The Enactment to Recite Borchu During tefillah
[1] (Halacha 811)
Question: What is the source and reason for saying Borchu before Yotzer Or?
Answer: The recitation of Borchu in the synagogue is mentioned in the Mishnah1: 'Rabbi Akiva said: What do we find in the synagogue2 - whether many or few, one says Borchu es Hashem. Rabbi Yishmael says: Borchu es Hashem hamevorach'.
Indeed, in Maseches Sofrim3 the recitation of Borchu is mentioned in connection with the bracha of Yotzer Or of Shacharis: 'But in the tefillah of Shacharis, after these mizmorim and pesukim, they say at Yotzer, Borchu, in a low voice'.
Also in the Zohar Chadash4 the recitation of Borchu is mentioned as the opening of the tefillah and as something that is said only with ten: 'And the chazzan says Borchu es Hashem, and he says Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed. And since he blesses his Master, from there is the beginning of tefillah to pray, and thereby the sanctities rest; fortunate are they who bless and sanctify their Master each day with the desire of the heart. At that hour we have learned that there is no permission to pray tefillah with ten, until they bless the Holy One, blessed be He, at the beginning of all, and once they bless Him, they pray their tefillah. That man (Rabbi) said, that bracha is nothing but to establish praise to their Master, who has restored their souls to them, which is called by five names, and the bracha is in five words, (Baruch Hashem hamevorach etc.) and upon this bracha rests tefillah, and kedushah does not rest except upon bracha, to strengthen their Master in all, and this bracha and this kedushah are only with ten'5.
And the Ravan6 wrote: 'My brother R. Chizkiah, who reads from the Torah, asked me why he says to the congregation Borchu es Hashem hamevorach; let him make the birkas haTorah and that suffices. And I answered him: because Ezra instituted for Israel that they should read from the Torah on Mondays and Thursdays and on Shabbos, and the one who reads from the Torah discharges the obligation of the congregation from the reading, therefore he says to the congregation, you need to bless and read like me; agree to my reading and my bracha and bless with me, and they respond and bless. And likewise the shatz says at Yotzer and Maariv, since he discharges the obligation of the congregation, and he says to them, agree to my reading and my bracha and bless Him with me, and they respond and bless and discharge their obligation. And likewise the one who makes birkas hamazon, since he discharges the members of the meal, he says to them, agree. And all of these the Chachomim supported from Moshe, who said, "For I call out the name of Hashem; ascribe greatness to our God," and you shall bless Him with me'.
★ ★ ★
Question: How was the halacha decided in the dispute between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yishmael, and why, according to Rabbi Yishmael, do we say hamevorach?
Answer: In the Gemara there7 it is related: 'Rafram bar Papa happened to come to the synagogue of Avi Givar; he arose and read in the sefer and said: Borchu es Hashem, and was silent and did not say hamevorach. Everyone clamored: Borchu es Hashem hamevorach! Rava said: black pot, why do you involve yourself in the dispute! And furthermore: the world has already practiced like Rabbi Yishmael'.
That is, the minhag is like Rabbi Yishmael, to say Borchu es Hashem hamevorach.
And regarding the reason for saying hamevorach, behold, in the Yerushalmi8 it is brought: 'Shmuel said, I do not remove myself from the collective. They objected: behold, the birkas haTorah — he says Borchu. R. Avin said: since he says hamevorach, he too does not remove himself from the collective'9.
And the Tzlach10 wrote that it may be said that this is the dispute between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yishmael: 'For it may be said that on this very point Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Akiva disagree, that Rabbi Yishmael holds this reasoning that one should not remove oneself from the collective, and Rabbi Akiva does not hold this reasoning, and Shmuel ruled like Rabbi Yishmael, as we conclude in truth below, that the world practices like Rabbi Yishmael'.
And these are the words of the Kolbo11: 'And one may wonder how they instituted to say Borchu, for by Borchu it is implied that he removes himself from the collective, and we see that Shmuel said, one should never remove himself from the collective; if so, he should have said Nevarech, as in birkas hamazon where one says Nevarech. And the Rav R. Nasan z"l wrote a response to this, that he said it is different here, that since he says mevorach he does not remove himself from the collective, and it is like Nevarech, and for this reason he says in the synagogue Borchu with nine and himself'.
If so, by the fact that the chazzan — the one making the bracha — also says hamevorach, thereby he declares that he does not remove himself from the collective.
And indeed Rashi, in his explanation of the Gemara there, wrote that even according to Rabbi Akiva it is better to say hamevorach: 'Why do you involve yourself in the dispute — it is better for you to hold to the words of Rabbi Yishmael, for even Rabbi Akiva concedes that when one says hamevorach it is preferable12, but that it is not necessary'.
And likewise we find in Pirkei Heichalos, in the name of Rabbi Akiva, the recitation of Borchu es Hashem hamevorach: 'Rabbi Akiva said: every single day one angel stands in the middle of the firmament in the morning and opens and says, "Hashem is King, Hashem was King, Hashem will be King forever and ever," and all the hosts on high respond after him until he reaches Borchu; when he reaches Borchu, there is a chayah there named Yisrael, and Yisrael is engraved upon its forehead, and about it Yechezkel said, "the chayah that I saw beneath the God of Yisrael," and about it David said, "and He rode upon a keruv and flew, and He soared on the wings of the wind," and it bears the Throne and stands in the middle of the firmament and says aloud, Borchu es Hashem hamevorach, and all the hosts on high respond after it, Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed'.
And in Kad HaKemach13 it is written: 'And this is what we say in tefillah, Borchu es Hashem hamevorach, that is to say, the One blessed by all His creatures, the upper and the lower ones; and likewise we say at Yotzer, "Baruch umevorach befi kol haneshamah" — it mentions Baruch because He is the source of blessing, and it mentions mevorach because He is blessed in the mouth of all'.
--------------
Notes:
1 ברכות מט, ב. וראה גם בספרי פרשת האזינו פיסקא שו ↩
2 המאירי ביאר שמדובר בקריאת התורה ↩
3 פי"ח ה"י, (בשחרית של תשעה באב שלכן אומרים את זה בלחש) ↩
4 רות קי, ב ↩
5 וראה מסכת סופרים פ"י ה"ו, כמה דיעות בזה ↩
6 שו"ת סי' עג ↩
7 נ, א ↩
8 ברכות פ"ז ה"ג ↩
9 וכתב רב ניסים גאון: 'והוא פירוק יפה וחביב' ↩
10 ברכות מט, ב וראה גם בבית מאיר ↩
11 סי' ח ↩
12 וראה ט"ז או"ח סי' קסז ס"ק ד. ופר"ח או"ח סי' תצו מנהגי האיסור ס"י ↩
13 ערך ברכה ↩
[2] (Halacha 812)
In the previous halacha we saw that the chazzan says Borchu es Hashem hamevorach in order to include himself with the congregation.
Question: Why does the congregation, when they respond in turn, also say Baruch Hashem hamevorach?
Answer: The Eliyah Rabbah1 wrote: 'And as to the fact that the congregation says hamevorach .. I explained in Eliyah Zuta, that in Chullin daf 91 [side 2], Israel are more beloved than the ministering angels, for Israel mention the Name after two words, "Shema Yisrael Hashem," and the ministering angels mention it only after three words, "Kadosh kadosh kadosh Hashem," and it objects: but there is "Baruch kevod Hashem mimkomo," and it answers: since permission was given, it was given. And Rashi explained: since they already mentioned in the kedushah after three words, it was given, that it is permitted to mention even after two words. And it seems to me that the same applies to Israel, for it is seemingly difficult, how do they say Baruch Hashem, which is after one word; rather, since the shaliach tzibbur already mentioned after two words, Borchu es Hashem, they are permitted to mention, therefore they say hamevorach, meaning that the shaliach tzibbur has already blessed, so it is as if they have already mentioned'.
