someone else's bracha when we are dependent on him for the mitzva, and we say a bracha ourselves when we are able to do the mitzva ourselves.

Examples: We are yotzay with the leader's bracha for shofar and megillah. We say our own bracha for hallel and lulav.

That's not only in shul, but home as well: One cannot say his own kiddush or hamotzi unles he has his own full cup of wine, or his own lechem mishne. The exception demonstrates the rule: At the seder, where everyone has his own cup, in many families everyone says his own kiddush.

I've heard it said that the ideal "B'rov Am Hadras Melech" is where not only the multitude gathers together to do a mitzvah in unison, but they do it via a single individual, i.e., by being yotzay together through one person's saying it. I've also heard that although this is true l'halacha, it is not viable l'maaseh: We fear that some people will not have proper kavana and will not be yotzay unless they say it themselves.

Akiva Miller

____________________________________________________________
Live the good life! Click now for great retirement planning assistance!
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2131/fc/BLSrjnsDvlVVsVCA8RSFOlKP1paInIoLjT2SYUpJzGqGM7R1EqtKapj52Bi/