Once every twenty-eight years, on April 8th, we recite the Beracha of Birkat Ha’hama upon seeing the sun, which on this day returns to the position in which it was placed at the time of creation. This will occur this year (5769/2009) on Ereb Pesah.
If a Berit Mila is held in the synagogue on the day of Birkat Ha’hama, which of these two Misvot takes precedence? Should the congregation first go outside to recite Birkat Ha’hama, or should they perform the Berit Mila and then go recite Birkat Ha’hama?
Generally speaking, Berit Mila certainly takes precedence over Birkat Ha’hama. For one thing, the rule of "Tadir Ve’she’eno Tadir Tadir Kodem" requires giving precedence to the more frequent Misva, and Berit Mila of course occurs more frequently than Birkat Ha’hama. Additionally, Berit Mila constitutes a Torah obligation, whereas the recitation of Birkat Ha’hama is required by force of Rabbinic enactment. For both these reasons, precedence should, as a rule, be given to Berit Mila.
The exception to this rule is a situation where delaying Birkat Ha’hama may result in missing the Misva altogether. For example, if the hour is late, and there is concern that the Berit Mila may not be completed until after the third hour of the day, at which point one can no longer recite Birkat Ha’hama, then Birkat Ha’hama should be recited before the Berit. Similarly, if it is a cloudy day and the sun temporarily appears, the congregation should recite Birkat Ha’hama to take advantage of the sun’s visibility, even before performing the Berit.
This is the ruling of Rav Pinhas Zevihi, in his work on Birkat Ha’hama (p. 240; listen to audio recording for precise citation).
Another interesting question concerns Birkat Ha’ilanot – the Beracha recited each year during the month of Nissan upon seeing trees in bloom. Twenty-eight years ago, the last time Birkat Ha’hama was recited, Rabbi Haim Kanievsky happened to see that morning trees in bloom for the first time that season, before he recited Birkat Ha’hama. He thus faced the question of whether to afford precedence to Birkat Ha’ilanot or to Birkat Ha’hama. On the one hand, we might claim that precedence should be given to Birkat Ha’ilanot, which we recite each year, as opposed to Birkat Ha’hama, which we recite only once every twenty-eight years. Alternatively, however, one might argue that Birkat Ha’hama should take precedence because it is confined to a very limited time-frame – the first three hours of the day – whereas Birkat Ha’ilanot may be recited at any point during the month of Nissan.
Rav Kanievsky concluded that Birkat Ha’hama should take precedence, because in reality, it is recited more frequently than Birkat Ha’ilanot. The Beracha recited upon seeing the sun is "Ose Ma’ase Bereshit" – the same Beracha which we recite upon seeing other phenomena, such as lightning. Since this Beracha is recited several times throughout the year, it is considered more frequent than Birkat Ha’ilanot, which we recite only once each year. Rav Kanievsky compared Birkat Ha’hama in this respect to the Beracha of She’heheyanu recited when one sits in the Sukka for the first time on the first night of Sukkot. Rashi, in Masechet Sukka, comments that one recites She’heheyanu before the Beracha over the Sukka ("Lesheb Ba’sukka"), because it is recited more frequently. Although the Beracha of Sheheheyanu is not recited over the Sukka more frequently than the Beracha over the Sukka, it is considered more frequent because it is recited in many other contexts. Similarly, Rav Kanievsky contended, Birkat Ha’hama is considered more frequent than Birkat Ha’ilanot, since the Beracha is recited in other contexts several times a year. Hence, Birkat Ha’hama should be recited before Birkat Ha’ilanot. This is indeed the conclusion accepted by Rav Zevihi (listen to audio recording for precise citation).
Summary: If a Berit Mila is held in the synagogue on the morning of Birkat Ha’hama, it should be performed before Birkat Ha’hama, unless this would pose the risk of missing Birkat Ha’hama altogether. If one had not recited Birkat Ha’ilanot before the morning of Birkat Ha’hama, and he sees trees in bloom, he should first recite Birkat Ha’hama and then Birkat Ha’ilanot.
