Mitzvotמצוות

Baruch Shepetarani: The Bar Mitzvah Blessing

Sources explore the blessing recited by a father when his son reaches bar mitzvah age, including its midrashic origins, its halakhic status, and debates regarding whether it should be recited with or without God's name.

בָּרוּךְ שֶׁפְּטָרַנִּי מֵעָנְשׁוֹ שֶׁל זֶה

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What the sources say

The source of the brachah of baruch shepetarani is a midrashic statement: Bereshit Rabbah 63:10 records Rabbi Elazar teaching that a father is obligated to attend to his son's development until thirteen years of age, and from that point onward he should say "Blessed is the One who has exempted me from his punishment."

The Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 225:2 records the practice — in the name of the Maharil citing the Mordechai and citing Bereshit Rabbah — that when one's son becomes bar mitzvah he should recite the full brachah with Hashem's name and kingship, yet immediately notes the dissenting position that it is better to recite it without the name and kingdom.

The Mishnah Berurah resolves the dispute by explaining that Mishnah Berurah 225:8 the reason to recite without name and kingdom is that this brachah is not mentioned in the Gemara, but the Gra rules that since it appears in the Midrash and the Maharil ruled it as practical law, one may recite it with name and kingdom — and the Chayei Adam adds that one who does so has not lost out.

Magen Avraham 225 clarifies that the proper moment for the brachah is when the boy becomes thirteen years and one day old, and notes the widespread custom to recite it specifically when the young man davens or reads from the Torah on the first Shabbat, since that is when his bar mitzvah status becomes publicly known.

Source 1 · Chazal

Verified

Devarim Rabbah 7:5

דברים רבה ז׳:ה׳

Devarim Rabbah 7:5

A person is blessed upon entering the world and blessed upon leaving it; Rabbi Berekhyah expounds that just as a person is born clean, one is fortunate if one dies clean, thus warranting blessing both at birth and at death.

דָּבָר אַחֵר, בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה בְּבֹאֶךָ, בְּבִיאָתְךָ לָעוֹלָם, וּבָרוּךְ אַתָּה בְּצֵאתֶךָ, בִּיצִיאָתְךָ מִן הָעוֹלָם. אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה, כְּתִיב (קהלת ג, ב): עֵת לָלֶדֶת וְעֵת לָמוּת, וְכִי אֵין אָנוּ יוֹדְעִין שֶׁעֵת הוּא שֶׁאָדָם נוֹלַד וְעֵת הוּא שֶׁאָדָם מֵת, אֶלָּא אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם שֶׁעֵת מִיתָתוֹ כְּעֵת לֵדָתוֹ, מַה בִּשְׁעַת לֵדָתוֹ נָקִי, אַף בִּשְׁעַת מִיתָתוֹ נָקִי, הֱוֵי בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה בְּבֹאֶךָ וּבָרוּךְ אַתָּה בְּצֵאתֶךָ.

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Source 2 · Chazal

Verified

Bereishit Rabbah

בראשית רבה ס״ג:י׳

Bereshit Rabbah 63:10

The midrashic source most cited as the basis for the blessing: when Esav turned to bad ways, Yitzchak was relieved of heavenly punishment for Esav's sins. This is the aggadic root from which the custom of reciting Baruch Shepetarani is derived.

אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר צָרִיךְ אָדָם לְהִטָּפֵל בִּבְנוֹ עַד י"ג שָׁנָה, מִיכָּן וָאֵילָךְ צָרִיךְ שֶׁיֹּאמַר בָּרוּךְ שֶׁפְּטָרַנִּי מֵעָנְשׁוֹ שֶׁל זֶה.

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Beit Yosef, Orach Chayim

בית יוסף, אורח חיים רכ״ה

Beit Yosef, Orach Chayim 225

The passage reports that Rabha, when he was at Rav Huna's school, was uncertain whether one is obligated to recite a blessing when beginning Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; later at Rav Yehudah's school he adopted the practice of reciting a new blessing, and when asked clarified that he was asking about an obligation rather than a mere permission, deriving from the principle that the blessing of shehecheiyanu over a new fruit is optional rather than mandatory.

ודע דבס"פ בכל מערבין (שם) גרסינן אמר רבה כי הוינא בי רב הונא איבעיא לן מהו לומר זמן בר"ה וביה"כ כי אתאי בי רב יהודה אמר אנא אקרא חדתא קאמינא זמן א"ל רשות לא קא מיבעיא לי כי קא מיבעיא לי חובה מאי משמע מהתם שברכת שהחיינו על פרי המתחדש אינו חובה אלא רשות וכמו שכתבתי בשם הרשב"א:

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Source 4 · Acharonim

Verified

Magen Avraham

מגן אברהם רכ״ה

Magen Avraham 225

The Magen Avraham discusses whether the blessing should be said with or without God's name, references its source in the Midrash about Yitzchak, and addresses edge cases such as a father who was not present at his son's bar mitzvah.

היינו כשנעשה בן י"ג ויום אחד ועכשיו נהגו לברך בשעה שהנער מתפלל או קורא בשבת ראשונה שאז נודע לרבים שהוא בר מצוה (ל"ח). שהחיינו. ואינה אלא רשות (גמרא) וכ"כ בש"ג וכ"ה בסי' רכ"ג דלא כמו שנדחק בכ"ה:

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Source 5 · Acharonim

Verified

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim

שולחן ערוך, אורח חיים רכ״ה:ב׳

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 225:2

The Shulchan Arukh rules that a father recites Baruch Shepetarani when his son reaches bar mitzvah age, but without Shem u'Malkhut (God's name and kingship), due to the uncertainty of whether it is an obligatory blessing.

מי שלא ראה את חבירו מעולם ושלח לו כתבים אע"פ שהוא נהנה בראייתו אינו מברך על ראייתו: הגה יש אומרים מי שנעשה בנו בר מצוה יברך בא"י אמ"ה שפטרני מעונשו של זה (מהרי"ל בשם מרדכי ובר"ר פ' תולדות) וטוב לברך בלא שם ומלכות (דעת עצמו):

The one who has not seen his friend for a long time and sends him letters, even though he enjoys seeing him, does not bless upon seeing him. Some say that one who has a son become bar mitzvah should bless "Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has exempted me from his punishment" (Maharil in the name of Mordechai and Baruch Rosh Parshat Toldot), and it is good to bless without the name and kingdom (De'at Atzmo).

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Source 6 · Acharonim

Verified

Mishnah Berurah

משנה ברורה רכ״ה:ח׳

Mishnah Berurah 225:8

The passage presents a dispute regarding whether to recite the bracha baruch shepatrani with Shem u'Malkhus: one view holds it should not be recited with the divine name since it is not mentioned in the Gemara, while the Gra argues that because it appears in Midrash and the Maharil practiced it, it should be recited with Shem u'Malkhus, and adds that one who does recite it has not lost out.

(ח) וטוב לברך בלא וכו' - משום שלא הוזכרה ברכה זו בגמרא וכן העתיק בדה"ח אמנם דעת הגר"א בביאורו דמאחר שהוזכרה ברכה זו במדרש ומהרי"ל עשה כן הלכה למעשה יש לברך בשם ומלכות ועיין בח"א שכתב ג"כ דהמברך לא הפסיד:

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