★ ★ ★
Question: Must the chazzan repeat and say Baruch Hashem hamevorach?
Answer: The Rambam2 wrote: 'The order of the communal tefillos is thus: in the morning all the people sit and the shaliach tzibbur descends before the amud and stands in the middle of the people and begins and says Kaddish, and all the people respond, "Amen yehei shemei rabba mevarach le'alam ul'almei almaya," with all their strength, and they respond amen at the end of the Kaddish, and afterwards he says Borchu es Hashem hamevorach and they respond Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed, and he begins and recites over the Shema aloud'.
And in the words of the Rambam it is not mentioned that the chazzan repeats and says Baruch Hashem hamevorach, rather he immediately begins to recite over the Shema.
And likewise is the opinion of the Maharam of Rothenburg, as the Tashbetz Katan3 wrote: 'And the chazzan must say yehei shemei rabba with the congregation, but not Baruch Hashem hamevorach after he says Borchu. And he brings a proof, "For I call out the name of Hashem; ascribe greatness to our God"'.
And simply their reasoning is according to what was explained in the previous halacha from the Yerushalmi, that since he says Borchu es Hashem hamevorach, and thereby he includes himself among those who bless, therefore he need not repeat and say it again.
However, the Rabbeinu Yonah4 wrote [and so it is in the Rosh5]: 'And the Rav Rabbi Yehudah Barceloni wrote in the name of Rav Saadiah Gaon6 that the one called up to the sefer Torah, after he says Borchu es Hashem hamevorach and the listeners respond Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed, should also repeat and say Baruch Hashem hamevorach, for just as we said above (siman 170) that the one who makes birkas hamazon returns to the place where he stopped and says "Baruch she'achalnu mishelo uv'tuvo chayinu" as the others said, so too here he returns and says Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed. And even though he says hamevorach, even so he must repeat and say Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed, for when he says Nevarech he blesses with them within the collective, and even so he returns and says "Baruch she'achalnu mishelo," as we have written'.
And regarding the reasoning of these words, the Maadanei Yom Tov7 explained on the Rosh: 'And it seems to me that even so it does not suffice, for this inclusion in hamevorach is only that he includes himself in his acknowledgment that the Name is blessed, but the others who respond Baruch — they are blessing Hashem, and in this he too must repeat and bless like the others'. And see below the words of the Alter Rebbe on this.
And the Abudraham8 wrote that the minhag is like the Maharam of Rothenburg: 'And the shaliach tzibbur says Borchu es Hashem hamevorach and the congregation responds Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed. And the Rav R. Yehudah bar Barzilai Barceloni wrote that the shatz must repeat Baruch Hashem hamevorach. But the Rav R. Meir of Rothenburg wrote that he need not say Baruch Hashem hamevorach, and so they practiced.
On the other hand, the Agur9 wrote that the minhag is like the R. Yehudah Alberceloni: 'The Maharam wrote that the shatz need not say Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed. And the R. Yehudah Alberceloni wrote that he must say it, and the custom is to say it'.
And as to the halacha, the Mechaber wrote: 'And the shatz repeats and says: Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed'.
And the Levush10 wrote: 'And the shaliach tzibbur should repeat and say quietly, Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed, in order to include himself too within the bracha, since he already said only Borchu. Even though he also said hamevorach, in which he too includes himself with them by saying Borchu to the One who is blessed, nonetheless it is good that he repeat and say Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed quietly'.
But the Alter Rebbe11 did not mention saying it quietly, and these are his words: 'And the shatz must repeat and say Baruch Hashem etc. so that he does not remove himself from the collective, for he says to them Borchu and he does not bless. And even though he said hamevorach and did not remove himself entirely from the collective, he must return himself to the collective entirely and say Baruch Hashem hamevorach as the congregation said (see below siman (193) [192])'.
And from the plain wording of the Alter Rebbe one can understand that the shatz repeats and says after the congregation12.
However, in his Siddur he wrote: 'That the shatz says Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed only in order to include himself with the congregation, therefore the shatz should not wait to say Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed until the congregation finishes, but rather responds together with them'13.
And so it is brought in Sefer HaMinhagim14.
And it is to be noted that in the conduct of the Rebbe as shaliach tzibbur [and likewise when called up to the Torah] it was observed that he said the Borchu after the congregation had begun to say it, and as appears from the words of the Alter Rebbe in the Shulchan Aruch15.
--------------
Notes:
1 סי' נז ס"ק א ↩
2 הל' תפילה פ"ט ה"א ↩
3 סי' רנב ↩
4 ברכות לו, ב ↩
5 ברכות פ"ז סי' כו ↩
6 סידור שנט, א ↩
7 שם אות פ ↩
8 ברכות ק"ש ↩
9 הל' ברכות סי' צח ↩
10 שו"ע או"ח סי' נז ס"א ↩
11 או"ח סי' נז ס"א ↩
12 שו"ע או"ח סי' נז ס"ג ↩
13 וכן בסי' קצב ס"א לגבי ברכת הזימון כותב אדמו"ר הזקן 'לחזור ולומר אחריהם'. וראה בדברי הרבינו יונה שם לד, א. (וצ"ע אם יש להשוות בין זימון (ששם לא אמר עדיין שמברך על האכילה) לגבי ברכו שכבר אמר המבורך) ↩
14 ולהעיר מלשון הרס"ג בסידור שם [תרגום]: 'צריך הקורא לפתוח ולומר ברכו את ה' המבורך ועונים לו ברוך ה' המבורך לעולם ועד, וגם הוא יאמר *עמהם* ברוך' ↩
15 ע' 10. [ולהעיר שמצינו בפוסקים שיטה ממוצעת שהחזן אומר אחרי הציבור אא"כ במקרה שהמנין מונה עשרה אנשים בדיוק שאז החזן צריך לומר יחד איתם, וכמ"ש בסידור היעב"ץ לפני ברכו: 'וכשיש מנין מצוצמם אומר החזן והקהל ביחד ברוך ה' המבורך לעולם ועד'] ↩
16 מעשה מלך ע' 33 וע' 42. הליכות מנחם פכ"ו אות ג ע' קעב. (ואמנם כנראה שהיו בזה שינויים במשך השנים ראה קובץ העו"ב גליון תתצ, סידור אדמו"ר הזקן (רסקין) ח"ג ע' א'תקד) ↩
[3] (Halacha 813)
Question: Must the chazzan and the congregation bow at the recitation of Borchu?
Answer: We find in the words of several of the Rishonim that the chazzan bows at the time of saying Borchu, and as it is written in Machzor Vitry1: 'And he bows at Borchu and straightens up at the Name. As it is written, "Hashem straightens the bent" in the brochos'. And so wrote the Orchos Chaim2. And the Kolbo3.
And there are Rishonim who mentioned bowing the head, and it is written in Shoshan Sodos (by a talmid of the Ramban)4: 'When one says Borchu he bends his head, and the reason is that he wishes to draw down the flow to the attribute of "es," which is Malchus, "Hashem," which is of "Hashem hamevorach," meaning the Name Hashem is blessed from three directions'.
