If you'll notice, whenever we bentch after bread during the days of Chanukah, we say the "Al Hanisim" prayer before the conclusion of the second brachah. When saying an "Al Hamichyah (or "Brachah Me'ein Shalosh"), we do not mention Chanukah as we do with all the other Yomim Tovim. Why?
In Shulchan Aruch (שו"ע או"ח סי' ר"ח סי"ב) the Mechaber writes the above as the halachah without explaining why. The Mishnah Berurah there (ס"ק נ"ט) brings in the name of the Gr"a that being that mentioning the day even by regular bentching is only a minhag, here where the minhag was never instituted, that's how it remains.
But, one can wonder, why did the minhag in fact never start?
The Mahara'm of Rothenburg explains - mentioning the day is only in context: during bencthing, when we praise Hashem for the good of the land, it follows that we mention His praises for the joyous day that we are celebrating; in the Brachah Me'ein Shalosh where there is no liturgy of praises, we omit it.
תשובות מהר"ם מרוטנברג (דפוס פראג) סי' ע
ועי' שו"ת יביע אומר ח"ג - או"ח סי' ל"ו באריכות שמביא כל השיטות בזה ודן בהם
I didn't fully get it. Why do we mention other holidays, like Pesach etc.?
ReplyDeleteDavid, to explain:
ReplyDeleteThe Gemara (ברכות מח, ב) rules that Shabbos and holidays should be mentioned in the Birkas Hamazon, similar to the idea of mentioning a holiday or Shabbos when we daven on that day. Being that the mention of Shabbos and Yom Tov is considered "bakashas rachamim", it was instituted to be said during ברכת רחם.
(עי' בשו"ע או"ח סי' קפ"ח ס"ה ובבמנ"ב שם סקי"ב)
The mention of Chanukah and Purim are not by definition בקשת רחמים rather הודאה. This theme matches more the idea of the second brachah, על הארץ. This however is only a minhag (שבת כד, א וברש"י שם), not a chiyuv. Being that it's only a minhag, it wasn't extended to brachah me'ein shalosh.
עי' שו"ע סי' תרפ"ב ס"א ובנו"כ שם