Birkat Ha-Mazon for Heilicher בריך רחמנא

עוֹד לֹא אָכַלְנוּ

עוֹד לֹא שָׁתִינוּ

יָבֵשׁ לָנוּ בַּגָּרוֹן

הָבוּ לָנוּ מַשְׁקֶה

מִיט אַ בִּיסֶל קאַשקע

אָז נשירה וְנָרֹן

עוֹד לֹא אָכַלְנוּ

עוֹד לֹא שָׁתִינוּ

יָבֵשׁ לָנוּ בַּגָּרוֹן

מוּכָנִים כְּבָר אָנוּ

לֶאֱכוֹל כּוּלָנוּ

וְנׁאמָר בְּתֵיאָבוֹן

Added by: Shira H

Go to this site to find other lyrics.

https://www.zemereshet.co.il

Thinking about Birkat Ha-Mazon: Please create a text box below this by clicking on the "plus sign" and add your poem, story, song, or a link to your powerpoint below this. Include the names of all the people who worked on it with you. Label it, A Time When I Was (We Were) Really Hungry.

A Time When We Were Really Hungry

It's twelve o’clock and I’m hungry
I hope my stomach’ll set me free
Can’t focus, need food
Don’t really feel good
Please feed me, I might eat my knee


No cannibalism, I’m fine.
Okay, maybe not, I might be lyin’
But I just need to eat
And I think that’d be neat
But it really feels like I’m dyin’

-Jacob and Shira

א"ר אבא ובשבת חייב אדם לבצוע על שתי ככרות מ"ט (שמות טז, כב) לחם משנה כתיב
In connection to the various halakhot with regard to breaking bread, especially on Festivals, the Gemara cites another halakha. Rabbi Abba said: And on Shabbat one is obligated to break bread for the meal over two loaves. What is the reason? Because in the Torah portion that discusses gathering manna on Friday for Shabbat, the phrase: “Twice as much bread” (Exodus 16:22) is written. To commemorate this, Shabbat meals are based on two loaves of bread.

In my family, we don't really have hallah on Shabbat, because we use it as sandwich bread throughout the week, so there isn't much left by Friday. We don't actually have a particular tradition pertaining to the hallah.

By breaking bread, does that specifically mean ripping off a chunk of bread, or just sharing a meal?

For a fascinating read about the rabbis' attitudes about food, why two loaves, and which foods should not be eaten because they will give you bad breath, or even worse, intestinal troubles, go to the source above by clicking on the underlined heading, and read through for a while. You won't be disappointed. Add quotes that you find interesting or intriguing here:

בנימין רעיא כרך ריפתא ואמר בריך מריה דהאי פיתא אמר רב יצא והאמר רב כל ברכה שאין בה הזכרת השם אינה ברכה דאמר בריך רחמנא מריה דהאי פיתא
Regarding blessings that do not conform to the formula instituted by the Sages, the Gemara relates that Binyamin the shepherd ate bread and afterward recited in Aramaic: Blessed is the Master of this bread. Rav said, he thereby fulfilled his obligation to recite a blessing. The Gemara objects: But didn’t Rav himself say: Any blessing that does not contain mention of God’s name is not considered a blessing? The Gemara emends the formula of his blessing. He said: Blessed is the All-Merciful, Master of this bread.

I think that a blessing can be said without containing the name of God. After all, plenty of people consider certain songs to be like blessings, and they don't necessarily contain God's name.

OR

Many people think that it's not just about what you say, but what you mean, and if the shepherd meant Master of the Bread to mean God, then that's fine.

Jacob agrees, because if I remember correctly, the Kaddish doesn't say God's name, yet that prayer is used multiple times in multiple different prayer services. Also, there's a story about a shepherd who didn't know how to pray so he just whistled, and that story is used in Jewish literature a lot, showing that prayers don't just come from a book.

תנינא ואלו נאמרים בכל לשון פרשת סוטה וידוי מעשר וקריאת שמע ותפלה וברכת המזון אצטריך סד"א הני מילי דאמרה בלשון חול כי היכי דתקינו רבנן בלשון קדש אבל לא אמרה בלשון חול כי היכי דתקינו רבנן בלשון קדש אימא לא קמ"ל:
This remains difficult, as we already learned this in a mishna in Sota: And these are recited in any language that one understands: The portion of the swearing of the sota, the confession of the tithes when a homeowner declares that he has given all teruma and tithes appropriately, the recitation of Shema, and the Amida prayer and Grace after Meals. If Grace after Meals is clearly on the list of matters that may be recited in any language, what did Rav teach us? The Gemara answers: Rav’s ruling with regard to Binyamin the Shepherd is necessary, as it might have entered your mind to say: This, the permission to recite Grace after Meals in any language, applies only to a case where one recited it in a secular language, just as it was instituted by the Sages in the holy tongue. However, in a case where one did not recite the blessing in a secular language, just as it was instituted by the Sages in the holy tongue, say that no, he did not fulfill his obligation. Therefore, Rav teaches us that, after the fact, not only is the language not an impediment to fulfillment of his obligation to recite a blessing, the formula is not an impediment either.

This is kind of confusing. What I read was that this said, "you can say a prayer in any language you want, as long as it's a secular language", but then later it said that the language doesn't matter.