Three who ate together chayavin lezamen. [They must "group" (lehizdamen) together to bless in the plural: "Let us bless Him of whose fare we have eaten."] A zimun (such a group) is made (even) if one ate: demai, [The fruits of an am ha'aretz (an unlearned person) are called "demai," i.e., "da mai?" "What is this?" Tithed or untithed? For amei ha'aretz are suspect in respect to tithes. And the sages forbade eating of their fruits until they were tithed. But if one did eat of them without tithing, the blessing (grace) is, nonetheless, recited, and it is not considered "a mitzvah coming through a transgression" because most amei ha'aretz do tithe], and ma'aser rishon (the first tithe) whose terumah had been taken, [even though terumah gedolah ("the great terumah") had not been taken of it. To wit: a Levite preceded a Cohein and took his ma'aser in the stalks, before the Cohein had taken terumah gedolah. The Cohein was to have taken terumah gedolah, one-fiftieth, first, the Torah calling it "reshith" ("the first"). It emerges, then, that the terumah gedolah of the Cohein is found in this ma'aser — one fiftieth of it — aside from terumath ma'aser, it being incumbent upon the Levite to separate terumah from his ma'aser. Our Mishnah apprises us that the Levite need not separate terumah gedolah from it, it being written (Numbers 18:26): "Then you (the Levites) shall separate from it terumah for the L-rd, ma'aser from the ma'aser" — ma'aser from the ma'aser, and not terumah gedolah and terumath ma'aser of the ma'aser.], and ma'aser sheni (the second tithe) and hekdesh (devoted objects) which were redeemed, [as when he gave the principal, but not the fifth (the owners adding a fifth), the tanna apprising us that the (absence of) the fifth does not stand in the way (of the blessing).], and (a zimun is made with) the waiter who ate an olive-size. [for we would think that since the waiter had no fixed place, but comes and goes, a zimun is not made with him; we are, therefore, apprised otherwise. In all of these instances we are apprised that though they are similar to what is forbidden, they do not constitute "blessing coming through transgression."], and (with) a Cuthite [one of the sect of idolators that the king of Ashur brought from Cutha and from other lands and settled in the cities of Shomron. They became proselytes from fear of the lions which started to devour them, as explained in II Kings (17), and they observed the written Law, being more fastidious than the Jews themselves in the observance of every mitzvah that they kept. They were, therefore, trusted in respect to certain mitzvoth until they were found to have set up an image of a dove on the top of Mount Gerizim, which they served. From that time on they were regarded as absolute idolators in every respect, for which reason today a zimun is not made with a Cuthite.] But a zimun is not made if one ate tevel [Grain from which terumah and ma'aser were not taken is called "tevel," ("tav lo" - "It is not good"). And not only (it goes without saying) is a zimun not made over what is tevel according to Scripture, but even over what is tevel by rabbinical ordinance, such as grain grown in an unperforated flower pot.], and ma'aser rishon whose terumah had not been taken. ["Terumah" here is not terumath ma'aser, for that would be absolute tevel, but the instance referred to is one in which the Levite preceded the Cohein to the pile after it had been finished off and become subject to terumah according to the Torah, and took ma'aser rishon first. One-fiftieth of that is subject to the Cohein's terumah gedolah; and so long as the terumah gedolah has not been separated, even though the terumah of ma'aser has been separated, no zimun is made over it. (If the Levite had preceded the Cohein and taken his ma'aser in the stalks, before the finishing off of the pile, there would be no need of separating terumah gedolah, as explained above).], and ma'aser sheni and hekdesh which had not been redeemed [It need not be stated that (no zimun is made) if they had not been redeemed at all; for this goes without saying. The reference is, rather, to an instance in which it had been redeemed, but not according to the halachah, as when ma'aser sheni is redeemed with fragments of silver or with a coin which has no design on it, Scripture having stated (Deuteronomy 14:25): "Vetzarta the money" — money that has a tzura (design on it); and as when hekdesh is redeemed with land instead of with money, Scripture having stated (Leviticus 27:19): "Then he shall add one-fifth of the money."], and (with) the waiter who ate less than an olive-size. [This is a superfluous Mishnah; but since most (of the aforementioned instances) are repeated for a necessary teaching, this, too, is repeated.], and an idolator. [The reference is to a proselyte who underwent circumcision but not ritual immersion, the Mishnah apprising us that as long as he has not undergone ritual immersion he is still an idolator, not being considered a proselyte until he has undergone both circumcision and ritual immersion.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
שלשה שאכל כאחד חייבין לזמן – to join oneself to [the group] together to recite [Birkat HaMazon] in the plural [formulation], “let us bless/give thanks for what we had have eaten of His {God’s].”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Introduction
The seventh chapter is all about the invitation to recite Birkat Hamazon together. This is the short responsive refrain recited before the first blessing of Birkat Hamazon. This invitation is called a “zimun” which literally means, “invitation.”
