י"ט שבט לע"נ רייזל שושנה דיסטפעלד בת ר׳ גרשון שענקער ז"ל. נלב"ע כ"ז שבט תשנ"ב
As one of the main sections in Pesukei dezimra (Pesukei Ha-Ze'mirot as it is called in Rabbinical Hebrew). Most of the Jewish world are acquainted with it; so is almost certain that one would response that they for sure know the words. I would like to highlight that the history and continued editing are testimony to the various understandings, rituals and laws pertaining to Barukh She'amar.
We find sources that Yitzchak b. Moshe of Vienna wrote down in his famed legal work titled Ohr Zarua that Barukh She"amar contains 87 words. His work the Ohr Zarua rules that Barukh She'amar should contain 87 words, because 87 is the gematria for the word paz (פ"ז) meaning enhanced gold.
Interestingly, due to this ruling result many Siddurim including Sephardic versions of today contain 87 words. Rabbis (mainly Ashkenazi) who campaigned this based their reason in doing so for kabbalistic reasons despite being able to explain its origin. Today, the Iraqi and Bavali communities a small number of western Sephardic Siddurim offer alternate versions of Barukh She'amar.
Another interesting fact is that in its present form it is a combination of two separate "prayers" of which only the second part can be considered a benediction. The first part is a hymn praising God, the Creator and Redeemer. It is first mentioned by Moses Gaon (c. 820) and is found in the prayer book of Amram Gaon (also ninth century). We have sources from Asher ben Shaul of Lunel in his work Sefer Ha-Minhagim) the familiar body of Barukh She'amar how it exists today. Initially, Saadya Gaon instituted the recitation of Barukh She’amar for Shabbat, however in France, it became a custom to recite this prayer daily.
Barukh She"amar contains other elements of European influence. When one sees the (הַמְהֻלָּל בְּפֶה עַמּוֹ) one runs into a problem in the matter of Dikduk (Emphasis on Hebrew grammar, Tora reading and correct pronunciation.) If using correct grammar the sentence should read (הַמְהֻלָּל בְּפִּי) why then does the text not read this way?
The reason comes from the influence of French rabbis and French language. The Rabbis and speakers had great difficulty with the word "Fi" (פִּי) the word "Fi" in French means "nothing" as a result many versions of Barukh She'amar possibly the one you own contain the word בְּפֶה vs בְּפִּי.
To Be continued...