We have seen different opinions as to the status of the brocha we make before the kiddushin. According to the Rambam, it is a bircas hamitzvos, a brocha recited before performing the mitzvah of getting married. According to the Rosh, the Bircas Eirusin is a bircas ha’shvach, a brocha recited praising Hashem for a Jewish marriage. We will now explore some of the nafka minos, the halachic differences between the two perspectives.
Is the brocha recited on behalf of the chosson?
As we know, the minhag is that the mesader kiddushin, the one officiating at the wedding, is the one who recites the Bircas ha’Eirusin. This needs to be explained. Why is he the one to recite the brocha?
According to the Rosh, that it is a bircas ha’shvach, this is logical. Since it is a brocha of praising Hashem upon this great occasion, it is not necessarily the chosson per se who must recite the brocha. As the Ta z (Y”D 1:16) explains, since the brocha is a general praise to Hashem and not on the mitzvah performance, it can be recited by any of the onlookers, such as the mesader kiddushin. This is also the opinion of the Be’er Sheva.
On the other hand, if it is a bircas hamitzvah, a brocha recited on the performance of the mitzvah of kiddushin, why is the mesader kiddushin the one to recite the brocha and not the chosson, who is performing the mitzvah? Indeed, the Rambam himself writes that since it is a brocha for performing a mitzvah, the chosson should be the one to recite the brocha.
The Shulchan Aruch (34:1) writes that there are different opinions as to who should recite the brocha: the chosson or the mesader kiddushin. The Rama adds that the prevalent minhag is for it to be recited by someone else, not the chosson. The Beis Shmuel (34:2) quotes the P’risha, who explains that the reason for this minhag is not to embarrass the chosson, just in case he does not know how to recite the brocha properly. That being the case, if there is no one else who can recite the brocha, the chosson can recite the brocha himself.
Similarly, the Ta z (34:1) quotes the Maharshal, who uses the same reasoning. He points to a precedent in regards to krias haTorah, where the baal korei always reads, just in case the person getting an aliyah doesn’t know how to read properly.
This was the custom of many gedolim, including the Imrei Emes (Micht’vei Torah 58) and the Brisker Rav (quoted in Apiryon Shlomo 83:1). When reciting the brocha, they would tell the chosson to have in mind to be yotzei from their recitation. This is based on the assumption that it is a bircas hamitzvah. If it is a bircas ha’shvach, anyone can recite the brocha, and it would be unnecessary to recite it on behalf of the chosson.
The B’tzeil Hachachma (2:71), however, asserts that even if it is a bircas ha’shvach, it is the chosson who has the requirement to praise Hashem and not the bystanders. Thus, according to this viewpoint, even if it is a bircas ha’shvach, the mesader kiddushin would have to have in mind to recite the brocha on behalf of the chosson.
Summary
In conclusion, we have a possible nafka mina. If Bircas Eirusin is a bircas hamitzvah, the mesader kiddushin is reciting the brocha on behalf of the chosson, and he must have in mind to recite it for him. But if it is a bircas ha’shvach, it is possible that it is a brocha that anyone can recite, and it would be unnecessary to recite it on behalf of the chosson.
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