How does one bless in a zimun? With three, he says: "Let us bless." With three and himself, he says: "Bless." [For there is a zimun without him; and thus with all.] With ten he says: "Let us bless our G-d." (And the same is true for) eleven and eleven myriads. [This first section is as per R. Akiva, who says that we do here (with zimun) as we do in the house of prayer. When the number reaches ten, it makes no difference whether there are many or few beyond that; here, too, there is no difference.] With a hundred, he says: "Let us bless the L-rd our G-d." [This second section is all as per R. Yossi Haglili, who says: "They bless according to the numerousness of the congregation, it being written (Psalms 68:27): 'In congregations bless G-d.'" And the halachah is that from three until, but not including, ten, the one reciting the blessing says: "Let us bless Him of whose fare we have eaten," and all respond: "Blessed be He of whose fare we have eaten and through whose good we live." From ten and above, the one reciting the blessing says: "Let us bless our G-d, of whose fare we have eaten," and all respond: "Blessed be our G-d, of whose fare we have eaten and through whose good we live."] With a hundred and himself he says: "Bless." With a thousand he says: "Let us bless the L-rd our G-d, the G-d of Israel." With a thousand and himself he says: "Bless." With ten thousand he says: "Let us bless the L-rd our G-d, the G-d of Israel, the G-d of hosts, the Dweller among the cherubs, for the fare that we have eaten." With ten thousand and himself he says: "Bless." In the manner that he blesses, so the others respond: "Blessed be the L-rd our G-d, the G-d of Israel, the G-d of hosts, the Dweller among the cherubs, for the fare that we have eaten." R. Yossi says: They bless according to the numerousness of the congregation, it being written (Psalms 68:7): 'In congregations bless G-d, the L-rd from the source of Israel.'" R. Akiva said: (We do with zimun) as we do in the house of prayer. Whether there are many or few, he says: "Bless the L-rd." R. Yishmael says: "Bless the L-rd, who is blessed." [And the halachah is in accordance with R. Yishmael.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
בשלשה והוא אומר ברכו – For even without himself, there is a group to be invited/Zimmun and similarly for all of them.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Introduction
In today’s mishnah we learn what words were recited as the “zimun,” the invitation to recite Birkat Hamazon.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
אחד עשרה ואחד עשרה רבוא – The beginning of the Mishnah is Rabbi Akiba as he said, just as we find in the synagogue when we have arrived at ten, there is no division [of the community] whether there are many or few, so too here [in this case], there is no division [of the group into smaller units].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
This mishnah is structured on two basic principles. The more people that join together in the zimun, the more elaborate the zimun is. Second, if the number of people is exactly the quota, three, ten, one hundred, a thousand or ten thousand, the leader includes himself in the zimun. But when there are more than the required quota, the leader tells the others to “Bless,” and he doesn’t include himself. This shall become clearer as we proceed.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
במאה אומר נברך לה' אלהינו – The concluding phrase of the Mishnah is all [according to] Rabbi Yosi HaGelili, who said that according to majority of the community, they recite the [appropriate] blessing, as it says, “Psalms 68:27): “ln assemblies bless God,[ the LORD, O you who are from the fountain of Israel].” But the Halakhic decision is that from three [adult males] until ten [adult males] but the tenth is not included, the person who blesses (as the leader) recites: “Let us bless [Him] that we have eaten from what is His, and everyone answers: “Blessed that we have eaten from what is His, and through His Goodness we live.” And ten or from ten and above, the person leading the blessing states, “We give praise to God that we have eaten from what is His and through His goodness we live.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
How do they invite [one another to recite the Birkat Hamazon]? If there are three, he [the one saying Birkat Hamazon] says, “Let us bless [Him of whose food we have eaten].” If there are three and him he says, “Bless [Him of whose food we have eaten]” As stated above, the minimum number for a zimun is three. If there are exactly three he says, “Let us bless [Him of whose food we have eaten].” He does not say the word for God. However, if there are three besides him, then he instructs the others to “Bless [Him of whose food we have eaten].”
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Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
רבי ישמעאל אומר ברכו את ה' המבורך – and the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yishmael.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
If there are ten, he says, “Let us bless our God [of whose food we have eaten].” If there are ten and he says, “Bless.” When there are ten they add in the word “our God.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
It is the same whether there are ten or ten myriads (ten ten. This section is an introduction to what follows and to what has already been stated. It matters not whether there are ten or ten thousand, the rule that if there is the precise number the leader say, “Let us bless” whereas if there is more than the number he says, “Bless,” remains the same.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
If there are a hundred he says, “Let us bless the Lord our God [of whose food we have eaten]. If there are a hundred and him he says, “Bless.” When there are one hundred they add the word “the Lord.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
If there are a thousand he says “Let us bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel [of whose food we have eaten].” If there are a thousand and him he says “Bless.” When there are a thousand they add, “the God of Israel.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
If there are ten thousand he says, “Let us bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel, the God of hosts, who dwells among the cherubim, for the food which we have eaten.” If there are ten thousand and him he says, “Bless.” When there are ten thousand (don’t ask me if this ever happened) the fullest version is recited, “Let us bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel, the God of hosts, who dwells among the cherubim, for the food which we have eaten.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Corresponding to his blessing the others answer after him, “Blessed be the Lord our God the God of Israel, the God of hosts, who dwells among the cherubim, for the food which we have eaten.” The response of the community is always a repetition of the instructions of the leader. The mishnah illustrates this through the fullest version recited when there are ten thousand people, but the same would be true for the shorter versions of the zimun.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Berakhot
Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: According to the number of the congregation, they bless, as it says, “In assemblies bless God, the Lord, O you who are from the fountain of Israel.” Rabbi Akiba said: What do we find in the synagogue? Whether there are many or few the he says, “Bless the Lord your God.” Rabbi Ishmael says: “Bless the Lord your God who is blessed.” Rabbi Yose the Galilean affirms that which was stated above. The zimun goes according to the number of people who have joined together in a meal. Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Ishmael disagree with the set up in the first seven sections. They both hold that the same zimun is stated no matter how many people participate. This is patterned after the “Barkhu,” the call to prayer recited in the synagogue. The prayer leader says, “Bless the Lord” or Rabbi Ishmael’s version, “Bless the blessed Lord,” whether there are ten or one thousand people present. So too when it comes to the zimun, it matters not whether there are ten or ten thousand, the zimun is always the same. We should note that Rabbis Akiva and Rabbi Ishmael still agree that with less than ten one does not mention God’s name, because ten is the number required for a minyan.
