[Mesorah] S. Baer on Shelo Assani Nochri

[R. Rich Wolpoe]

«  The fact that Rabbeinu Tam added the word "lanu" after "han'suos" is probably irrelevant to the nochri question.  Minor, and sometimes not-so-minor, changes have been made to many b'rachos over the years -- a b'racha whose nusach is standard through all nuschaos is a rarity, if one indeed exists..  It is the siyum which rarely has changes (and when it does, there are those who reject it, as witness "oseh hashalom").  Nochri for goy, however, is a change in the essential nusach of the b'racha, since for a short b'racha (one not ending with "baruch"), its text _is_ its siyum.  Ironically, though, the birkas eirusin is one of the rare ones in which there are differences of opinion about its siyum.

EMT»

I fail to see how changing GOY to NOCHRI consitutes a more "egregious" change than Rabbenu Tam inserting Lanu

The motive was the same, greater clarity and less ambiguity!  Everyone may disagree as to which one merits change, but I don't get the inconsistency about which revisions are tolerable and which ones are not.

And once Rabbenu Tam made his change, what's so terrible to use HIS precedent to effect a similar change?


Shalom and Regards, RRW