And there are Rishonim who wrote thus also regarding the conduct of the congregation, and as the R. Yehudah Alberceloni wrote in Sefer HaIttim5: 'And this matter, all Israel have practiced in all synagogues, to sit with gravity of the head, their heads bent at the time when the shatz says Borchu'.
And so wrote the Rokeach6: 'Therefore the congregation bends the stature at the time when the chazzan says Borchu, on account of "Serve Hashem with awe"'.
And indeed there were Acharonim who, as it appears, did not see all the aforementioned Rishonim7 and therefore cast doubt on this minhag, and as the Shulchan HaTahor wrote8: 'One should not bow at Borchu as the masses do, and your mnemonic is "and Mordechai would not kneel and would not bow down"'. And in the note he wrote: 'We have not found this anywhere, and it is a mistaken minhag, and it all follows from the masses seeing that the shatz bows at "and they said amen" of the Kaddish and draws out into this reading, Borchu, and they thought that one must bow at Borchu; and there is also an ignorant shatz who does not know at all about the bowings of Kaddish, who bows at Borchu and thinks that he is obligated to bow at Borchu, and they follow after him like sheep after a shepherd; and furthermore they commit a great transgression, that they bow also at the mention of the Name, and this is a great transgression, therefore the minhag should be prevented'9.
And indeed in Shaar HaKollel10 he wrote that it may be that the minhag is founded on the words of the holy Zohar: 'Behold, in no posek is it found to bow at Borchu, and also in Pri Etz Chaim, the siddurim of the Arizal, it is not present, and I asked several great ones and they answered me that they found it only in the Kolbo, "and one bows at Borchu and straightens at the Name," and no reason was found for this .. And as to the fact that all practiced to incline the head at the recitation of Borchu, it is possible that it stems from the language of the Zohar, Balak daf 190, end of side 2: "Borchu — what is Borchu? Draw down blessings from the place from which all blessings issue, until blessing is made through the abundance drawn down, and from the abundance of the waters in that blessing, at once fish will multiply, waters, many fish, in various kinds; and what is that drawing down? A drawing down of the light that shines from within that shining mirror, which is drawn from above to below. To the upper angels who are at the gate of the height of the upper chamber it is said Borchu Hashem; we who sit below, why Borchu es Hashem? Because we need to draw upon us this 'es,' and through it we enter before the King to behold His face, and about this David said, 'I, in righteousness, will behold Your face' — I, in righteousness, certainly; and therefore the beginning of tefillah is Borchu es Hashem, to draw upon our heads this 'es,' and once we have drawn this 'es' upon us we must recite tefillah and give praise; and therefore it is forbidden for a person to bless another until he prays his tefillah and draws upon his head this 'es,' and if he precedes and blesses another first, behold he has drawn that person with what upon his head in place of this 'es'; and therefore to the upper angels it is written Borchu Hashem, and we, es Hashem, for addition," end of the words of the Zohar. And it is understood that therefore they practiced to bend the head at the time when the chazzan says Borchu es Hashem, in the manner of those who receive blessings, who bend their heads, but at the time when the congregation responds Baruch Hashem hamevorach, certainly bowing and bending the head is not applicable. Again a certain rav wrote to me in these words: as to what he sought, a reason for the bowing at the recitation of Borchu alone, which he found in Sefer Kolbo, I have further found in Sefer Shoshan Sodos, from the talmidim of the Ramban, and these are his words: "the secret of the intent of Borchu — when one says Borchu he bends his head, for he wishes to draw down the flow to the attribute 'es,' which is Malchus etc.," see there'.
And the Mishnah Berurah11 wrote: 'However, in truth this minhag has support from Scripture, in Divrei HaYamim I, chapter 29, verse 20, see there12 and the minhag of Israel is Torah'.
And although one does not add to the bowings that Chazal instituted, the Alter Rebbe13 already explained: 'But one who bows at some places of praise or supplication, or on account of some reason he has, for it appears to him that it is fitting to bend at that place, or on account of the minhag, such as the bowings of Kaddish, or because his heart was inflamed in tefillah, this is praiseworthy and is not like one who adds to the ordinance of the Chachomim, who ordained only in the acknowledgment of the tefillah alone; and this is comparable to one who bows in the middle of the brochos of tefillah, in which there is nothing like adding to the ordinance of the Chachomim, since they did not ordain at all to bend in the middle of any bracha, as has been explained'14.
And upon this the Aruch HaShulchan15 wrote: 'And therefore there are those who bow also at the recitation of Borchu and at Kaddish .. however, all these bowings, it is proper to bow slightly'.
And the Shaarei Teshuvah16 wrote: 'And it is written in the Shaarei Tziyon in the name of the Maharan"sh z"l not to turn one's face from the east until he finishes saying Baruch etc., and a mnemonic for the matter, "never in my life did I say a thing and turn back," see there'.
If so, we have seen that it is the minhag of Israel already from the time of our first teachers, the Rishonim, that the chazzan and the congregation bend their heads at Borchu.
And regarding the conduct of the Rebbe17 it is brought that, in the event he was leaning on the shtender, toward Borchu, the Rebbe straightened his stature, [and his face toward the east], and at the time when the chazzan said Borchu es Hashem hamevorach the Rebbe bent his head, and at the time when he responded Baruch Hashem hamevorach with the congregation he bent his stature even more. However, when the Rebbe went up to be chazzan, he bent his head at the recitation of Borchu and straightened at the Name, and bent again at the recitation of Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed.
--------------
Notes:
1 סי' קא ↩
2 דין ברכו אות א ↩
3 סי' ח ↩
4 סוד כוונת ברכו ↩
5 סי' קעא ↩
6 פירושי סידור התפילה לרוקח [לט] קדיש עמוד רנ ↩
7 וראה דעת תורה למהרש"ם מברעאזן או"ח סי' נז ס"א: 'עי' כלבו סי' ז דהש"ץ כורע כשאומר ברכו וזוקף בשם, *וכן נהגו העולם*, ולא נמצא בשום מקום בפוסקים זולת בכלבו שם ולא נודע מקורו' ↩
8 סי' נז, אות א ↩
9 וראה שו"ת אור לציון ח"ב פ"ה אות יג ובהערה שם ביחס למנהג הספרדים: 'אין לציבור לכרוע ואף לא להניע ראשו כשעונה לברכו, ורק שליח הציבור כורע באמירת ברכו וזוקף באמירת השם' ↩
10 פ"ז, אות א ↩
11 ביאור הלכה סי' קיג ס"ג ↩
12 'ויאמר דויד לכל הקהל ברכו נא את ה' אלקיכם ויברכו כל הקהל לה' אלקי אבתיהם ויקדו וישתחוו לה' ולמלך' ↩
13 שו"ע או"ח סי' קיג ס"ג ↩
14 או"ח סי' קיג סעיפים ה-ו ↩
15 ובפרט שבנידון דידן שהמנהג בפועל הוא לא לכרוע, אלא לכופף הראש מעט, וראה עוד הנסמן בילקוט יוסף סי' נז הערה ט ↩
16 סי' נז אות א ↩
17 ראה הליכות מנחם פכ"ו. מעשה מלך ע' 38 ↩
[4] (Halacha 814)
Question: May the chazzan say Borchu quietly, or must he say it specifically aloud?
Answer: It is written in Machzor Vitry1: 'And he says aloud: Borchu es Hashem hamevorach. And they respond Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed'.
