[Avodah] ceremonies in halacha

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Aug 01, 2012 at 02:37:50AM +0000, Akiva Miller wrote:
:>  WRT a mitzvah qiyumis, perhaps one should stll make a berakhah
:> on performing a matbeias mitzvah in avoidance of the issur of
:> chameitz. And if not in general, perhaps on Shabbos ch"m and
:> the last days, when the se'udos are chiyuvim and therefore
:> eating matzah is unavoidable.

: I will concede that eating matzah can be considered a matbeias
: mitzvah. But when you frame it in this manner, it seems to me that you
: are suggesting that we say a Birkas Hamitzvah on the fulfillment of a
: Lo Taaseh. (or perhaps better phrased, on the *avoidance* of a Lo Taaseh.)

On the matbeia of an asei, which happens to be necessitated by avoiding a
lav. The berakhah isn't on the lav itself, but on the resulting imitation
of an asei.

Which I could see parallel to doing the matbeia of an asei as an einah
metzuvah ve'osah or as a minhag. In the two existing cases, "asher
qidishanu bemitzvosav vetzivanu" is referring to that which I'm about
to imitate.

At least, according to this sevara for why Ashk women make berakhos on
mitzvos asei shehazman geraman (MASG) that they are peturos from. I also
heard people extend the logic of women saying "ve'al berisekha shechasamta
bivsareinu". Women include this phrase in benching because the "-nu"
here refers to corporate Israel. It is sealed in our nation's flesh,
whether the person benthcing is subject to the beris herself (or himself,
if he medically has to be an areil). Similarly, Hashem sanctified the
Jewish People with the commandment to do something, whether the person
making the berakhah is one of those being commanded.

The thread started with my feeling that this was a third situation in
which the same sevara applies, so if it really is why Ashkenazim make
berakhos on minhagim and Ashkenazios on MASG then why wouldn't we make
berakhos on matzah, like the Maharsham's unnamed tzadiq?

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