Seven Brachos
16. Two birchos haTorah. The one who gets the maftir aliyah makes a total of seven brachos, corresponding to the seven aliyos: two for the Kriyas HaTorah of maftir, and another five for the haftara. These are very great brachos: in them, we daven for Malchus Beis Dovid, the Avoda, and the Geula. The maftir is a shliach for all of us and makes the brachos on our behalf. One who thinks about it will realize it is a great mitzva, as the maftir connects the Torah with the Nevi’im and says seven brachos, which are like the Sheva Brachos for a chosson and kallah (סדר היום, סדר תפילת שבת).
17. Five brachos. There is one bracha before the haftara is lained and four after. The five brachos of the haftara correspond to the five Chumashim (אבודרהם).
18. Aloud. The brachos should be said in a strong voice so that everyone can hear and answer Amen (מ''ב סי' רפ''ד סק''ה). The tzibbur must have in mind to listen to them; then, these brachos can count toward one’s hundred brachos (שו''ע שם ס''ג) (see Issue 134, par. 13).
Nature of the Brachos
19. Birkas hamitzvos. Some say the bracha before the haftara is like a birkas hamitzvos, and the brachos afterward are like birchos hashevach (ריטב''א מגילה דף כ''א ע''א).
20. Birkas hashevach. However, others say it is not a birkas hamitzvos. The entire mitzva came about due to hardship and a decree against laining the Torah; Chazal did not establish a birkas hamitzvos for this like for other mitzvos (חיד''א בספרו כסא רחמים).
Beginning the Brachos
21. The maftir should not begin saying the brachos until the goleil finishes rolling up the sefer Torah (מ''ב סי' קמ''ז סקכ''ב). He should certainly not begin laining the actual haftara until the sefer Torah is covered (שו''ע שם ס''ז, שו''ע סי' רפ''ד ס''ו) with its mantle (רש''י סוטה דף ל''ט ע''ב ד''ה עד שתגלל, מ''ב שם סקי''ב) so that the goleil can listen to the brachos and haftara while he is no longer preoccupied with rolling up the sefer Torah.
Leaving the Haftara Sefer Out During the Brachos
22. The sefer the haftara was lained from, i.e., the klaf, haftara sefer, or chumash, should not be removed from the bima until the brachos following the haftara are completed. This way, the maftir can make the brachos and see what the haftara was lained from (מג''א, מ''ב סי' רפ''ד סקי''ב). However, it may be closed.
23. Nevertheless, if another minyan that needed the Navi sefer took it for laining, the brachos may still be made, as this halacha is just l’chatchila (שערי אפרים שער ט' סקט''ז).
