[Avodah] New Brachos

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 01:59:58PM +0000, kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:
: Let's say that the issurim of Bracha L'vatala and Bracha She'eina
: Tzricha only apply when someone recites a bracha which has already been
: established, either in general context, or with specific text, and then
: he misuses that bracha in some manner -- but that these issurim do not
: apply to a bracha which is not "on the books".

I think this analysis slices the matter in a confusing angle, which is
why I proposed looking at two distinct questions:
1- Does the situation call for a berakhah?
2- Is this berakhah an established nusach?

In the case of making shehakol on steak that was already included within
the hamotzi on the meal as a whole, the answers are "no", and "yes",
respectively. The berakhah is levatalah because that's what question
#1 is all about. The fact that the text said is an established coinage
doesn't change it from being sheim H' lashav.

Ashk and Seph debate as tp when birkhos hamitzvah are said; is the
defining feature "asher qidishanu" -- thus including the einah metzuvah
ve'osah -- or "vetzivanu" and thus only on chiyuvim/issurim. While the
Ashk position has a broad definition of when a situation "calls for" a
berakhah and thus saying sheim Hashem, so does picking up a spice for
the sole purpose of having a reason to say "borei minei besamim". We
don't demand strict minimalism.

But the question with puffed wheat or toasted grains isn't question
#1. The person is about to eat, so the time is appropriate, there is
no berakhah levatalah. However, arguably none of Chazal's standard
coinages apply. So then the question is between (1) using a berakhah
that post-dates gemara, (2) sheqer, or (3) not making a berakah desipte
the general taqanah to make one before eating.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             With the "Echad" of the Shema, the Jew crowns
micha at aishdas.org        G-d as King of the entire cosmos and all four
http://www.aishdas.org   corners of the world, but sometimes he forgets
Fax: (270) 514-1507      to include himself.     - Rav Yisrael Salanter