[Avodah] tefillat haderech

[Kenneth Miller via Avodah]

R' Zev Sero asked:

> I actually had meant to post about this, since I've been
> wondering for some time why it is that the world's minhag is for
> each person to say their own bracha on hallel and sefira, after
> hearing the chazan's bracha. Doesn't the usual rule of "berov
> am" mean that everyone should be yotzei with his bracha?

In theory (="l'halacha"), yes, you are correct. But in practice (="l'maaseh") Rov Am gets beat by our lack of kavana. Rov Am is an important hidur, but the ikar is to insure that one is yotzay, and that is more easily insured by saying it oneself. (It's like if one is forced to choose between an esrog which is definitely kosher but only barely so, vs. one which is beautiful but *might* be pasul. To me, it's a no-brainer that one would choose the barely kosher one.)

This explanation fits my previous post well: We are all yotzay with someone else's bracha on the shofar and megillah, but NOT because of Rov Am, only because the bracha is somewhat risky because I'm relying on someone else.

Akiva Miller
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