Our mishnah teaches when a “zimun” is recited.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
דמאי – produce of the masses (lit., “ignorant ones”) which are called “DEMAI”/doubtfully tithed, that is to say, this – have they been tithed or not? Since they are suspected regarding the tithes. (Note: Generally, the masses (common people – who are not known as Haverim/colleagues who are considered trustworthy) would give תרומה גדולה– the 2% tithe of their produce to a Kohen, but they might not necessarily give 1/10th of the rest to a Levite- known as מעשר ראשון/First Tithe or take 1/10 of the remainder to Jerusalem in years 1,2,4 and 5 of the seven year cycle to be consumed there- known as מעשר שני/Second Tithe), and the Sages forbade eating from their produce until they would tithe it, and if one ate [from produce] that was not tithed, one recites the [appropriate] blessing on it and it is not considered a Mitzvah performed on account of a sin, since most of the masses do tithe.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Three that have eaten together, it is their duty to invite [one another to say Birkat Hamazon]. The minimum number of people required to recite a “zimun” is three. This seems the minimum number to be considered a group.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
שנטלה תרומתו – And even though they may not have taken from it the תרומה גדולה/the Great Tithe (for the Kohen), such as the son of a Levite who took his portion (מעשר ראשון) for them prior to the Kohen taking his תרומה גדולה portion (2% of the entire individual’s produce, and the Kohen who should have taken his תרומה גדולה first [which is] one-fiftieth (1/50), as the All-Merciful (in the Torah) calls it “[the] first [portion]” (see Numbers 15:20); it is found that the תרומה גדולה of the Kohen is amidst this tithe one of fifty, besides the תרומה מעשר that the Levite is obligated to separate out the tithe from his tithe to give to the Kohen (1/10 of his received gift goes to a Kohen), and our Mishnah teaches us that he the Levite is exempt from separate out תרומה גדולה (the “Great Tithe” of 2% that all Israelites must give), as it is written (Numbers 18:26), “you shall set aside from them one-tenth of the tithe as a gift to the LORD.” “One tenth of the tithe” I said to you and not “תרומה גדולה/the Great Tithe”, but one-tenth of the tithe [only].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
One who ate demai, or first tithe whose terumah has been separated, or second tithe or sanctified property which have been redeemed, or an attendant who has eaten as much as an olive’s worth of food, or a Samaritan may be included [in the three]. In order to be part of a “zimun” four requirements have to be fulfilled, three of which are listed in our mishnah (we will see the fourth tomorrow). First of all one must eat food permitted by the Torah. We have already encountered the list in this mishnah on several occasions (Shabbat 18:1; Eruvin 3:2; Pesahim 2:5; Sanhedrin 8:2; Makkot 3:2). It is basically a list of foods which can be eaten, at least according to toraitic law. One who eats them can participate in a zimun. The opposite is contained in the following section those foods are prohibited and hence one who eats them cannot join together with others in a zimun. The second requirement is that one needs to eat an olive’s worth of food. The mishnah teaches this and at the same time teaches another halakhah that even the attendant, the one serving the food to the others, may aid in constituting the zimun, provided that he ate with them a minimum measure of food. The third requirement is that the person be Jewish. For this issue, being a Samaritan counts enough toward being Jewish.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
מעשר שני והקדש שנפדו – Such as the case where he gave the principal but did not give the extra one-fifth, that the owners that fifth, and our Tanna/teacher comes to teach us that the one-fifth does not invalidate an act by its omission.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
But one who ate untithed produce, or first tithe whose terumah has not been separated, or second tithe or sanctified property which have not been redeemed, or an attendant who has eaten less than the quantity of an olive or a Gentile may not be counted. This section is the opposite of the previous one. One who eats prohibited foods, or doesn’t eat enough food, or is a Gentile, does not count in constituting a zimun.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
