Can one make one’s own bracha of hamotzi and hagafen when tasting the wine and eating the challah at the shabbas seudah or is it better to be yotze with the mevarach. If it is ok to make ones own beracha should one answer amen to the mevarach’s brachos?
Answer:
For hamotzi it is important to be yotzei with the mevarech, because of the virtue of lechem mishneh: In order to achieve the virtue one has to make the berachah on two whole loaves, which is done by the mevarech. If one makes a separate berachah on the piece of challah that the mevarech gives you, you lose the virtue of making the berachah on lechem mishneh.
Although it remains possible to make the berachah together with the mevarech, this is not recommended, because one should preferably make the berachah with one’s hands on the bread, and not from afar.
For the wine, it is possible to make your own berachah, but it is better to be yotzei with the mevarech because of the principle of “berov am hadras melech.”
In addition, you are being yotzei Kiddush with the mevarech in any case, and therefore it would require special negative intent to not be yotzei for the wine. This will constitute a berachah she-eina tzricha – an extraneous berachah – and therefore should not be done.
Best wishes.
