There are two brachos recited at the time of the milah, with the first brachah of “al hamilah,” the brachah recited for the mitzvah to perform the milah, recited by the mohel. But how does the mohel recite the brachah on someone else’s mitzvah, especially when the text of the brachah is “v’tzivanu,” “that He commanded us,” if the father was commanded, and not the mohel?
We can glean a better understanding of this subject from a similar discussion in regard to the mitzvah of bedikas chometz. The Shulchan Aruch discusses a scenario where one is not able to conduct the entire bedikas chometz on his own and solicits the help of others. The halachah dictates that if he is doing part of the search, he can recite the brachah, and the others should listen to his brachah. The Magen Avraham points out that we can deduce from here that if the owner is not participating at all in the bedikah, he cannot recite the brachah, and it must be recited by the emissary (shaliach).
The Magen Avraham there raises the same question: How can the emissary recite the brachah if it is not his house and it’s not his mitzvah? He adds that although when it comes to shofar blowing, one who has already fulfilled his obligation can blow for others and recite the brachah, that case is different. When blowing shofar for others, the one hearing the shofar is doing what is required of him – listening to the shofar. Therefore, the one blowing can recite the brachah for him, and the listener can answer amein, which is the equivalent of the brachah being recited by the listener. However, in the case of bedikas chometz, if the owner is doing nothing, he has no reason to recite the brachah, and the emissary is not reciting the brachah for him. Which brings us back to the question: How can he recite a brachah on a mitzvah that is not his?
The Magen Avraham then points out that we find a precedent in which the emissary is the one to recite the brachah in our case of milah. The mohel is the one who recites the brachah, even if the father is not actively involved, and even if the father is not present at the milah. He proves from here that an emissary can, in fact, recite the brachah as long as he is the one who is doing the maaseh mitzvah, the action of performing the mitzvah.
The Noda B’Yehudah, in his glosses on the Shulchan Aruch, Dagul M’rivava, adds that there is a simple reason why the mohel can recite the brachah. If a father does not perform the milah on his son, the mitzvah becomes incumbent on the entire Klal Yisrael. Therefore, the mohel is indeed commanded to perform the milah and has the right to recite the brachah, including the words “v’tzivanu,” since he was, in fact commanded to perform the milah. However, this does not work for bedikas chometz or other mitzvos where the mitzvah is not incumbent on the entire Klal Yisrael.
In Conclusion
The mohel – or any emissary – can recite the brachah, either because the mitzvah of milah is a mitzvah that is incumbent on all of Klal Yisrael or because he is the one performing the mitzvah, as we see in regard to bedikas chometz.
RABBI NACHUM SCHEINER
