Dvar torah for sheva berachos

The fourth beracha in the sheva berachos is

שוש תשיש ותגל העקרה בקיבוץ בניה לתוכה בשמחה, בא"י משמח ציון בבניה

“May Tziyon who was barren be exceedingly​ glad and rejoice, when her children are gathered within her in happiness. Blessed are you Hashem who causes Tziyon to rejoice together with her children.”

This beracha is a תפילה that Hashem should redeem us from galus.

Rashi in Kesuvos (דף ח' א', ד"ה שוש תשיש) explains that the reason that we have this beracha in sheva berachos is because

לפי שאנו צריכין להעלות זכרון ירושלים על ראש שמחתנו שנאמר (תהלים קל"ז) תדבק לשוני לחכי וגו'

The reason we ask for the redemption of Yerushalayim in the sheva berachos is because we are obliged to remember the desolation of Yerushalayim when we rejoice at a chasuna, as the passuk says (תהלים קל"ז ה', ו')

אִם אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלָיִם תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי. תִּדְבַּק לְשׁוֹנִי לְחִכִּי אִם לֹא אֶזְכְּרֵכִי, אִם לֹא אַעֲלֶה אֶת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם עַל רֹאשׁ שִׂמְחָתִי

If I forget you Yerushalayim, let my right hand forget its strength, let my tongue cleave to my palate if I will not remember you, if I will not raise Yerushalayim over the head of my rejoicing.

According to Rashi, the purpose of the beracha of שוש תשיש is to remind us that we are currently in exile and that Hashem will return us to Yerushalayim and build the beis ha’mikdash.

Interestingly, the בעל העיטור (חלק שני) writes that instead of concluding the beracha of שוש תשיש with “בא"י משמח ציון בבניה”, there used to be a minhag to conclude the beracha as follows

בא"י משמח עמו ובונה ירושלים

Blessed are you Hashem who causes his people to rejoice and who rebuilds Yerushalayim.

The בעל העיטור asks on this minhag from the gemara in Berachos (דף מ"ט) that says as follows:

וכל החותם... ומושיע את ישראל בבונה ירושלים הרי זה בור. רבי אומר אין חותמין בשתים... וטעמא מאי אין חותמין בשתים לפי שאין עושין מצות חבילות חבילות

If someone concludes the ברכה of בונה ירושלים in שמונה עשרה by saying - ברוך אתה ה' מושיע ישראל ובונה ירושלים – blessed are you Hashem who saves klal yisrael and who builds Yerushalayim - then this shows that he is an unlettered person. This is because we have a general rule that you cannot include two requests in the conclusion of a beracha, since we do not make bundles of mitzvos.

If so, asks the בעל העיטור, how can there be a minhag to conclude the beracha of שוש תשיש with - בא"י משמח עמו ובונה ירושלים - Blessed are you Hashem who causes his people to rejoice and who rebuilds Yerushalayim – since the gemara says that you cannot include two separate requests in the conclusion of a beracha?

The בעל העיטור answers as follows:

ואפשר לומר דתשועת ישראל יכולה להיות גם בזולת בנין ירושלים שהרי אפשר לישראל להושע מאויביהם ועדיין ירושלים לא נבנית, לפיכך תרי מילי נינהו ואין חותמין בשתים

The reason that you cannot conclude the beracha of rebuilding Yerushalayim in shemonei esrei by saying – ברוך אתה ה' מושיע ישראל ובונה ירושלים – blessed are you Hashem who saves the benei yisrael and who rebuilds Yerushalayim – is because the Jewish people could be saved even if Yerushalayim were not rebuilt – therefore asking Hashem to save the benei yisrael is a separate request to asking Hashem to rebuild Yerushalayim.

אבל שמחת ישראל אי אפשר להיות אלא על ידי בנין ירושלים, כמו שנאמר "וּפְדוּיֵי ה' יְשׁוּבוּן (לירושלים הבנויה) וּבָאוּ צִיּוֹן בְּרִנָּה (אז) וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם עַל רֹאשָׁם" (ישעיהו נ"א י"א), ונאמר "כִּי נִחַם ה' צִיּוֹן נִחַם כָּל חָרְבֹתֶיהָ וַיָּשֶׂם מִדְבָּרָהּ כְּעֵדֶן וגו' (ואח"כ) שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה יִמָּצֵא בָהּ" (ישעיהו נ"א ג'), ונאמר "וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל הַר קָדְשִׁי (ואח"כ) וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי" (ישעיה נ"ו ז')

However it is permissible to conclude the beracha of שוש תשיש with – בא"י משמח עמו ובונה ירושלים – who causes the benei yisrael to rejoice and who rebuilds Yerushalayim, since the happiness of klal yisrael will only be complete when Yerushalayim is rebuilt, as the passuk says - וּפְדוּיֵי ה' יְשׁוּבוּן וּבָאוּ צִיּוֹן בְּרִנָּה – and those redeemed by Hashem shall return to Yerushalayim and the Har Habayis with rejoicing – and only then does the passuk say - וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם עַל רֹאשָׁם – they shall attain eternal happiness.

Since the happiness of the Jewish people is dependent on the rebuilding of Yerushalayim – therefore if you say – ברוך אתה ה' מושיע ישראל ובונה ירושלים – blessed are you Hashem who saves the benei yisrael and who rebuilds Yerushalayim – you have really only asked Hashem for one thing – which is the complete happiness that we shall have when Hashem rebuilds Yerushalayim.

It would appear from the בעל העיטור that the reason that we say the beracha of שוש תשיש is not simply to remember the desolation of Yerushalayim as Rashi explains, but is also because we thereby look forward to the complete happiness that we shall have when Yerushalayim is rebuilt.

In other words, the beracha of שוש תשיש is a tefillah that the simcha of the chasan and the kallah should culminate with the coming of mashiach and with our return to Yerushalayim.