Torah Blessings

Shavua Tov-

There is a Pasuk in today’s Parsha that has Halachic implications. The Torah says, כי שם ה׳ אקרא, that I will call out in the name of Hashem.

Some learn this Pasuk to be referring to the Torah obligation to recite the blessings on ברכות התורה, that begin with אשר בחר בנו מכל העמים, before studying Torah.

We must call out to Hashem, before we study His Torah.

According to this view, in addition to ברכת המזון being a Torah blessing, we would also add the blessings before learning Torah as a second blessing that is also from the Torah.

Some even add the Bracha of בורא פרי הגפן as a third Torah blessing. When the Torah says, זכור את יום השבת לקדשו, that we are to remember to keep the Sabbath say holy, the Rabbis say, זכרהו על היין, remember it with wine.

All other Brachot that we make are דרבנן, from the Rabbis. Therefore, we say, ספק ברכות להקל, that because blessings are rabbinical, when in doubt, we take the lenient approach.