The brachah of Oter Yisrael Besifarah is brought down in the words of the Gemara (Brachos 60b): “Ki paris sudra al reishia” [when a person puts the sudar over his head], he should say ‘Oter Yisrael besifarah.” The words of the brachah are based on the passuk (Yeshayah 62:3): “Vayhisa ateres tiferes beYad Hashem.” (Bais Yosef Orach Chaim 46)
The Pri Chadash (46 1) proves from the words of the Gemara that this gratitude was instituted particularly for the donning of the sudar [a garment placed on the head that fell onto the shoulders], which in times past, was worn by distinguished personalities. It was a symbol of stature and importance, and it was called a sudar because of the words of the passuk (Tehillim 25:14) “Sod Hashem l’yereiav.” (Shabbos 77b) Therefore, the Shibbolei Haleket (4) says, Rav Amram Gaon and Rav Natronai Gaon skipped this brachah, because in their times, it was no longer customary to wear a sudar. From the words of the Avudraham it also appears that this brachah was established for some type of special headgear, similar to what was customarily worn in Arab nations. He writes: “And throughout the land of Ishmael, it is customary to say this because they place a type of covering on their heads, but in these lands it is not customarily said because they do not put on a mitznefes [a type of head covering].” (See Bais Yosef Orach Chaim 46 1)
Gratitude for the Head Covering
On the other hand, some of the Rishonim are of the opinion that this brachah was instituted for any head covering, and it makes no difference if it is a symbol of stature (Tosafos Brachos 60b, beginning with ki paris. The Pri Chadash there also derived this from the words of the Rambam.) The Bais Yosef explains (Orach Chaim 46, beginning with ki paris), that in their view, this brachah was instituted regarding the caution of Am Yisrael not to go with their heads uncovered, so that they should sense the Yiras Shamayim over their heads. Walking with one’s head uncovered is a manner of pride and insolence, and a head covering indicates that a person is G-d fearing and accepts upon himself the yoke of Hashem’s mitzvos (see Levush Orach Chaim 2 6). As the Gemara says (Kiddushin 31a): “Rav Huna the son of Rav Yehoshua said he would not walk four amos without a head covering, and said, ‘the Shechinah is above my head.’” We can learn from a story in the Gemara (Shabbos 156b) about the virtue of covering one’s head to bring about yiras Shamayim: The stargazers predicted to the mother of one of the Amoraim that her son was destined to become a thief when he grew older. So she made sure to constantly remind him, “Cover your head so that you should have yiras Shamayim upon you.” The child did not fully understand what his mother meant until one day, he was sitting and learning under a palm tree, and the head covering suddenly fell off. Immediately, his evil inclination urged him to steal dates from the tree. Lacking the head covering, he did not have the necessary yiras Shamayim to overcome his inclination, and he quickly climbed the tree. Having no knife, he pulled at the cluster with his teeth. That was when the boy realized his mother’s words: the head covering had brought him to yiras Shamayim, and to be able to overcome his yetzer. The moment the covering fell off his head, his yetzer hara overpowered him.
The Reason “Yisrael” Is in This Brachah
In light of the above, it is understandable why this brachah was instituted with the name “Yisrael” in it – because the mitzvah of covering one’s head is a special commandment given to Am Yisrael so that they should have yiras Shamayim. In contrast to the other nations, whose intention when earing a head covering is to protect their heads from heat or cold, Am Yisrael only wears it in order to have yiras Shamayim. (Bais Yosef Orach Chaim 46; Levush ibid se’if katan 2) The sefer Olas Tamid (9) adds that one must thank in this brachah also for the fact that HaKadosh Baruch Hu is mis’ater and mispa’er – adorns Himself and is proud of us, Bnei Yisrael, as the passuk says (Yeshayah 62:3): “Vehayisa ateres tiferes beYad Hashem utzenif meluchah bekaf Elokecha - And you shall be a crown of glory in the Hand of Hashem and a kingly diadem in the Hand of your G-d.” Indeed, when saying this brachah, a person must think and pledge to improve his deeds so that he should be worthy of being the “crown of glory in the Hand of Hashem.”
Gratitude for the Mitzvos of the Torah
The Rosh would put tefillin on before this brachah, because he thought that this brachah was also gratitude for tefillin, which are called ‘pe’er”, as it says (Yechezkel 24:17) “Pe’ercha chavosh alecha.” Therefore, there are those who are careful to touch their tefillin when saying this brachah (Shulchan Aruch 25 3; Mishnah Berurah ibid 12). The author of Seder Hayom added that in this brachah we thank Hashem for crowning Am Yisrael with the crown of Torah, which is the glory of the mitzvos and the laws that adorn us over all the other nations, as the passuk says (Tehillim 147 19-20): “Maggid devarav le’Yaakov chukav umishpatav l’Yisrael; lo asah kein lechol goy umishpatim bal yeda’um.” Some have explained that the brachos of Ozer Yisrael Bigevruah and Oter Yisrael Besifarah were instituted to correspond to the 613 mitzvos that we received at Sinai. In the brachah of Ozer Yisrael Bigevurah we thank Hashem for the 365 mitzvos lo sa’aseh, as in order to be careful about them we need gevurah, strength, to overpower the evil inclination. In Oter Yisrael Besifarah, we thank Hashem for the 248 mitzvos aseh whose observance is like a crowning glory for us. (עלון בני מאמינים)
