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In many places, it is customary to thank the Kohanim after Birchas Kohanim, to which they reply "Bruchim Tihyu".

The question is: how are they allowed to do so, if it is forbidden to add a blessing (see Rosh Hashanah 28b)?

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As you can see in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 128:27 that this law - of adding another blessing - only applies while they are saying Birkat Cohanim, defined as while their hands are spread out.

To quote the Biur Halocho ibid, which the Mishna Brura and other echo:

ביאור הלכה קכ״ח:כ״ז:א׳
‏ואם הוסיף וכו' - לכאורה נראה דדוקא אם גם זה היה בפריסת כפים

Similarly they are allowed to repeat Birkat Cohanim in other minyanim.

So once they are finished with Birkat Cohanim and have turned back to facing the Aron then they can add whatever blessings they wish.

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    But he only says this as a possibility (לכאורה) and ends with a צ"ע. Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank (linked by Joel K in comment above) is also inconclusive and prefers to be strict
    – b a
    Commented May 22 at 18:53
  • @ba - the question was how they can do it. I supplied an answer explaining how that can do it. The fact that other Poskim disagree doesn't mean that those who permit it (even reluctantly) are not valid opinions.
    – Danny Schoemann
    Commented May 27 at 8:50
  • Sure, this is the opinion of the Rashba and Shulchan Aruch Harav against (a possible inference from) the Rambam, but the Mishna Brura himself doesn't decide one way or the other. I don't see anything in the Mishna Brura here that states this as a final ruling or which could be described as "which the Mishna Brura and others echo"
    – b a
    Commented May 27 at 11:25

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