Tres que comieron juntos chayavin lezamen. [Deben "agrupar" (lehizdamen) juntos para bendecir en plural: "Bendigamos a aquel de cuya comida hemos comido".] Un zimun (tal grupo) se hace (incluso) si uno comió: demai, [El los frutos de una am ha'aretz (una persona sin educación) se llaman "demai", es decir, "da mai?" "¿Que es esto?" ¿Diezmado o sin título? Para amei ha'aretz son sospechosos con respecto a los diezmos. Y los sabios prohibieron comer sus frutos hasta que fueron diezmados. Pero si uno comió de ellos sin diezmar, la bendición (gracia) es, sin embargo, recitada, y no se considera "una mitzvá que viene a través de una transgresión" porque la mayoría de los amei ha'aretz hacen diezmo], y ma'aser rishon ( el primer diezmo) cuya terumah había sido tomada, [aunque terumah gedolah ("la gran terumah") no había sido tomada de ella. A saber: un levita precedió a un Cohein y tomó su ma'aser en los tallos, antes de que el Cohein hubiera tomado terumah gedolah. El Cohein debía haber tomado terumah gedolah, un quincuagésimo, primero, la Torá lo llamó "reshith" ("el primero"). Resulta, entonces, que el terumah gedolah del Cohein se encuentra en este ma'aser— una quincuagésima parte —aparte de terumath ma'aser, incumbe al levita separar terumah de su ma'aser. Nuestra Mishná nos advierte que el levita no necesita separar terumah gedolah de él, está escrito (Números 18:26): "Entonces ustedes (los levitas) se separarán de él terumah para el Señor, ma'aser del ma ' aser "—ma'aser del ma'aser, y no terumah gedolah y terumath ma'aser del ma'aser.], y ma'aser sheni (el segundo diezmo) y hekdesh (objetos devotos) que fueron redimidos, [como cuando él dio el director, pero no el quinto (los propietarios agregaron un quinto), la tanna nos informa que la (ausencia de) el quinto no se interpone en el camino (de la bendición).], y (se hace un zimun con) el camarero que comió una aceituna. [porque pensaríamos que dado que el camarero no tenía un lugar fijo, sino que va y viene, no se hace un zimun con él; Por lo tanto, se nos informa de lo contrario. En todos estos casos, se nos informa que, aunque son similares a lo que está prohibido, no constituyen "bendición proveniente de la transgresión"], y (con) un Cuthita [una de la secta de idólatras que trajo el rey de Ashur. de Cutha y de otras tierras y se establecieron en las ciudades de Shomron. Se convirtieron en prosélitos por miedo a los leones que comenzaron a devorarlos, como se explica en II Reyes (17), y observaron la Ley escrita, siendo más fastidiosos que los propios judíos en la observancia de cada mitzvá que guardaban. Por lo tanto, se les confió con respecto a ciertas mitzvoth hasta que se descubrió que habían establecido una imagen de una paloma en la cima del monte Gerizim, a la que sirvieron. A partir de ese momento fueron considerados como idólatras absolutos en todos los aspectos, por lo que hoy no se hace un zimun con un Cuthite.] Pero no se hace un zimun si uno comió tevel [Grano del que no se tomaron terumah y ma'aser se llama "tevel" ("tav lo" - "No es bueno"). Y no solo (no hace falta decir) es un zimun no hecho sobre lo que es tevel según la Escritura, sino incluso sobre lo que es tevel por orden rabínica, como el grano cultivado en una maceta sin perforar.], Y ma'aser rishon cuya terumah no había sido tomado. ["Terumah" aquí no es terumath ma'aser, ya que eso sería un nivel absoluto, pero la instancia a la que se hace referencia es aquella en la que el levita precedió al Cohein a la pila después de haber sido terminado y quedar sujeto a terumah según el Torá, y tomó ma'aser rishon primero. Una quincuagésima parte de eso está sujeta a la terumah gedolah de Cohein; y mientras la terumah gedolah no se haya separado, aunque la terumah de ma'aser se haya separado, no se hace zimun sobre ella. (Si el levita hubiera precedido al Cohein y hubiera tomado su ma'aser en los tallos, antes de terminar el montón, no habría necesidad de separar terumah gedolah, como se explicó anteriormente).] Y ma'aser sheni y hekdesh que no había sido redimido [No es necesario decir que (no se hace zimun) si no hubieran sido redimidos en absoluto; para esto no hace falta decirlo. La referencia es, más bien, a un caso en el que había sido redimido, pero no de acuerdo con la halajá, como cuando ma'aser sheni es redimido con fragmentos de plata o con una moneda que no tiene un diseño, la Escritura ha declarado ( Deuteronomio 14:25): "Vetzarta el dinero"—dinero que tiene una tzura (diseño); y como cuando Hekdesh es redimido con tierra en lugar de con dinero, las Escrituras han declarado (Levítico 27:19): "Entonces agregará una quinta parte del dinero"], y (con) el camarero que comió menos que una aceituna -Talla. [Esta es una Mishná superflua; pero como la mayoría (de las instancias antes mencionadas) se repiten para una enseñanza necesaria, esto también se repite.] y un idólatra. [La referencia es a un prosélito que se sometió a la circuncisión pero no a la inmersión ritual, la Mishná nos informa que, mientras no se haya sometido a la inmersión ritual, él sigue siendo un idólatra, no siendo considerado un prosélito hasta que se haya sometido tanto a la circuncisión como a la inmersión ritual. ]
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].
