Zimmun: Part I זימון: חלק א

The matter of the zimmun is the increase of praise and greatness to God, that they invite and alert each other and join together to thank Him and praise Him for the bounty of His goodness, as it is written (Tehillim 34:4) “Let us exalt His name together.”

…Since [when only two people eat together] one person discharges his obligation through his fellow’s recitation of birkat ha-mazon, we learn that there is no zimmun [with only two people]. For if there were a zimmun, the beracha would be of both together, for [one] says “Let us bless” and [the other] answers “Blessed be He.”

(2) When three persons or more eat bread together, they have to say before the Grace a preliminary benedictory formula. If the company at table consisted of at least three and fewer than ten, one of them says "We will bless Him of Whose bounty we have eaten". All the others respond "Blessed be He of Whose bounty we have eaten and by Whose goodness we live."

(3) He then repeats "Blessed be He of Whose bounty we have eaten and by Whose goodness we live." Then he begins "Blessed art Thou O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who feedest the whole world with His goodness" and continues to the end of the four Blessings,—the others responding "Amen" after each blessing.

Our rabbis taught [in a baraita]: Whence do we know that birkat ha-mazon is from the Torah? For it is said… “[bless] the Lord your God” (Devarim 8:10) this is birkat ha-zimmun …Rabbi [Yehuda Ha-nassi] says: This is unnecessary. …birkat ha-zimmun derives from “Gadelu la-Shem iti [u-neromema Shemo yachdav]” “Give greatness to God with me [and let us exalt His name together]” (Tehillim 34:4).

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: It is not necessary to interpret the verse this way... the zimmun blessing is derived from the verse: “Praise God with me and we will exalt His name together” (Psalms 34:3).

Mishna: Three who ate as one are obligated to recite zimmun. … Gemara: From where do we derive these things? Rav Asi said: As the verse says “Give greatness to God with me and let us exalt His name together” (Tehillim 34:4). Rabbi Abahu says from here: “Ki shem Hashem ekra, havu godel l-Elokeinu” “For I will call upon the Lord’s name; give greatness to our God” (Devarim 32:3).

What is the difference between incense and wine? Incense, everyone smells. Wine, [each] one tastes.

Mishna: If they were sitting, each one recites a beracha on his own. If they reclined, one recites a beracha for all of them. Gemara: ….If they reclined, yes; if they did not recline, no. They raised an objection: Ten who were walking on the road, even though all of them were eating from one loaf, each one recites a beracha for himself; if they sat down to eat, even though each one of them eats from his own loaf, one person recites a beracha for all of them. It is taught “they sat” even though they did not recline! Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: In a case when they said: Let’s go and eat in such-and-such a place.

In such-and-such a place, for they established a place for themselves in advance with speech, counsel, and designation [hazmana]– this is kevi’ut. But if they sat down on their own in one place together – it is not kevi’ut.

If they reclined, one recites a for all of them. – We do not have reclining except with bread alone, and bread is effective even without reclining. For specifically for them, because they ate reclining, they required reclining. But our sitting is kevi’ut for us as reclining was for them, for they were accustomed for each one to recline on his couch at his table, but now all of us eat at one table and when we eat together, that is our kevi’ut.

If they were two or many, one recites the beracha for all of them, and specifically if they reclined, which is the manner of keva (Rema – or a householder with members of his household, which is as if they reclined-Tur). But if they were sitting without reclining, since they are not established [nikba’im] together, each one recites a beracha for himself. If they said, “let’s eat here, or in such-and-such a place,” since they prepared a place to eat, this constitutes keva even without reclining. Nowadays, when we are not accustomed to recline, our sitting at one table, or without a table with one (table)cloth is kevi’ut, and even for members of a chavura it is like their reclining. For us, even if they established a place for their eating, or a householder with the members of his household, it is not effective unless they sat at one table or one (table)cloth.

Know a general principle regarding birchot ha-nehenin…one [person] does not discharge [others’ obligations] except when they are in a manner of kevi’ut and chavura, because they are like a single body, and it is considered as if each one of them recites the beracha…

[Two who ate as one] it is a mitzva to separate – and for each one to bless separately, both for birkat ha-motzi and for birkat ha-mazon.

(4) Three persons who have eaten together may not separate [to recite Birkat Hamazon]. Similarly four and similarly five. Six may separate...

Three who sat down to eat and recited birkat ha-motzi…even if they have not yet eaten a ke-zayit of bread, they are not permitted to separate.

We have further explained above (45a) that there is no requirement for three who ate as one for reclining or for kevi’ut of a place, but all those who ate as one recite zimmun.

Even if they were not all established from the beginning to eat together … they are not permitted to separate, since they become established together at the end of the eating…

“All are obligated in zimmun” – to include what? [What additional class of people is included in the obligation of zimmun by virtue of the word “all”?] To include women and bondsmen, as it is taught [in a baraita]: “Women recite a zimmun for themselves, and bondsmen recite a zimmun for themselves.”

It seems to me that the passage in Arachin must be read as obligating, for it includes them [women in obligation], as it is taught “all are obligated”…Furthermore, since women are obligated in birkat ha-mazon, either on a Torah level or rabbinically, why shouldn’t they be obligated in zimmun like men?

Women form a zimmun for themselves and slaves form a zimmun for themselves; however, women, slaves, and minors, even if they wish to form a zimmun together, they may not form a zimmun.

It is difficult, why are they [women] not accustomed [to recite zimmun]? From what is taught “they recite zimmun” it sounds as though “they are obligated to recite zimmun.” One can answer that “women recite zimmun for themselves” – is if they wish to recite zimmun, they recite zimmun. And this is slightly the meaning of the language is taught afterwards, “women, bondsmen, and minors, if they wish to recite a zimmun – they do not recite a zimmun” … And what is said at the beginning of Arachin (3a), “All are obligated in zimmun” to include women” is said as a voluntary matter and not as an obligatory matter.

...Women recite zimmun for themselves as we learn in the first chapter of Arachin (3a, see Tosafot there), “all are obligated in zimmun to include women and bondsmen, as it is taught, women recite zimmun for themselves and bondsmen for themselves.” And it is a question for in the beginning of “Three who ate” [Berachot chapter 7], he concludes that women reciting zimmun for themselves is voluntary. And Ri says that specifically for themselves it is voluntary, but when they eat with men they [women] are obligated and discharge their obligation with our [men’s] zimmun, and do not bless [birkat ha-mazon] for themselves. And sometimes Ri would tell women not to bless [birkat ha-mazon on their own when eating with men], and they would discharge their obligation with the men’s zimmun.

One can say that the reason the sages did not wish to impose on them [women] the obligation of birkat ha-zimmun when they are on their own is because it is not so common for them to be proficient in birkat ha-zimmun.

Women recite zimmun for themselves, as a reshut [voluntary matter]. But when they eat with the men, they are obligated and discharge their obligation with our zimmun.

… Rosh’s words are primary, and thus wrote Talmidei Rabbeinu Yona, see there.

It is fitting that every man should teach the women of his household that they should recite zimmun for themselves when they eat in [a group of] three.

“They discharge their obligation with our zimmun.” Meaning that specifically the men recite birkat ha-zimmun and the women discharge their obligation, but not the reverse, that the women recite birkat ha-zimmun and the men discharge their obligation. The reason seems to me because there is doubt whether the women are obligated on a Torah level...