And in Sefer Chasidim2, regarding one who is called up to the Torah, it is written: 'When they read from the Torah, the one who makes the bracha over the Torah sins if he blesses quietly, for they will not respond Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed, and the congregation would respond after him amen'.
And regarding the reason for the matter, it is written in Hagahos Maimoniyos3: 'And it is proper to say Borchu es Hashem and the rest of these brochos aloud so that the people will hear and respond after him, as I explained above in chapter 7 in the gloss that is in [siman] 16, see there'. And there4 he wrote: 'And the Ra"m wrote, the brochos that those who read from the Torah make, each one two brochos, and the five of the maftir, count toward the reckoning for their listeners, therefore it is proper for those reading from the Torah to say the brochos aloud, and even without this reason it is fitting, so that the people will respond after them, for to whom is he saying Borchu es Hashem hamevorach when he says it quietly, and this is clear. And furthermore, it is forbidden for the one responding — namely the chazzan — to raise his voice more than the one making the bracha'.
And the Orchos Chaim5 wrote: 'And he opens and says Borchu es Hashem hamevorach, and the R. Yonah wrote that he should say it aloud and the congregation responds after him Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed .. And so wrote the R. Nasan, and he gave a reason why it must be said aloud, in order to discharge those who did not hear it and who hear the chazzan saying Baruch Hashem hamevorach — they should not say so, since they did not hear the brochos; rather, when the chazzan finishes le'olam va'ed they respond amen, as we say regarding zimmun: if one comes and finds them saying "Nevarech she'achalnu," he says "Baruch shem kevod malchuso le'olam va'ed." And if he comes when he says "Baruch hu she'achalnu," he responds amen; therefore it is good to say it aloud, and the chazzan and all the listeners respond Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed,' end of quote.
If so, we have seen that the Rishonim wrote several reasons why one must say Borchu [and the birkas haTorah] aloud, and in the event they did not hear the chazzan say Borchu but only when he responded Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed, that they should not likewise say Baruch Hashem hamevorach, but only respond amen.
The Tur6, in the laws of the reading of the Torah, brought this law: 'Borchu es Hashem hamevorach aloud, so that the congregation will respond Baruch Hashem hamevorach'.
And in the continuation of his words he wrote: 'And my brother the Rav Yechiel z"l wrote, and if a person was late in coming to the synagogue until the reading of the Torah, and began the brochos, and when he finished the birkas haTorah, before he began the parashah of the korbanos, they called him up to the Torah — in this I was in doubt whether he should bless "asher bachar banu"; whether we say that there is no distinction, since they instituted this bracha upon its reading in public, so he should bless even though he already blessed; or whether we say that certainly one of them is in vain, for how can he bless one bracha twice, one after another without an interruption between them; and so it seemed to me. However, I asked the mouth of my father and teacher the Rosh z"l, and he said to me: he should bless, for the Chachomim did not distinguish'.
And the Beis Yosef7 wrote: 'Our great rabbeinu the Mahari Abuhav z"l wrote that from what rabbeinu wrote in the name of rabbeinu Yechiel, "and if a person was late in coming to the synagogue etc.," it appears that even though lechatchilah the one reading must bless aloud so that the congregation will hear, nonetheless it is not indispensable, for if not, how could rabbeinu Yechiel have been in doubt whether he must repeat and bless; and in the name of the R. Yonah I found written that he must repeat the brochos aloud8 and he gave a reason for the matter: in order to discharge those who did not hear, and furthermore, because it may be said only with ten, and if they said it quietly it is as an individual and it will not avail; and also those who did not hear and who hear the chazzan saying [Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed] should not say so, since they did not hear the bracha, but when the chazzan finishes [le'olam va'ed] they respond amen, as we say9 regarding zimmun: one comes and finds them blessing "Baruch she'achalnu mishelo," he responds amen; therefore it is good to say it aloud, and the chazzan and all the listeners respond Baruch Hashem etc.,' end of his words, and so wrote Orchos Chaim and the Kolbo'.
If so, according to the opinion of the Mahari Abuhav, the Rishonim disagreed as to whether the law of saying it aloud is indispensable, since this is of the things that require ten, and therefore if he blessed quietly his status is that of an individual and he must repeat and bless aloud, or whether it is not indispensable.
And as to the halacha: the Mechaber10, indeed, did not mention the law of saying it aloud in the laws of the recitation of Borchu of Yotzer Or, but he mentioned it regarding the one called up to the Torah: 'He says Borchu and the brochos aloud; and one who says them quietly errs. And there are those who say that he must repeat and bless aloud'11.
And the Rema wrote on this in the gloss: 'So that the people will hear and respond Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed. And if the congregation did not hear the one making the bracha, even though they heard the chazzan respond, they should not respond with him, but rather respond amen to the words of the chazzan'.
And the Magen Avraham12 added that this law is not only regarding the birkas haTorah but also regarding the recitation of Borchu: 'Quietly errs. For it may be said only with ten, and one who says them quietly does not avail, for he is as an individual [Beis Yosef, Mahari Abuhav] and if so, the same applies to Kaddish and Borchu'.
And so the Alter Rebbe13 wrote this law in the laws of Borchu of Yotzer Or: 'The shatz must say Borchu es Hashem hamevorach aloud so that the whole congregation will hear and respond after him Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed'.
In the next halacha we will learn a few more details in the case where the chazzan said it quietly — what the congregation should do.
Notes:
1 סי' קא ↩
2 סי' רנד ↩
3 הל' תפילה פי"ב אות ג ↩
4 אות פ ↩
5 ח"א דין מה שמוסיפין בשני ובחמישי אחר י"ח אות טז ↩
6 או"ח סי' קלט ↩
7 או"ח סי' קלט ↩
8 ראה מ"ש הא"ר סי' קלט ס"ק ט ↩
9 ברכות מה, ב ↩
10 שו"ע או"ח סי' קלט ס"ו ↩
11 וראה בא"ר שם שס"ל ללבוש בדעת המחבר לעיקר שאינו חוזר ↩
12 ס"ק י ↩
13 שו"ע או"ח סי' נז ס"א ↩
[5] (Halacha 815)
In the previous halacha we saw that the chazzan [and likewise the one called up to the Torah] must say Borchu aloud, to which the congregation responds, and one who heard only the chazzan's repetition, Baruch Hashem .. [and likewise in the reading of the Torah, in the event he did not hear the recitation of the one called up to the Torah but only the response of the baal korei] should say amen after him.
Question: A person who did not hear the chazzan's recitation of Borchu but now hears the congregation responding Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed — may he join and respond with them?
Answer: The Magen Avraham1 wrote: 'It seems to me that if the shatz says it quietly and he did not hear Borchu from him, but only heard the congregation responding, he says amen after them as is written in siman 139:6 in the gloss'.
That is, according to the opinion of the Magen Avraham, a person who did not hear the recitation of Borchu from the chazzan but heard only the congregation responding Baruch Hashem hamevorach le'olam va'ed does not join with them but rather only says amen after them.
The Acharonim wondered about the Magen Avraham, that his words here contradict what is explained in siman 124, where the Mechaber wrote2: 'If, while a person is praying, the shatz finished a bracha, and before the response of amen from the mouth of the majority of the congregation ceased this one finished his tefillah, he responds amen with them'.
And the Rema wrote there in the gloss: 'And even if he did not hear the bracha at all, but only hears the congregation responding amen, and knows to which bracha it refers, he responds with them; and likewise regarding Kaddish and Kedushah and Borchu'.
