Q&A: A Blessing with the Divine Name but Without Kingship
A Blessing with the Divine Name but Without Kingship
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Two assumptions:
1. A blessing that does not contain the Divine Name and kingship is not a blessing, except in specific cases.
2. The severity of a blessing said in vain, certainly according to Maimonides, is unique to saying the fixed formula of a blessing in vain; but saying God’s Name in a manner of praise or for some other justified reason is permitted.
If these assumptions are accepted, then my question is: is a blessing recited with the Divine Name but without kingship—not jokingly, but also not in a place where it is halakhically required—a blessing in vain? And specifically regarding the concluding blessing of Hallel: if someone does not recite a blessing over Hallel when it is said in abridged form, should he also refrain from this blessing?
Answer
I already wrote here in the past that this whole issue of a blessing in vain is, in my view, a mystery. In any case, it is hard to say that a blessing without kingship is a blessing for this purpose.