Speaking in the middle of Havdallah

Question

Someone was making havdallah and, after saying the bracha on besamim (spices) and then smelling them, exclaimed "Ah! A mechayah!". Is this considered a hefsek (interruption) in the havdallah? Meaning to say, does this utterance cause a problem with the bracha on wine that was made just before and they would now have to make a new hagafen before drinking the wine upon finishing havdallah?

Answer 1

The Har Tzvi (Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank) worries at the end of siman 154:

ועפ"י הנ"ל אמר שארי הגאון הרב מלצר זצ"ל לתת טעם גם מבחינת הלכה על זה שנהגו הנשים שלא לטעום מהיין של כוס ההבדלה (המג"א בסימן רצ"ו ס"ק ד כתב ע"ז לעיין הטעם בשל"ה) מפני דאנו חוששים דשמא הלכה כשיטת האומרים דנשים פטורות מהבדלה, ולשיטה זו האמן שהיא עושה על ברכת האור וההבדלה הוי הפסק בין בורא פרי הגפן שיוצא מפי הבעל לשתייה, ויש לעיין קצת בזה דהרי סוף כל סוף היא חייבת להבדיל מספק, וגם חיוב מספק הוי חיוב ותו לא הוי הפסק

And based on the previous discussion, my relative the genius Rav Meltzer Zatza'l gave a halachic reason for the minhag of women not drinking the havdala wine (the magen avraham 296:4 said to see the Sh'la on this), because we take into account that halacha may be like the opinion that women are not obligated in havdala, in which case the "amen" that she says on the blessing of the candle and of havdala are a hefsek between the Hagefen the husband made, and the drinking. However, this needs to be studied in further depth, because in the end, she must make havdala because of the safek, and an obligation from a safek is an obligation, therefore its not a hefsek

Meaning, even an unnecessary amen is considered a hefsek. Kal v'chomer if it's just regular talking. Therefore you would need to repeat the b'racha on wine. (However, for an actual p'sak, CYLOR)