והשמש שאכל כזית – you might be under the impression that since the waiter/attendant lacks having a regular appointment (i.e., being regularly there), [but simply] comes and goes, that we would not invite him [to recite ברכת המזוןas part of a group], but [the Mishnah] comes to teach us that in all of these cases, it teaches us, that even though it appears to be forbidden, there is no blessing recited in the midst of a transgression.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
והכותי – From the those who worship idols and constellations which the King of Ashur brought [with him] from Cuth (a Babylonian town whence Assyrian colonists were introduced into Samaria) and from the other lands and dwell with them in the cities of Samaria who converted out of fear of lions that would eat them as explained in II Kings 17:24-41. And they observed the written Torah and all the commandments that they took hold of, they observed punctiliously more than the Israelites, therefore, people accepted them in some of the commandments until they examined them [more closely] and found among them the image of the pigeon at the top of Mount Gerizim that they would worship and from then on, they considered them as those who totally worship idols and constellations. Therefore, nowadays, we do not invite a Cuthean to participate [in the group recitation of ברכת המזון; see especially verse 41 of II Kings 24.)
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
אכל טבל – Grain from which the heave-offering (for the Kohen) and the tithes (i.e. First and Second Tithes) had not been taken is called TEVEL/טבל [where produce is in that stage in which the separation of Levitical and Priestly shares respectively is required, before you may partake of them], and the explanation of טבל is “it is not good” (the word טבל is a aggregate of these two words), and it is not necessary to say, טבל according to the Torah, but even טבל according to the Rabbis, such as grain that grew in a pot without a hole, which is only considered טבל according to the Rabbis, we don’t invite that individual to participate [in the group recitation of] ברכת המזון.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
ומעשר ראשון שלא נטלה תרומתו – We are not dealing with תרומת מעשר (the tithe that the LEVITE must make to the KOHEN from what he received from other Israelites as מעשר ראשון/First Tithe), since that is complete TEVEL – but rather such as the case where the Levite preceded a Kohen at a pile [of grain] after it had been shaped into an even pile, which had been designated for TERUMAH from the Torah, and he (the Levite) took the First Tithe first and one-fiftieth of it is appropriate for the תרומה גדולה/the Great Terumah for the Kohen, and as long as he (the Levite) did not give from it תרומה גדולה, even though he separated out תרומת מעשר (the heave-offering of the tithe), we don’t invite him to join the group [recitation of ברכת המזון]. But if he (the Levite) came prior [to the Kohen] with regard to ears of corn, he does not have to separate the heave offering/תרומה גדולה, as we have written of above earlier.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
ומעשר שני והקדש שלא נפדו – And we don’t need to say that they were not redeemed at all, for this matter is simple, but rather, that they were redeemed, but not redeemed properly , such as the case where a person redeemed the Second Tithe/מעשר שני in broken ware vessels of silver or in a coin that did not have a shape as the All Merciful-One (God) said (Deuteronomy 14:25), “Wrap up the money [and take it with you to the place that the LORD your God has chosen],” in a form that has a shape, and that which was sanctified for the Sanctuary which was redeemed by land and not by money, for the All-Merciful One (God) said (Deuteronomy 14:25), “You may convert them into money” (not the exact quotation in the Hebrew).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
והשמש שאכל פחות מכזית – [This section of the Mishnah] is questionable/unnecessary, but since he retracted for the majority, out of need, , he also retracted for this.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
והעובד כוכבים – We are speaking of a [potential] convert who [was] circumcised but did not [as yet] immerse [in a Mikveh/Ritual bath], for as long as he did not immerse, he is an idolater (non-Jew), and he is not [considered] a convert until he is [both] circumcised and immersed [in a Ritual bath/Mikveh].
