Sunday, June 4, 2023

טורח הציבור לגבי ברכת כהנים

Recently I had the occasion to daven at בית גבריאל, a Bukharian shul in Midtown, where I had the זכות to receive ברכת כהנים on an ordinary weekday. This experience was an eye-opener for me, in that the entire procedure took about 3 minutes, including the washing of the כהנים's hands. At this point I have trouble understanding what כל בו (סי' יא) refers to by objecting to daily ברכת כהנים on grounds of טורח הציבור. (The same צ"ב applies to the מהריל (תשובה חדשה כז) who says that daily ברכת כהנים causes ביטול מלאכה.)

A possible explanation of what would constitute טורח הציבור is the way ברכת כהנים is done in אשכנזי congregations on יו"ט, where every step of the process in done with painstaking care and deliberation, as well as many accessories, such as extended chants sung by the כהנים, and the like. This is seemingly a result of the fact that in these communities ברכת כהנים is (unfortunately) performed so rarely that it becomes (fortunately) a very special occasion. 

Perhaps where ברכת כהנים was done daily in ancient אשכנזי communities, it was indeed performed with all the accoutrements, in which case there would indeed be significant טורח הציבור. Nevertheless, the simplest solution to this problem is not to do away with a מצות עשה (almost) entirely, but rather to leave the accessories for where there is time, and keep, at least, the main part of the מצוה alive.

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