Does a mourner during the seven days recite the blessings on the Torah?
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Question
Does a mourner recite the blessings on the Torah?
Answer
A mourner is obligated to recite the blessing on the Torah because he studies permissible matters, and he even says afterward 'Yevarechecha' and 'Eilu Devarim,' as it is part of the prayer order.
Source
The book Shibolei HaLeket, Laws of Mourning, section 26, writes: "I found in the responses of the Gaonim that any day when it is forbidden to read the Torah, such as during mourning and on Tisha B'Av, it is forbidden to bless the blessing on the Torah." However, in section 269, Shibolei HaLeket writes: "There are Gaonim who say that one does not bless the blessing on the Torah because it is forbidden to study Torah, and the midrashim are nullified. However, it seems to me that this requires examination, as it is permissible to read the Torah, Job, Lamentations, and the negative things in Jeremiah, therefore one blesses the blessing on the Torah and reads only in the section of Tamid."
Moreover, even if we say that the mourner is not obligated to study the forbidden matters, he still needs to bless, as the Gra wrote, brought in Biur Halacha, section 47, paragraph 14, where he states that even if women are not obligated to study Torah, they can bless on the Torah like all time-bound positive commandments that they bless even if exempt, as the Rama wrote in section 17, paragraph 2. The same applies to the mourner, even if he is exempt from studying Torah, he can still bless.
And he says 'Yevarechecha' since it is part of the prayer order after the blessings on the Torah.