QUESTION

Brooklyn, NY

Should I be concerned for hefseik when doing Sheva Berakhot at a chuppah?

If so, is asking someone to offer a personal (not liturgical) blessing to the couple, between Sheva Berakhot, constitute a hefseik?

(I want to have seven women each speak personally, after each of seven men recite a berakhah.)

(I assume having seven women offer translation wouldn’t be a hefseik, but this is different/personal.)

ANSWER

I have done something like this before. We rule that the order is not מעכב, which indicates that the berakhot are independent of one another. There are some who have the practice not to split up the berakhot based on an understanding that they are all one unit, and that some of them are berakhah hasamukh lechavertah. Rav Moshe disagrees – even though some don’t open with the ברוך אתה formulation, this is because they were originally placed juxtaposed to another berakhah, but now that is their nusach, even if removed from that juxtaposition. See Iggrot Moshe EH 1:94 – where he says in this discussion that the only concern of hefseik would be if the one making the berakhah was going to drink from the wine, but given that it will be the chatan and kallah drinking, and they are not saying anything, there is no concern for hefseik,

שו”ת אגרות משה אבן העזר חלק א סימן צד
אך בעצם יש איסור הפסק מצד אחר כמו בברכות נישואין שאף בין הברכות הפותחות אסור משום דיהיה הפסק בין ברכת הגפן לשתיה…
כי למה שבארתי ליכא דין הפסק אלא בשביל שתיית היין שהמברכים אין נוהגין לשתות אלא החתן והכלה

See also Yabia Omer EH 4:7.1 who says essentially the same thing.