Berakhot 46a (מו.) — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Zeira fell ill.

He became ill.

Rabbi Abbahu came to him,

to visit him.

He accepted upon himself,

Rabbi Abbahu accepted upon himself:

If

he recovers,

the short one with scorched legs

this was Rabbi Zeira’s nickname

, I will make a festive day for the rabbis!

Rabbi Zeira recovered,

and

Rabbi Abbahu

prepared a

feast

for all the rabbis.

When he came to begin the meal,

when he came to open the meal,

Rabbi Abbahu said

Rabbi Abbahu

to Rabbi Zeira: “Let our master break bread for us!”

He should break the bread before those reclining at the meal and recite the blessing over bread on behalf of them all.

Rabbi Zeira said to him:

Rabbi Zeira said to him: Is it not the case that

our master accepts the teaching of Rabbi Yohanan, who said: The homeowner breaks the bread,

and he is the one who recites the blessing on behalf of those reclining at the meal?

Rabbi Abbahu accepted Rabbi Zeira’s argument and

broke it for them,

reciting the blessing over the bread and fulfilling the obligation of those reclining at the meal with the blessing over bread.

When he reached the time to recite

the blessing after the meal,

he said to

Rabbi Zeira:

“Let our master recite the blessing for us!”

He said to him:

Is it not the case that

our master accepts the teaching of Rav Huna of Babylonia, who said: The one who breaks the bread recites the blessing!?

Since you broke the bread for those present at the beginning, you must also recite the Birkat HaMazon.

The Gemara clarifies:

And he,

Rabbi Abbahu, who told Rabbi Zeira to recite the blessing even though he himself had broken the bread at the beginning,

in accordance with whose opinion did he hold? —

It is in accordance with that which Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: The homeowner breaks the bread

and recites the blessing over bread on behalf of those reclining at the meal,

and a guest recites the blessing

the Birkat HaMazon.

The reason for this division is:

The homeowner breaks the bread so that he will break off a generous portion,

because the bread belongs to him, whereas a guest is not accustomed to take and distribute to others a larger piece than the homeowner’s portion,

and a guest recites the blessing so that he will bless

the

homeowner.

What does he recite? —

“May it be Your will that the homeowner not be put to shame in this world

and not be humiliated in the World to Come.”

And Rabbi adds to it

additional

words

:

“And may he prosper greatly in all his possessions, and may his possessions and our possessions

in the land

be successful and close to the city,

so that he can always see them and supervise their needs,

and may Satan have no dominion over either the work of his hands or the work of our hands, and may

no thought of sin, transgression, or iniquity arise before him or before us, from now and forever.”

Up to where

is

the “blessing of the zimmun,”

which is recited only when three or more people are reclining at the meal, but not by one or two, considered to extend? —

Rav Naḥman said: Until “Let us bless,”

that is, until the end of the leader’s response, “Blessed is He of whose food we have eaten.” From that point onward, the Birkat HaMazon begins.

And Rav Sheshet said: Until

the end of the blessing of

“Who sustains,”

and one or two people begin only with “We give thanks to You.”

The Gemara discusses this:

Shall we say

that this dispute

is

a dispute between

tannaitic opinions?

As one beraita teaches: The Birkat HaMazon

sometimes contains

two and

sometimes

three

blessings.

And another beraita teaches:

It contains

three and four

blessings.

They assumed

that the members of the academy could explain the dispute between the beraitot as follows:

Everyone agrees

that the blessing of

“the One who is good and does good” is not mandated by Torah law,

and neither beraita counted it. If so,

is it not that they differ over this: The one who says “two and three” holds

like Rav Sheshet, that the blessing of the zimmun extends

until

the end of the blessing of

“Who sustains,”

so that where there is a zimmun there are three blessings [“Who sustains,” “For the Land,” and “Who builds Jerusalem”], while without a zimmun there are only two;

and

the one who says “three and four”

holds

like Rav Naḥman, that the blessing of the zimmun extends

until “Let us bless,”

so that without a zimmun there are three blessings [including “Who sustains”], while with a zimmun there is an additional fourth blessing, which is the blessing of the zimmun itself. It follows that Rav Sheshet and Rav Naḥman differ in the dispute between the tannaim who taught these beraitot. The Gemara rejects this:

No,

the tannaim did not differ over this. Rather,

Rav Naḥman explains it according to his own position,

explaining their dispute according to his approach,

and

Rav Sheshet

also explains it according to his own position:

Rav Naḥman explains it according to his own position

as follows:

Everyone agrees

that the blessing of the zimmun extends only

until

the end of

“Let us bless.” The one who says

that the Birkat HaMazon contains

“three and four

blessings

” is correct,

because without a zimmun there are three blessings [including “Who sustains”], while with a zimmun there is an additional fourth blessing, the blessing of the zimmun itself.

And

the one who says

that

the Birkat HaMazon contains only

“two and three”

blessings

will tell you: Here

the beraita is discussing

the blessing of

the Birkat HaMazon of

workers, as the Master said

[above, 16a], that a worker who ate and recites the Birkat HaMazon in the midst of his work

begins with “Who sustains” and includes

the blessing of

“Who builds Jerusalem” in the blessing of “For the Land,”

because they are similar blessings. Thus, a worker recites only two blessings.

Rav Sheshet explains it according to his own position

as follows:

Everyone agrees

that the blessing of the zimmun extends

until

the end of the blessing of

“Who sustains.” The one who says

that the Birkat HaMazon contains only

“two and three

blessings”

is correct,

because where there is a zimmun there are three blessings [“Who sustains,” “For the Land,” and “Who builds Jerusalem”], while without a zimmun there are only two.

And

the one who says

that

the Birkat HaMazon contains

“three and four

blessings”

holds

that the blessing of

“the One who is good and does good” is mandated by Torah law.

Rav Yosef said: Know

this proof:

that the blessing of

“the One who is good and does good”

is not mandated by Torah law, for workers set it aside,

because the Sages did not obligate them to recite it in the Birkat HaMazon during their work. But if it were mandated by Torah law, they would be obligated to recite it.

Rav Yitzḥak bar Shmuel bar Marta said in the name of Rav: Know that “the One who is good and does good” is not

mandated by Torah law, for it begins with “Blessed

are You, the Lord,

” but does not conclude with “Blessed.”

The proof that it is not mandated by Torah law is that every blessing mandated by Torah law begins with “Blessed,”

as it was taught in a beraita: All blessings begin with “Blessed

are You, the Lord,

” and conclude with “Blessed,” except for the blessing over fruit

recited before eating it,

the blessing over mitzvot

recited before performing them,

and a blessing adjacent to another blessing,

and the final blessing of the recitation of the Shema,

for in these blessings

there are some that

begin with “Blessed” but do not conclude with “Blessed,”

such as the blessings over fruit and mitzvot, in which one gives thanks to the Lord, and therefore they are short blessings,