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By Yaakov, September 15, 2009 9:03 am

There is a machloket between Sefardim and Ashkenazim on how many berachot to say when putting on tefillin:

…ויניח של יד תחלה ויברך להניח תפילין ואחר כך יניח של ראש ולא יברך כי אם ברכה אחת לשתיהם. הגה: ויש אומרים לברך על של ראש על מצות תפילין אפילו לא הפסיק בינתיים (וכן פשט המנהג בבני אשכנז שמברכין שתי ברכות .וטוב לומר תמיד אחר הברכה השניה ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד) (שולחן ערוך אורח חיים כה:ה)

Sefardim just say the beracha of lehaniach tefillin before putting on the shel yad and do not say a beracha on the shel rosh at all. Ashkenazim say lehaniach on the shel yad and al mitzvat tefillin on the shel rosh[1].

After this the minhag (as quoted by the Rema) is to say “Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto L’olam va’ed“. The reason for this is because it is a sefek beracha levatala, and therefore we say Barcuh Shem to “cover ourselves” in case it really is an unnecessary beracha.

The Aruch haShulchan (OC 25:10-13) raises the question: how can this be the proper action? If we are really so unsure about whether or not the second beracha should be said, then we should treat it like any other safek beracha and just not say it. And if we are sure that the halacha is to say two berachot, then why say barush shem?

To answer this question the AhS suggests that the halacha for Ashkenazim is definitely to say two, and the Rema was the one who was not so sure, but since the minhag was already established he could not abolish it, and therefore suggested instead to say baruch shem. Perhaps also in answer to the same question, the Mishna Berurah says that the second beracha is not a safek beracha - rather, it is a chashash safek beracha (so perhaps saying baruch shem would just be a chumra or hidur).

Despite his initial justification of the Rema’s p’sak, the AhS goes on to reject the explanation that saying baruch shem is connected to a safek beracha. If it were a safek beracha, that would imply that both berachot are coming for the same putpose. However, the AhS claims that this cannot be the case – we do not have two berachot come for the same purpose (and we see with hafrashat terumot that one beracha can be used to cover a number of related actions that are happening consecutively).

If the second beracha is not coming because of the mitzva of tefillin, then what is it coming for? To answer this, and justify the saying of baruch shem, the AhS comes up with a very novel idea (25:13):

ולכן נראה לי דברכת “על מצות תפילין” היא ברכת הודאה כמו שכתבתי מקודם, בהיות מצוה זו הקשר הגדול שמקשר את ישראל לאביהם שבשמים. לזה אנו מברכים ברכת הודאה, להודות להשם יתברך על הטוב הזה. ובהיות שעיקר הקשר הוא בפסוק “שמע ישראל”, ולכן אנו אומרים “ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד” כמו שיעקב אבינו ענה כן בעת שהשבטים אמרו “שמע ישראל”, כדאיתא בפסחים (נו א).

וראיה לזה מלשון “תפילין” עצמה, שכתב הטור לשון “פלילה”, שהן אות ועדות לכל רואינו שהשכינה שורה עלינו… עד כאן לשונו. וזהו פירושו: דעל מצות תפילין, כלומר על מה שהשם יתברך התחבר אלינו – אנו נותנים לו יתברך שבח והודיה על זה.

The second beracha is not a birkat hamitzva. Rather it is a birkat hoda’a, giving thanks to Hashem for the gift that he has given us of the mitzva of tefillin, which is the big connection that ties Jews with their father in shamayim. And since the best example of how we express this connection is the Shema, we therefore say baruch shem kevod after saying the second beracha. After thanking Hashem for this great connection with him, we emulate Yaakov Avinu, who when he heard his sons say the Shema, his response to the expression of this connection was to say baruch shem. Based on this explanation, baruch shem is no longer a questionable way to avoid committing a sin by saying an unnecessary beracha – instead it is a natural reaction to expressing the closeness of our relationship with God.

[1]: The opinion for one beracha is based on a Gemara in Menachot (36a), and is supported by Rashim the Rif and the Rambam. The opinion that there is one beracha for the shel yad and one for the shel rosh is based on a Gemara in Berachot (60b) and is supported by Yerushalmi, Midrash Tanchuma, Rabbeinu Tam, the Rosh and the Tur.