And the Magen Avraham3 wrote: 'And likewise regarding Kaddish. For it is not called a bracha that he became obligated in, except a matter that one is obligated to say as an individual, for if not, it is difficult: how did they discharge their obligation in Alexandria with Kaddish and Borchu'.
That is, in the Gemara in Maseches Sukkah4 it is related about a synagogue in Alexandria that was very large, and not all could hear the chazzan, and therefore they would make a sign with a cloth and the like so that all would know when to respond; and from this conduct it is proven that one can respond together with the congregation even though they did not hear the chazzan, and the Magen Avraham wrote that such is the law regarding Kaddish and Borchu; and if so, why did he write in the laws of Borchu that one who hears the congregation responding cannot respond with them, but rather should say amen after them?
And the Eliyah Zuta5 wrote: 'And it is possible that there the congregation responds, but here only the chazzan responds. But from what is written in the Olas Tamid, that it is implied from the gloss of the Shulchan Aruch that even though ten heard, he must repeat and bless on account of the remaining ones, end of quote, it is implied that even though one hears from the congregation he does not respond with them, and it requires examination. And it is forced to distinguish between ten and a congregation'.
And in this vein the Pri Megadim6 wrote: 'It is difficult, for it is different there, where he heard only from the shatz, whereas here he heard the congregation responding Baruch Hashem hamevorach, that is, where the individual stands far from the shatz and it is impossible for him to hear Borchu from the shatz, only he hears the congregation responding — why should he not respond with them, as in siman 56:1 in the gloss and siman 124:11 [in the gloss]. Then I saw that in the Eliyah Rabbah 139, os 9, he sensed this, and God willing it will be explained there [Eshel Avraham, os 10]'.
And so too the Alter Rebbe7 also noted the contradiction in the words of the Magen Avraham, and explained likewise as the words of the Eliyah Rabbah and the Pri Megadim8: 'This law is in the Magen Avraham. And it requires examination, for it contradicts what the Magen Avraham wrote in siman 124. And in siman 139 below [it is no difficulty at all9] for since ten did not hear, it is as an individual and does not avail, as is written in the Beis Yosef10 in the name of the Mahari11, and it requires great examination'.
That is, the Alter Rebbe explains in the Kuntres Acharon like the words of the Eliyah Zuta at the beginning of his words, that there is a difference between the case of siman 139, where only the baal korei heard the one called up to the Torah and thus his status is that of an individual and not of a congregation, and therefore the congregation responds only amen after the baal korei, and the case of siman 124, where there are ten who heard the chazzan say Borchu, and upon this applies the law of a matter of holiness that is said with ten, and whoever hears them joins with them.
And upon this he wrote12 as to the halacha: 'And if he said it quietly, there are those who say that one who did not hear Borchu from him, but heard the congregation around him responding after him Baruch Hashem etc., cannot respond with them but responds after them amen; and there is one who says that if nine heard Borchu from him and respond after him, the entire congregation can respond with them, since there are here ten saying a matter of holiness, and so is the essential ruling13 as is written in siman 124 (see in the Magen Avraham there)'.
If so, in practice, a person who did not hear the chazzan's recitation of Borchu — in the event that there are nine who heard him and responded — even one who did not hear the chazzan can join and respond with them. But if the chazzan or the one called up said it quietly in a manner that there were not nine who heard from him, he cannot respond with them14.
Therefore it is very important to caution about this, that the chazzan and likewise the one called up to the Torah should say the brochos aloud in a manner that at least a minyan around them will hear their recitation.
Notes:
1 או"ח סי' נז ס"ק א ↩
2 שם סי"א ↩
3 ס"ק יח ↩
4 נא, ב ↩
5 סי' קלט ס"ק ג ↩
6 א"א סי' נז ס"ק א ↩
7 סי' נז קו"א ס"ק א ↩
8 ראה בשו"ע אדמו"ר הזקן מהדורה החדשה אות ד. וראה צמח צדק פסקי דינים ד, ד ↩
9 ראה בשוע"ר במהדורה החדשה שכך צ"ל ↩
10 סי' קלט ↩
11 דברי מהר"י אבוהב הובאו בהלכה הקודמת: 'ועוד כי אין לאמרו כי אם בעשרה *ואם אמרו בלחש הוי יחיד ולא יועיל*, וגם אותם שלא שמעו ושומעין החזן אומר [ברוך ה' המבורך לע"ו] אין להם לומר כך מאחר שלא שמעו הברכה, אבל כשסיים החזן [לעולם ועד] יענו אמן' ↩
12 שו"ע או"ח סי' נז ס"ב ↩
13 וכתב בהערה: *'כי ראיית המ"א* (בסי' קכד ס"ק יח) *מאלכסנדריא היא תשובה נצחת* וכ"ד הגאון שם בב"י ע"ש)' ↩
14 ולהעיר שהמשנ"ב בביאור הלכה מבאר את דברי המג"א בסי' נז באופן שלא היה תשעה ששמעו, ומ"מ כתב המג"א שיענה היחיד אמן, אמנם לכאורה דוחק לפרש כך דברי המג"א, ולכן תמהו עליו האחרונים ↩
[6] (Halacha 816)
Question: In the previous halachos we saw that Chazal instituted saying Borchu in tefillah before the bracha of Yotzer; why do some communities say Borchu also at the conclusion of the tefillah?
Answer: The Ritva1 wrote: 'And as to what they practiced in some places, that the shaliach tzibbur says Borchu after tefillah, it is a mistaken minhag, and the great ones of the generation already protested the matter'.
And so he wrote in his chiddushim2: 'And regarding what is customary in some places to say Borchu after tefillah, because some people were not there at the opening of the brochos, my teacher rabbeinu, may God protect him, said that it is a mistake, for they instituted to say Borchu only at the heads of the brochos and where one says brochos after it to discharge others, similar to the zimmun of birkas hamazon, and similar to the one reading from the Torah and the maftir in the Navi, and likewise one who blesses the [brochos] of Krias Shema'.
