Uncertain whether he recited the blessing over Torah learning

Question

If someone is uncertain whether he said the blessing over Torah learning, or for some reason there is a doubt whether he is obligated to say that blessing, what should he do?

Answer

There are a few possibilities:

  1. If he didn’t recite the morning prayer shacharit yet, he can intend that the blessing “with abundant love have you loved us” (the second blessing before Shema Yisrael”) serve as a blessing over Torah learning. He has to learn something as soon as he finishes his prayer. But even if he did not have the proper intention, and did not learn after the prayer, post factum he fulfilled his obligation of reciting this blessing, since he was uncertain whether he had to say it in the first place.
  2. He can ask someone who didn’t say the blessing on learning Torah to have him in mind while saying the blessing, so that he’ll be able to fulfill his obligation.
  3. If he can’t say the blessing “with abundant love have you loved us”, such as in a case that he woke up after zman tfila (the time when the morning prayer can be recited), and there is no-one who can have him in mind while saying the blessing on learning Torah, he should just say the blessing “Who chose us from all the peoples and gave us His Torah”.
  4. If there is Torah reading on that day, he can get called up to the Torah and solve the problem by saying the blessing before the Torah reading.

Source

Shulchan Oruch, section Orach Chaim, ch. 47

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