¿Cómo se bendice en un zimun? Con tres, dice: "Bendigamos". Con tres y él mismo, dice: "Bendice". [Porque hay un zimun sin él; y así con todos.] Con diez dice: "Bendigamos a nuestro Di-s". (Y lo mismo es cierto para) once y once miríadas. [Esta primera sección es según R. Akiva, quien dice que hacemos aquí (con zimun) como lo hacemos en la casa de oración. Cuando el número llega a diez, no importa si hay muchos o pocos más allá de eso; aquí también, no hay diferencia.] Con un centenar, dice: "Bendigamos al Señor nuestro Dios". [Esta segunda sección es toda según R. Yossi Haglili, quien dice: "Ellos bendicen de acuerdo con la cantidad de la congregación, está escrito (Salmos 68:27): 'En las congregaciones bendiga a Di-s'". Y la halajá es que desde las tres hasta las diez, pero sin incluir las diez, el que recita la bendición dice: "Bendigamos a aquel de cuya tarifa hemos comido", y todos responden: "Bendito sea aquel de cuya tarifa hemos comido y por cuyo bien vivimos ". A partir de diez años, el que recita la bendición dice: "Bendigamos a nuestro Di-s, de cuya tarifa hemos comido", y todos responden: "Bendito sea nuestro Di-s, de cuya tarifa hemos comido y por cuyo bien vivimos". "] Con cien y él mismo dice:" Bendice ". Con mil dice: "Bendigamos al Señor nuestro Dios, el Dios de Israel". Con mil y él mismo dice: "Bendice". Con diez mil dice: "Bendigamos al Señor nuestro Dios, el Dios de Israel, el Dios de los ejércitos, el Morador entre los querubines, por la tarifa que hemos comido". Con diez mil y él mismo dice: "Bendice". De la manera que él bendice, los demás responden: "Bendito sea el Señor nuestro Dios, el Dios de Israel, el Dios de los ejércitos, el Morador entre los querubines, por la comida que hemos comido". R. Yossi dice: Ellos bendicen de acuerdo con la cantidad de la congregación, está escrito (Salmos 68: 7): 'En las congregaciones bendicen a Di-s, el Señor de la fuente de Israel' ". R. Akiva dijo: (Nosotros hacer con zimun) como lo hacemos en la casa de oración. Si hay muchos o pocos, él dice: "Bendice al Señor". R. Yishmael dice: "Bendice al Señor, que es bendecido" [Y la halajá está de acuerdo con 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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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].
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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].”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Berakhot
רבי ישמעאל אומר ברכו את ה' המבורך – and the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yishmael.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
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.
