Everybody Does It

  1) At least twice a day the Chazzan says Borchu es hashem hamevoroch.

               2) The Kol Bo writes , when the chazzan says Borchu,   he must bow down. (mekor)

               3) There  is no mention anywhere, for the tzibur  to bow when answering   (no mekor)

               Boruch hashem hamevorach

              4) The Mechaber & Rema write ( O ch. 113 – 3)  שאין לכרוע אלא במקו שתקנו חכמיס 

               You may    not  bow  down  only  in places where  chazal  instituted  to do so .

5) The mogein giborim  writes ,   people bow at borchu  but we can’t find

               a  smach for it “ (a heter ).

How and why is it, that today everybody bows down, when answering after boruchu ?

Wouldn't it be neged halacha?

The maharashdam * (y”d 193) writes ,on  minhagim that go back

 a long time,  and  are against  halacha, we must search  until we find a

 mekor (source).  to come up with a heter. “Minhag Yisroel Torah”.

Therefore the Biur Halacha (113  3)   came up with a smach (for tzibur bowing)

               from a pasuk in Divrei Hayomim (1-29- 20) “Vayomer Dovid --- Borchu noh

es hashem elokeichem, Vayevorchu, --- Vayikdu VAYISHTACHVU---

              Even though   it’s a dochek to apply this  to our case, but Minhag Yisrael Torah.

              We do find  Poskim , calling some  minhagim , minhag shtus, or mitzvo l’vateil etc. 

              probably the difference  between minhag shtus and M.Y. Torah depends

           if it is done by a large tzibbur and has been done for a long time.

           

           If a tzibur have been doing something for a long time,  It would be very

             difficult to make them change.

        

        * R. Shmuel di Medina