Don't know if anyone is thinking about Chanukah yet, but...

The Shulchan Aruch in Siman 671:7 mentions the custom to light the Chanukah menorah in shul on the southern wall and he says that you should make a bracha on this lighting.

This ruling seems problematic and the Be'er Heitev points this out (quoting from the Chacham Tzvi siman 88) in light of the fact that the Mechaber himself rules in Hilchos Rosh Chodesh (siman 422:2) that they don't make a bracha on the half hallel of rosh chodesh (as the Mishna Berura explains - because he says we don't make a bracha on Minhagim).

So, I am unclear on the opinion of the Mechaber about making a bracha on a minhag (or is he distinguishing between categories of minhagim? perhaps based on the reason for the minhag of lighting in shul - persumay nisa or zecher lamikdash?)

Any thought?

The Sha'arei Teshuva brings the Be'er Heitev and concludes that according to the Shulchan Aruch one shouldn't make a bracha on lighting the candles in Shul, but he (the Mechaber) would agree that we (Ashkenazim) who make a bracha on Half Hallel should also make one on the candles in Shul.

It's a bit strange, because whenever does the Shulchan Aruch pasken for Ashkenazim?

I had a Shtikel a while ago (back in the late '80's) regarding the Inyan (though not on this subject. I wanted to make a distinction between Minhagim that are a Mitzvah, but preformed in a way that isn't Mikayaim the Mitzvah, like by Chanuka, and like taking the Aravah on Hoshana Rabbah (which is the Mikor of not making Brachos on Minhagim) that is a new Mitzvah completely.

The reason (of those who say so) we don't make a bracha on a Minhag, is because "Tzivanu" wouldn't be accurate (which excludes Mitzvos D'rabanan that we are commanded to do from "Lo Sosar".) Thus making a Bracha of VTzivanu L'Hadlek Ner Chanuka, even on a Minhug, would be accurate. Though on this lighting there is no commandment, but it's true that we were commanded such.

Saying Hallel there are 2 Nuschos of the Bracha. One is ' L'kroh and one L'gmor. Tosfos holds they're interchangeable and could technically said for both Half and whole Hallels. Other Rishonim hold that Davka L'Gmor for the whole Hallel and L'Kroh for half. The Rama Paskins like Tosfos, but Bais Yosef seems to argue (see 644:1 where he says to make L'gmor on the whole Hallel)

So to him making a Bracha on half Hallel would have to make another Bracha that wasn't Misaken to make, and not totally accurate, since we're only commanded in places to finish the Hallel and not just to "read" connoting only part of Hallel. Thus he says better not to read.

I was thinking of a similar distinction but I didn't see the Beis Yosef mentioning that (at least in Hilchos Chanukah), Do any rishonim indicate this type of distinction?

and it is interesting to note that the Rambam, the source for the Beis Yosef's psak in Hilchos Rosh Chodesh, does not mention lighting in shul at all (unless I missed it).

Quote "but I didn't see the Beis Yosef mentioning that (at least in Hilchos Chanukah"

The Rishonim are usually quite condense in their words. It's up to us to find out how to reconcile their words.

Quote "), Do any rishonim indicate this type of distinction?"

My Shtikel had to do with Tosfos saying from Rashi not making a bracha over an Aravah that there are those that conclude from the Rashi that one doesn't make a Bracha on Half Hallel. I said this implies that it's not totally conclusive. So I wanted to make such a difference. (There I was going on the assumption of Tosfos over there that there is no 2 Brachos separate for whole and half hallel, but L'Kroh and L'gmor goes on both.)

Quote "and it is interesting to note that the Rambam, the source for the Beis Yosef's psak in Hilchos Rosh Chodesh, does not mention lighting in shul at all (unless I missed it)."

Could have been not a Minhag by him.