As is their weekly tradition, my kids went straight to The Jewish Link Memes of the Week in the March 7 edition. One meme portrayed a funny photo of a person who accidentally responded, “Baruch Hu U’varuch Shemo” (henceforth “BHUS”) to his host’s recital of Hamotzi on behalf of everyone at the Shabbat table. As someone who enjoys researching halacha and minhagim, I found it curious that this meme’s message was effectively that one should not respond “BHUS” after a blessing that is recited on one’s behalf.
The Shulhan Aruch (O.H. 124:5) rules: “on every blessing that a person hears, in every place, one should respond ‘BHUS.’” The implication of this ruling is that for every blessing one hears, one should respond “BHUS,” whether or not the blessing is being recited on behalf of that person. Indeed, the custom of my community, which originally hails from Morocco, is to respond to all blessings, even ones which are being said on behalf of other people. Therefore, when the head of the household recites Kiddush or Hamotzi, for example, all those present should respond “BHUS.” The same holds true for a chazan who recites the blessings for Hallel, Shofar, Megillah and the like on behalf of the congregation. This is not the forum for a larger discussion on the matter, but this custom has a solid halachic foundation and has been confirmed by numerous poskim throughout the generations.
I certainly enjoyed the intended giggle of this meme, but it reaffirmed my commitment to my holy community’s ancient and beautiful customs.