In the responsa of the Rivash3 a halachic discussion is brought following the chacham Rabbi Moshe, may God protect him, who came to a community and saw that they practiced to say Borchu at the conclusion of the tefillah, and he protested to them and abolished their minhag, and they turned to the Rivash to receive his opinion, and thus the Rivash answered them: 'It is a simple matter that Borchu was instituted before the brochos of Shema, whether at Shacharis or at Maariv, and if the whole congregation heard it before the brochos, one should not say it at all after the tefillah, and one who says it errs. Also the Rambam z"l did not mention it at all, neither as a matter of law nor that it should be a minhag. And so they practiced in Barcelona, not to say it at all after the last Kaddish, except on Friday nights and festival nights alone, when it is customary to say it, because then they pray early since one must add from the mundane to the holy, and there are many of the congregation who come in the middle of the tefillah and did not hear it, and they must pray after the tefillah of the congregation, and for this the shaliach tzibbur repeats to say it in order to discharge them .. And further it appears from Maseches Sofrim4 that even one who did not hear it says it for himself as long as there are nine others with him who respond after him, even though they already heard it, and so they practiced in Barcelona for fifty years, that on a weekday at Shacharis, after the shaliach tzibbur descended from the teivah and the congregation arose to leave the synagogue, one stands in the courtyard on his feet and repeats and says Kaddish until "le'eila" and says Borchu in order to discharge those individuals who did not rise early to come and did not pray with the congregation, and the congregation goes on their way and those individuals remain there and pray each one for himself. But on Shabbos and on the festival day, when they are late to leave and all have already prayed, they do not say it at all. And this appears to me to be the beautiful minhag. But in Aragon and in this land I have seen them say it always, whether at Maariv or at Shacharis, whether on a weekday or on Shabbos. And in Maseches Sofrim I saw written that the Chachomim ordained for the chazzanim to say it between geulah and tefillah in order to discharge those who did not hear, and the people of the west and the people of the east practiced to say it after the tefillah of Shemoneh Esrei, after "oseh shalom," on account of those entering and on account of those leaving, end of quote. And in Sefer HaManhig5 it is written that one should not interrupt to say it between geulah and tefillah except at Maariv, which is optional, and one already interrupts in it with those pesukim that were instituted in it; but after the tefillah they say it at Shacharis as long as people come there who did not hear it. And since this matter is an ancient minhag in several lands and is mentioned in Maseches Sofrim and in the works of some of the Chachomim, there is no strength in us to rebuke and protest against one who says it, even if it appears to us that the other minhag is more beautiful than it. Nonetheless, since a chacham has already come and instructed to correct the minhag and the community accepted it from him, one should not return and distort what they ordained and what they have already done, and further it appears as ridicule. And there is no defect in this to the fathers who were there from ancient days, for they left room for the later ones to distinguish themselves in it, as it is in the first chapter of Chullin6 and to satisfy all of them, it appears to me that they should do in this way: that on weekdays and on Friday nights and festival nights they should return to their ancient minhag to say Borchu, since there are always some people there who did not hear it. But on Shabbos and festivals at Shacharis, when all have already prayed at the time they leave the synagogue, in this the words of Rabbi Moshe, may God protect him, the one who corrected it, are upheld, for in truth it appears to me that one who says it then errs, and if the chazzanim practiced to say it in some places it is a mistake in their hands, and since the mistake has already been corrected it is not fitting to return to it'.
And the Abudraham7 wrote: 'There are places that practice that the shatz says Borchu after the tefillah for the sake of those late in coming, so that they should not lose the hearing of Borchu. And he does not say after it any bracha of the brochos of Shema. And there are those who say that it is not fitting to say it unless they say a bracha after it, for Borchu is a language of invitation, like "Nevarech she'achalnu mishelo uv'tuvo chayinu." And from the words of Rav Amram it appears that he may say it, for he wrote that the shatz may interrupt after he concluded "Baruch atah Hashem hamelech bichvodo chai vekayam tamid yimloch aleinu ve'al kol maasav" and say Borchu for the sake of people who came between the sections and did not hear Borchu, for since in any case they suffice with the pesukim, we are not concerned to interrupt'.
The Rashbash8 wrote: 'The wonder in this is only why they say it at Shacharis and at Maariv, and what is said in the words of the Acharonim z"l on this is that before Krias Shema one must say Borchu, and because there are some people who did not hear it, whether at Shacharis or at Maariv, they repeat and say it at the end of the tefillah. And therefore they wrote that it is not fitting to say it on Shabbos and festivals, for the whole people are there before Krias Shema when they say Borchu, and why should they repeat it after the tefillah; and therefore they wrote that there are places that do not say it on Shabbos and festivals. This is what I have found on this. And all this has no root in the Gemara nor in any Midrash nor in the extraneous ones; even though they practiced it, they wished to give a reason for the minhag, and for such matters we have only what they practiced in them, and let a person not deviate on account of dispute, and the Torah, its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace'.
The Rama of Pano9 was asked how it is proper to conduct oneself [in a place where there is no minhag], and he answered: 'The elder rabbanim did not institute anything in the synagogues on account of dispute, as you said; rather, this is their ruling: among the pillars, where they sit and study, that on account of the first ten and all present with them at the time of the first Borchu of the bracha of Yotzer Or, they no longer say Borchu at all; but if there was one of them who did not pray with the congregation but prolonged in the order of the tamid and the pesukei dezimrah and he must say Yotzer Or by himself, and there are ten gathered with him, he is permitted to open with Borchu even though he already heard and responded at the beginning — although he did not act well, for it is preferable to pray together with the congregation, nonetheless since he joins Borchu to Yotzer Or it is fine; and for the sake of an individual who did not hear Borchu at all, so too they permitted saying Borchu for his sake even without adjoining Yotzer Or; but if he heard from one of those called up to read in the Torah, that suffices, and they do not repeat for his sake, except where he did not bless over Shema, as we said, that in any case the rabbanim permitted him to open with Borchu himself, provided it is with a congregation or others for his sake. And there is no difference in this between Shabbos and a weekday, but at Shacharis alone, and all this why? On account of what is said in the books of aggadah10, that "of what account is he," every morning the person who has a soul in his nostrils, and it does not settle with him until he responds Borchu; and at Maariv, where this reason is absent, they did not institute in it a latter Borchu at all, and we have never heard of anyone who recited over Shema in it'.
If so, we have seen in the words of our aforementioned holy predecessors that the ordinance was to say Borchu before the recitation of the brochos of Krias Shema of Shacharis and Maariv; however, according to what is brought in Maseches Sofrim, that when there is one who did not hear the recitation of Borchu it can be said again for his sake [when there are another nine responding], therefore: there are places that instituted to say Borchu at the conclusion of every tefillah for the sake of the latecomers. And there are places that instituted this only in the tefillos of weekdays and not on Shabbos. And there are places that instituted this only on Friday nights and festival nights, since they accepted the Shabbos and prayed early, and therefore they said Borchu on Friday night at the conclusion of the tefillah for the sake of the latecomers, and not on a weekday. And there are those who wrote to conduct oneself thus only if there are actually those who did not hear, and there are those who limited it only to Shacharis and not to Maariv, and there are those who rejected this minhag entirely.
In the next halacha we will see the words of the Shulchan Aruch and the rest of the poskim
Notes:
1 הל' ברכות פ"ו אות א ↩
2 מגילה כג, ב ↩
3 סי' שלד ↩
4 פ"י ה"ז ↩
5 הל' תפלה סי' כז ↩
6 ז, א ↩
7 פיטום הקטורת ↩
8 סי תלח ↩
9 סי' פד ↩
10 זהר חדש סוף מגילת רות ↩
[7] (Halacha 817)
In the previous halacha we saw that there are various minhogim regarding the recitation of Borchu at the conclusion of the tefillah: some rejected this conduct entirely, and some practiced it only on weekdays, and some practiced it only on Shabbos, and some distinguished between Friday night and Shabbos during the day, and some distinguished between Shacharis and Maariv.
Question: What is the minhag in practice on weekdays?
Answer: Regarding weekdays, it is explained in the poskim that the minhag of the Sephardim is always to say Borchu before Aleinu Leshabei'ach, and as the Levushei Serad1 wrote: 'And it may be that it refers to the Borchu that is after the latter Kaddish, for it is customary in all of Sepharad, when they finish the latter Kaddish after the tefillah, to say Borchu, as you will see in siman 133 in the words of the Mechaber'.
And so it is according to the writings of the Arizal, as explained in Shaar HaKavanos2, a kavanah of the Borchu that is within the tefillah, and a kavanah for the Borchu that is at the conclusion of the tefillah.
