Additions to Birkas Hamazon - Part 4: Other Special Days
Rosh Hashanah
On Rosh Hashanah, Ya’aleh Veyavo is added to Birkas Hamazon. On the night of Rosh Hashanah, it is forbidden to fast and eating a bread meal is obligatory. Therefore, if one omits Ya’aleh Veyavo, bentching must be repeated.214
During the day, however, there is an opinion that allows fasting. Although the halachah does not follow that opinion, some Acharonim maintain that concerning bentching a second time, this opinion should be taken into account, and the meal should not be considered obligatory.215
Others say that once a person chooses not to fast, he is obligated to eat bread. Thus, having a bread meal is, in fact, obligatory for this individual, and bentching needs to be repeated.216 There is no clear consensus on the final halachah regarding this matter.217
If one realizes his omission before starting Hatov Vehameitiv, the compensatory berachah should be recited instead of Ya’aleh Veyavo. The text is of the berachah is: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַן יָמִים טוֹבִים לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־יוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן הַזֶּה. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' מְקַדֵּשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן.218
Yom Kippur
On Yom Kippur, a person who is permitted to eat recites Ya’aleh Veyavo in bentching.219 Certainly, there is no obligation to eat a bread meal, and therefore, if Ya’aleh Veyavo is omitted, it is not necessary to bentch again. Additionally, no compensatory berachah is said in a case where one realizes his omission before starting Hatov Vehameitiv.220
Tishah Be’Av
Rema221 rules that a person who eats on Tishah Be’Av should recite Nacheim in the berachah of Bonei Yerushalayim. Other Acharonim222 disagree and maintain that one should not say Nacheim. A compromise opinion holds that it should be said as part of the Harachaman supplications.223
All opinions agree that if Nacheim was omitted, one would not have to repeat bentching.224 There is also no compensatory berachah to be said in a case where one realizes his omission before starting Hatov Vehameitiv.
Chanukah and Purim
On Chanukah and Purim, Al Hanissim, followed by the paragraph of Be’yemei, is inserted into the second berachah of Birkas Hamazon. If it is omitted, one does not bentch again.225 If one realizes his omission before reciting the Name of Hashem at the end of the berachah, he returns to Al Hanissim.226 If he already said the Name of Hashem, it should be said as one of the Harachaman supplications. That is, after the words בְּעֵינֵי אֱלֹהִים וְאָדָם, he should say: הָרַחֲמָן הוּא יַעֲשֶה לָנוּ נִסִּים וְנִפְלָאוֹת כְּשֵׁם שֶעָשִׁיתָ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה. Then, the paragraph of Be’yemei should be recited.227 If it is also Rosh Chodesh, the Harachaman for Rosh Chodesh should be said before the one for Chanukah.228
If one forgets to say Retzeih on Shabbos Chanukah and needs to repeat bentching, he should say Al Hanissim in the second bentching, even if he already said it in the first.229
Chol Hamoed
On Chol Hamoed, Ya’aleh Veyavo is added to Birkas Hamazon. There is no obligation to have a bread meal on Chol Hamoed, and therefore, bentching is not repeated if Ya’aleh Veyavo is omitted.230
If one realizes his omission before starting Hatov Vehameitiv, the following compensatory berachah should be recited: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַן מוֹעֲדִים לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחָה אֶת־יוֹם חַג (פלוני) הַזֶּה. The text of this berachah is the same as the one recited on Yom Tov except that אֲשֶׁר נָתַן מוֹעֲדִים is said instead of אֲשֶׁר נָתַן יָמִים טוֹבִים. Also, the chasimah of בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' מְקַדֵּשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַזְּמַנִּים is omitted.231
214 Tehillah LeDavid 188:5; R’ S. Z. Auerbach cited in Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah 57, footnote 23, based on Mishnah Berurah 597:5.
215 Magen Avraham cited in Mishnah Berurah 188:19.
216 Eliyah Rabbah cited in Mishnah Berurah ibid.
217 See Mateh Ephraim 583:4 and Aruch Hashulchan 188:21, who rule that one should repeat Birkas Hamazon. However, see Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 44:14, who writes that one should not repeat Birkas Hamazon. An argument can be made that one should not repeat it because of the general rule that סָפֵק בְּרָכוֹת לְהָקֵל – when there is doubt as to whether a berachah should be recited, we rule leniently and do not recite the berachah (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah 57, footnote 25).
218 Mishnah Berurah 188:19.
219 Shulchan Aruch 618:10. See, however, Mishnah Berurah 618:29 who cites opinions that Ya’aleh Veyavo is never said on Yom Kippur.
220 Mishnah Berurah 188:19.
221 557:1.
222 Cited in Mishnah Berurah 557:5.
223 Kaf Hachaim 557:11.
224 Mishnah Berurah 557:5.
225 Shulchan Aruch 682:1; Rema 187:4. See Mishnah Berurah 695:15 who cites a disagreement about whether bentching needs to be repeated if Al Hanissim is omitted on Purim. This dispute, however, only applies to the first meal eaten on Purim day. Practically speaking, Mishnah Berurah writes that even concerning the first meal, one should not bentch again due to the principle of סָפֵק בְּרָכוֹת לְהָקֵל.
226 Shulchan Aruch ibid.
227 Rema 682:1, with Mishnah Berurah 5.
228 Mishnah Berurah 682:5. Likewise, on Shabbos, the Harachaman mentioning Shabbos should be said before the one for Chanukah.
229 Sha’ar Hatziyun 188:21; Chayei Adam 154:39.
230 Shulchan Aruch 188:7.
231 Mishnah Berurah 188:27. Some say אֲשֶׁר נָתַן יָמִים קְדוֹשִׁים; Sha’ar Hatziyun 19.