A touching mitzvah TB Sukkah 46

 The first half of today's daf TB Sukkah 46 discusses blessings. It starts off with the blessings over the lulav and the sukkah and along the way talks about the blessings over the Hanukkah candles and over the tefillin. The question is whether the initial blessing of the lulav and sukkah covers the mitzvah for all seven days or does one have to recite the blessing a new each day? The Gemara says it is a disagreement between tannaim.

"The Gemara answers: This matter is related to a general dispute between tanna’im, as it was taught in a baraita: With regard to phylacteries, every time one dons them he recites the blessing over them; this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. And the Rabbis say: One recites the blessing only in the morning. Apparently, these tanna’im would dispute the issue of sukka as well: Does one recite the blessing each time he performs the mitzva or only the first time he performs it at the beginning of Sukkot?" (Sefaria.org)

The bottom line is that we recite the blessing over the lulav "בָּרוּךְ ... אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת לוּלָב -Blessed…Who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us concerning the taking of a lulav. " every day of Sukkot excluding Shabbat and recite the blessing "אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לֵישֵׁב בַּסּוּכָּה -Blessed…Who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to reside in the sukka "every time we eat something in the sukkah.

What really caught my attention was the tradition of reciting the blessing every time the sages in the school of Rav Ashi touched the tefillin. “Mar Zutra said: I observed Rav Pappi, who recited the blessing whenever he donned phylacteries (tefillin­gg). The Sages of the school of Rav Ashi recited the blessing whenever they touched the phylacteries that they were donning." (Sefaria.org translation)

Remember were talking about of time period when a person wore his tefillin all day long. I can appreciate Rabbi Yehuda's position that you say the blessing over the tefillin every time you put it on. For example, a person takes off his tefillin before he enters the bathroom and puts them again after he washes his hands and leaves the bathroom. Why would the sages of the school of Rav Ashi recite a blessing every time they just touched or adjusted the tefillin?

We can divide the answers given by commentators into three basic explanations. There are those who explain that the sages touched their tefillin to be mindful of the mitzvah of tefillin at all times and the blessing is recited because every hour is appropriate for such a blessing. There the who explain that they touched the tefillin and recited the blessing only after they realized they were not mindful of this mitzvah. Now that they were mindful it is as if it was a brand-new mitzvah that needed a blessing. Last of all, there are those who explain that they recited the blessing only when they were readjusting the tefillin and placing them in the correct spot.

Tosefot ד"ה דכל אימת דממשמש suggests a blessing that they would say when they would touch the tefillin after not being mindful of the mitzvah.The blessing would be "לשמור את חוקיו- to observe His commandments" because this would be the blessing people would recite when they took off the tefillin for good at night.