And the Ben Ish Chai wrote in the Rav Pealim3: 'Therefore it is good that this man who says Kaddish should say before this Kaddish in these words: Behold I am prepared to say now Kaddish and Borchu according to the ordinance of Chazal, who ordained to say it after the reading of Pitum HaKetores, before the recitation of Aleinu Leshabei'ach ..'. And further there4: 'And likewise they may say after Pitum HaKetores, before Aleinu Leshabei'ach, Kaddish al Yisrael and Borchu, and even an individual may do so, and the nine who have already finished the entire tefillah and said Kaddish respond Borchu to him'.
And the Gaon Rav Chaim Naeh wrote5 that in Eretz Yisrael the Ashkenazim followed in the footsteps of the Sephardim: 'And in Eretz Yisrael the minhag is always to say Borchu after the Kaddish6 derabbanan and even on Shabbos'.
And he explained in the Badei HaShulchan7: 'The minhag was carried over from the Sephardim who practiced thus according to the Kabbalah, see in the Shaarei Teshuvah siman 286 and see in the Kaf HaChaim on the Shulchan Aruch siman 133; and as to the fact that they practiced to say the Borchu after Kaddish derabbanan and not after Aleinu, it is because it was instituted thus from the Sephardim, who say Borchu after Kaddish derabbanan, and after Aleinu they do not say Kaddish at all. And moreover, there is a correct reason in this, since the Kaddish that is after Aleinu is Kaddish Yasom, and as many times a katan says it, and a katan is not fit to discharge the many of their obligation in the recitation of Borchu, as is written in siman 53:13; therefore they practiced to say the Borchu after Kaddish derabbanan'.
However, regarding the minhag of Ashkenaz, behold, although the Rema8 mentioned that there are places that practiced to say it, nonetheless in practice the minhag of the Ashkenazim was not to say Borchu unless there are people who did not hear the recitation of Borchu at Yotzer Or, and as the Aruch HaShulchan9 wrote: 'And this minhag is not known among us, and we do not say it, neither on a weekday nor on Shabbos and festivals'10.
And so wrote the Minchas Elazar11: 'For us, who do not practice on weekdays to say this latter Borchu (as the Sephardim practice to say it every day at Shacharis and at Maariv before Aleinu, as printed in their siddur)12'.
And although the recitation of Borchu also appears in the writings of the Arizal, it is written in the Shulchan HaTahor13 that it may be said, since the Arizal prayed among the Sephardim who practiced to say Borchu, that therefore he wrote a kavanah for it: 'The minhag of the Sephardim is to say Borchu after the tefillah, and this minhag is not among us at all, and there are those who practice on Friday night to say a mizmor and Borchu after Maariv; this is not a correct minhag, for it is not our minhag, for in the siddur of the Ari it is only for the Sephardim, but the Ashkenazim who do not say it on a weekday at all, on Shabbos certainly should not say it ..'.
And so wrote the Likkutei Maharich14: 'And it may be that the intent that rabbeinu the Arizal wrote regarding this Borchu is that they had kavanah in the recitation of the Borchu before Maariv only because rabbeinu the Arizal was among the Sephardim who always practice to say Borchu after Maariv, also on a weekday, therefore he arranged the kavanah for this bracha, which is not so for us, who do not say Borchu on a weekday after Maariv, and see in the Beis Yosef at the end of siman 133 ..'.
And regarding our minhag, behold, the Alter Rebbe15 wrote according to the Rama of Pano who was brought in the previous halacha: 'And there are places that practice that the shatz says Borchu every day after the last Kaddish in order to discharge one who is late in coming to the synagogue and did not yet hear Borchu, and even if it happens that no person came to the synagogue after Borchu, they are not particular about this except on Shabbos and festivals, as will be explained in siman 133, and one should not abolish their minhag in the synagogue on account of dispute, but in the beis midrash, where there is no concern for dispute, one should practice that the shatz should not say Borchu unless one came after Borchu'.
The Rebbe16 explained that according to the opinion of the Alter Rebbe in the Siddur one should not say it at all: 'Regarding the recitation of Borchu every morning after the tefillah, and evidently his intent is to what is explained in the Tur and Shulchan Aruch siman 133, behold the opinion of the Alter Rebbe is explained in this from the fact that he did not bring the matter in the Siddur, even though the second Borchu of Kabbalas Shabbos is there. And moreover, from the customs of the house of the Rebbe, that it was never heard of regarding the recitation of this Borchu (see also Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe siman 69, se'if 4, and Ketzos HaShulchan vol. 1 siman 24, se'if 10, and Keser Shem Tov — by R. Shem Tov Gaguine, os 243. And although he brought in the Ketzos HaShulchan the minhag of Eretz HaKodesh, according to the aforementioned from the Siddur of the Alter Rebbe it appears that he did not hold this way, for behold, even the recitation of the second Borchu of Kabbalas Shabbos is according to Kabbalah — see there in Shaar HaKollel — and nonetheless he brought it, and did not bring its recitation every day). And this too is not connected specifically to the holiness of the Land, for behold, in the Shaarei Teshuvah siman 286 he brought that they practiced thus in his days in Eretz HaKodesh and in the land of Egypt, and this is to make known regarding what the Alter Rebbe wrote in the aforementioned Shulchan Aruch, that one must be careful of dispute in this'.
If so, in practice, the minhag of the Sephardim is always to say Borchu at the conclusion of the tefillah [before Aleinu], the Ashkenazim did not practice to say it, except in Eretz Yisrael, and the minhag of Chabad [even in Eretz Yisrael] is not to say it.
--------------
Notes:
1 או"ח סי' קלא ס"ה אות טז ↩
2 ענין פיטום הקטורת ופע"ח שער קריאת ס"ת פ"ה ↩
3 שו"ת ח"ב או"ח סי' ז ↩
4 סי' כו ↩
5 קצות השלחן סי' כד ס"י ↩
6 וראה בספר א"י (טיקוצינסקי) פ"א שבשני וחמישי כיון ששמעו ברכו בקריאת התורה, לא יאמרו שוב ברכו בסיום התפלה. (ולהעיר ממ"ש הרבי באג"ק ח"י ע' קלז: 'בשאלתו אודות אמירת ברכו לפני עלינו ביום קריאת התורה. הנה מעולם לא שמעתי ע"ד מנהג זה ובטח יבארו בפרטיות יותר, אם הכוונה גם לתפלת שחרית דיום ב' וה' וכו'') ↩
7 אות לו ↩
8 שו"ע או"ח סי' קלג בהג"ה ↩
9 או"ח סי' קלג ס"ה ↩
10 אמנם ביחס למי שלא שמע ברכו בתפלה כתב (סי' סט סי"א) שאין הבדל בין שחרית לערבית: 'לעשות ברכו בלבד יכולין גם בערבית ולמה יגרע ערבית משחרית וכן הוא המנהג הפשוט דמי שלא התפלל עדיין ערבית ויש עשרה שכבר התפללו עומד ואומר ברכו והכל עונים ברוך וכו'' ↩
11 שו"ת ח"ד סי' עא ↩
12 ולהעיר ממ"ש בדרכי חיים ושלום אות קכא: 'וכן קדושה וברכו של יחיד האומר בתפילתו כשמתפלל ביחידית ויש שם עשרה שכבר התפללו, הגיד רבינו בשם אחד קדוש מדבר שקדושות וברכו כאלה אין פורחים לעילא' ↩
13 סי' קלג ס"א ↩
14 ח"ב סדר תפלת ערבית (ליל שבת) ↩
15 שו"ע או"ח סי' סט ס"ד ↩
16 אג"ק ח"י עמ' רצו. וראה גם תורת מנחם חכ"ט עמ' 41 ↩
[8] (Halacha 818)
In the previous halacha we saw that the minhag of the Sephardim is always to say Borchu at the conclusion of Shacharis and Maariv, but the Ashkenazim did not practice this, and so is the minhag of Chabad.
