Comment bénir un zimun? Avec trois, il dit: «Bénissons». Avec trois et lui-même, il dit: «Bénis». [Car il y a un zimun sans lui; et ainsi avec tous.] Avec dix il dit: "Bénissons notre D.ieu." (Et la même chose est vraie pour) onze et onze myriades. [Cette première section est selon R. Akiva, qui dit que nous faisons ici (avec zimun) comme nous le faisons dans la maison de prière. Lorsque le nombre atteint dix, peu importe qu'il y en ait beaucoup ou peu au-delà de cela; ici aussi, il n'y a pas de différence.] Avec une centaine, il dit: "Bénissons le Seigneur notre D.ieu." [Cette deuxième section est tout selon R. Yossi Haglili, qui dit: "Ils bénissent selon la multitude de la congrégation, il est écrit (Psaumes 68:27): 'Dans les congrégations bénissez D." "Et la halakha est que de trois à dix, mais non compris, celui qui récite la bénédiction dit: "Bénissons celui dont nous avons mangé", et tous répondent: "Béni soit celui dont nous avons mangé et par le bien de qui nous vivons . " A partir de dix ans, celui qui récite la bénédiction dit: «Bénissons notre D.ieu, dont nous avons mangé», et tous répondent: «Béni soit notre D.ieu, dont nous avons mangé et par le bien de qui nous vivons. "] Avec cent et lui-même, il dit:" Bénis. " Avec mille, il dit: "Bénissons le Seigneur notre D.ieu, le D.ieu d'Israël." Avec mille et lui-même, il dit: «Bénis». Avec dix mille, il dit: "Bénissons l'Éternel notre D.ieu, le D.ieu d'Israël, le D.ieu des armées, l'Habitant parmi les chérubins, pour le prix que nous avons mangé." Avec dix mille et lui-même, il dit: «Bénis». De la manière qu'il bénit, ainsi les autres répondent: "Béni soit l'Éternel notre D.ieu, le D.ieu d'Israël, le D.ieu des armées, l'Habitant parmi les chérubins, pour le prix que nous avons mangé." R. Yossi dit: Ils bénissent selon la multitude de la congrégation, il est écrit (Psaumes 68: 7): 'Dans les congrégations bénissent D.ieu, l'Éternel de la source d'Israël.' "R. Akiva a dit: (Nous faire avec zimun) comme nous le faisons dans la maison de prière. Qu'il y en ait beaucoup ou peu, il dit: "Bénissez le Seigneur." R. Yishmael dit: "Bénissez le Seigneur, qui est béni." [Et la halakha est conforme à 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.