Question: What is the minhag regarding the recitation of Borchu at the conclusion of the Shabbos tefillah?
Answer: The Mechaber1 wrote: 'On Shabbos and festivals one does not say Borchu after the latter Kaddish'.
And the Rema wrote in the gloss: 'Even in a place where they practice to say it on weekdays, lest there were not individuals in the synagogue when they said Borchu, nonetheless on Shabbos and festivals one should not say it, for all come to the synagogue before Borchu'2.
However, in the writings of the Arizal, in Shaar HaKavanos3, a special kavanah for the Borchu of Friday night is brought: 'And behold, if you forgot to receive the addition of the portion of the ruach of the holiness of Shabbos in the first Borchu, or if you did not hear it, have kavanah now in this last Borchu to receive together the addition of the ruach and the addition of the neshamah, for if you did not receive the addition of the ruach in the first Borchu, it is impossible that you receive the addition of the neshamah at "ufros sukkas shalom," as above. Therefore now have kavanah to receive both of them together, the addition of the ruach and the neshamah'.
If so, according to the opinion of the authors of the Shulchan Aruch, even one who says Borchu at the conclusion of the tefillah on weekdays, nonetheless on Shabbos one should not say Borchu at the conclusion of the tefillah; but according to the writings of the Arizal one says Borchu also at the conclusion of the Friday night tefillah.
And indeed, despite the words of Maran the Mechaber, many of the Sephardic poskim testified that their minhag [according to the Arizal]4 is to say Borchu always, also on Shabbos and festivals, and as the Mahari Algazi wrote5: 'And such is not the opinion of the Rav z"l, and even on Shabbos and festivals one must say it, as is explicit in the Sefer HaKavanos'.
And so wrote the Chida6: 'On Shabbos and festivals one does not say Borchu etc. And in Eretz HaTzvi7 and the land of Egypt the minhag is to say Borchu also on Shabbos and festivals after the latter Kaddish'8.
In the Sefer Magini Avraham (Brodna)9 he wrote to explain: 'As to what the Sephardim say, Borchu after the Maariv tefillah of Shabbos, apart from the fact that there is a reason for this in the books of Kabbalah, it appears to me a correct reason according to the revealed [Torah], based on what is brought in the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe siman 69, se'if 4, in the name of the Rivash, that there are those who practice to say, even on a weekday, Borchu after the tefillah, and this is brought in the Beis Yosef siman 133. If so, granted that on a weekday they do not practice to say it if there is no one who was late in coming, but on Shabbos, since they instituted a single bracha "me'ein sheva" for the sake of the latecomers, and they say it even when there are no latecomers, if so, the same applies that one must say also Borchu for the sake of the latecomers, for this and this are one'.
Regarding the Ashkenazi minhag, some have written in accordance with the words of the Rema that even on Shabbos one should not say Barchu at the conclusion of the tefillah, as is written in Shulchan HaTahor10 that so was the practice of the Baal Shem Tov and his disciples: 'And some are accustomed on Shabbos night to say Mizmor and Barchu after Maariv — this is not a correct minhag, for it is not our minhag, for in the Siddur of the Arizal it is only for the Sephardim, but the Ashkenazim who do not say it at all on a weekday, on Shabbos they certainly do not say it, and so did our master the Rivash, and Rabbeinu Yechiel his disciple, and Rabbeinu Yaakov Yitzchak the disciple of his disciple, and my teacher my uncle the disciple of the disciple of his disciple, and so we are accustomed in all the minhogim of tefillah according to the minhag of our master the Rivash'11.
And so wrote the Aruch HaShulchan12: 'And we do not say this, neither on a weekday nor on Shabbos and Yom Tov'.
But many of the Ashkenazim, even though on a weekday they were not accustomed to say Barchu at the conclusion of the tefillah, nevertheless on Shabbos night they were accustomed to say it, as is written in Likutei Maharich13: 'But the minhag of most of the places that follow the minhogim of the Arizal is to say Barchu on Shabbos nights after the tefillah14 even though on a weekday they do not say it, and so wrote the responsum of the Rivash in the name of the minhag of Barcelona, that they do not say Barchu at all after the final Kaddish except on Shabbos nights and Yom Tov, because they pray early in order to add from the weekday onto the holy, and there are many who come in the middle of the tefillah and did not hear Barchu — see there; and even though on Yom Tov it is not our minhag to say Barchu after the Maariv tefillah, it is possible that specifically on Shabbos there is a concern that they come late, because if one does not prepare everything before the tefillah then at night it is forbidden, whereas on Yom Tov certainly all will come to pray with the congregation while it is still day in order to add from the weekday onto the holy, even if one did not prepare everything before the tefillah, because ochel nefesh is permitted also on Yom Tov'.
And so is the minhag of Chabad, as the Rebbe wrote15 that the Alter Rebbe in the weekday tefillah did not mention the saying of Barchu but at the conclusion of the tefillah of Shabbos night he wrote in his Siddur to say Barchu.
Therefore we have seen that the minhag of the Sephardim is always to say Barchu at the conclusion of the tefillah, also on Shabbosos and festivals; however, according to our minhag we say it only on Shabbos night.
--------------
Notes:
1 Shulchan Aruch OC siman 133 s"a and siman 286 s"e (and regarding the repetition of this halacha see Shu"t B'tzel HaChochma vol. 4 siman 112) ↩
2 And see Maamar Mordechai OC siman 133 s"b who testified about the minhag of his place (France) to say it also on Shabbos and Yom Tov, and what he discussed at length concerning the words of the Mechaber and the Rema ↩
3 Shabbos night. And see also Pri Etz Chaim, Shaar HaShabbos ch. 14 ↩
4 And see Shu"t Yabia Omer vol. 6 OC siman 48 os 5 ↩
5 Shalmei Tzibur 10, 3 ↩
6 Machzik Bracha OC siman 286 s"k 4 ↩
7 See Ketzos HaShulchan siman 24 s"y: 'And in Eretz Yisrael the minhag is always to say Barchu after the Kaddish D'Rabbanan *and even on Shabbos*'. And see also Shu"t Minchas Yitzchak vol. 7 siman 10 ↩
8 And see Kaf HaChaim OC siman 133 s"k 1 ↩
9 Chelek HaChidushim on Shulchan Aruch OC siman 268 s"ch daf 3 ↩
10 Siman 133 s"a ↩
11 And see also Likutei Maharich vol. 2, Seder Tefillas Arvis - Shabbos night: that so was the minhag of the holy Rav of Zidichov z"l' ↩
12 OC siman 133 s"e ↩
13 Referenced in note 11 ↩
14 In Shu"t Minchas Elazar vol. 4 siman 71 he brought the minhag of the Mahartza of Dinov and other of the great ones of Chassidus who said it on every Shabbos night except when Yom Tov falls on Shabbos, for then they do not say it, and see there what he explained regarding this ↩
15 Igros Kodesh vol. 10 p. 296 - brought in the previous halacha ↩
From the 'Shoneh Halacha' project - a daily halacha with reasons and sources
Link to the (silent) group: 'Shoneh Halacha - Chabad Minhogim'
Join the WhatsApp group