 Birkat Hamazon is recited after consuming a meal eaten with bread | |
| Halakhic texts relating to this article | |
|---|---|
| Torah: | Deuteronomy 8:10 |
| Mishnah: | Berakhot ch. 7 |
| Babylonian Talmud: | Berakhot |
| Jerusalem Talmud: | Berakhot |
| Mishneh Torah: | Hilkhot Berakhot |
| Shulchan Aruch: | Orach Chayim 182 - 201 |
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Birkat Hamazon (Hebrew:בִּרְכַּת הַמָּזוׂן,romanized: birkath hammāzôn "The Blessing of the Food"), known in English as theGrace After Meals (Yiddish:בענטשן,romanized: benchen "to bless",[1]Yinglish:Bentsching), is a set ofHebrew blessings thatJewish law prescribes following a meal that includes at least a kezayit (olive-sized) piece ofbread. It is understood as amitzvah (Biblical commandment) based onDeuteronomy 8:10.[2][3]
Birkat Hamazon is recited after a meal containing bread or similar foods that is made from thefive grains, with the exception of bread that comes as a dessert (pas haba'ah b'kisanin)[4] and food that does not possess the form or appearance of bread (torisa d'nahama),[5] in which case a blessing that summarizes the first three blessings (birkat me'ein shalosh) is recited instead. It is a matter of rabbinic dispute whetherBirkat Hamazon must be said after eating certain other bread-like foods such aspizza.[6]
Except in teaching situations,Birkat Hamazon is typically read individually after ordinary meals. The blessing can be found in almost allsiddurs and is often printed in a variety of artistic styles in a small booklet called abirchon (orbirkon,בִּרְכּוׂן) inHebrew orbencher (orbentscher) inYiddish. The length of the differentbrakhot hamazon can vary considerably, frombentsching in under half a minute to more than five minutes.[7]
The scriptural source for the requirement to recite a blessing after a meal isDeuteronomy 8:10 "When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall blessthe LORD your God for the good land which He gave you". The process is often referred to as bentsching;[8] the word "bentsch" means to bless.
Birkat Hamazon is made up of four blessings.[9] The first three blessings are regarded as required by scriptural law:
RabbiAbraham Isaac Kook described the order of these four blessings as a “ladder of prayer,” as we raise our sights and aspirations. The first blessing refers to one's personal needs; the second, the physical needs of the nation (through the Land of Israel); the third, the nation's spiritual aspirations (Jerusalem and the Temple); and the fourth blessing, our ultimate aspiration to be a “light unto the nations.”[11]
The statutorybirkat hamazon ends at the end of these four blessings, with the words,al yechasrenu.[12]After these four blessings, there is a series of short prayers, each beginning with the wordHarachaman (the Merciful One), which ask for God's compassion.
There are several known texts forbirkat hamazon. The most widely available is theAshkenazic. There are alsoSephardic,Yemenite andItalian versions. All of these texts follow the same structure described above, but the wording varies. In particular, the Italian version preserves the ancient practice of commencing the third blessing withNachamenu on Shabbat, and concluding "Menachem ami Yisrael be-vinyan Yerushalayim.[13]
Additional sections are added on special occasions.
If one forgetsRetzei orya'aleh ve-Yavo, one inserts a short blessing before the fourth blessing. If this is also forgotten, then at the first two meals of Shabbat and major holidays (with the possible exception of theRosh Hashanah day meal or other Festival meals for women), one must repeat the entire Birkat Hamazon. At later meals, or onRosh Chodesh orChol Hamoed, nothing need be done.
If one forgetsal ha-Nissim, one does not repeat Birkat Hamazon, although one recites a specialHarachaman toward the very end, followed by the paragraphBimei, which describes the respective holidays. If this prayer is also forgotten, nothing need be done. However, according to some, one needs to repeat Birkat Hamazon if they forgetal ha-Nissim at the Purim Seudah.
Whenbirkat hamazon takes place at theSheva Brachot (seven blessings) following a traditionalJewish marriage, in Ashkenazic communities special opening lines reflecting the joy of the occasion are added to thezimmun (invitation to grace) beginning withDevai Haser; in all communitiesSheha-Simchah bi-m'ono is added. At the conclusion ofbirkat hamazon, a further seven special blessings are recited. While the seven blessings can only be recited withPanim Chadashot (new people who hadn't been at previous celebrations) and in the presence of a minyan,Devai Haser can be recited even without these requirements as long as there is a Zimmun. Furthermore, according to Talmudic law,Sheha-Simchah bi-m'ono (and presumablyDevai Haser) can be recited for up to thirty days, or even a year if the meal was made specifically in honor of the couple; nevertheless, this is not practiced today.[21]
Atbirkat hamazon concluding thecelebratory meal of abrit milah (ritual circumcision), in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, additional introductory lines, known asNodeh Leshimcha, are added at the beginning and specialha-Rachaman prayers are inserted. In the Western Ashkenazic rite, the Zimmun is recited as normal without any additions, but a long piyyut fromEphraim of Bonn is inserted in the middle of the second blessing; specialha-Rachaman prayers are added, but they are different from those of the Eastern Ashkenazic rite.
According toIsaac ben Dorbolo, a mourner is not counted forzimmun orminyan on the first day of mourning.[22] Whenbirkat hamazon takes place in ashiva house, the ordinary call to prayer is replaced with "Let us bless the Comforter of Mourners, of whose food we have eaten," and congregants respond with "Blessed be the Comforter of Mourners, of whose food we have eaten, and by whose produce do we live.[23][24] According to Isaac ben Darbolo, an additional prayer should be added after theRachem blessing: "Comfort, O God, the mourners of Zion and the mourners of Jerusalem, and all those who are comforting themselves because of this loss. Comfort away their mourning, and cheer them from their sadness. As it is said, "Just as a man is comforted by his mother, so I will comfort you, and in Jerusalem you will be comforted."[22] Darbolo, among others, also writes that theBoneh blessing should be altered to conclude, "Blessed are you, O Lord, Comforter of Mourners and Builder of Jerusalem", but other authorities disagree.[25] Darbolo also adds aHarachaman for mourners: "The Merciful One is a true God and an honest judge, He deals fairly and He takes fairly, and He has absolute power in His world to do as He wills, for all of His ways are just. And we are His people and His servants. We are always obligated to praise Him and to bless Him. End this evil and our mourning. The mender of Israel's breaches will mend this breach of ours for life and peace."[22]
An abbreviated text is sometime used when time is lacking. It contains the four essential blessings in a somewhat shortened form, with fewer preliminaries and additions. In liberal branches of Judaism, there is no standard text to be recited and customs vary accordingly. ManySephardi Jews, especiallySpanish and Portuguese Jews often sing a hymn in Spanish (notLadino as is commonly assumed), calledBendigamos,[26] before or afterbirkat hamazon. An additional abbreviated form ofbirkat hamazon in Ladino, calledYa Comimos, may also be said.
According toHalakha when a minimum of three adult Jewish males eat bread as part of ameal together they are obligated to form amezuman (a "prepared gathering") with the addition of a few extra opening words whereby one man "invites" the others to join him inbirkat hamazon. (This invitation is called azimmun). When those present at the meal form aminyan (a quorum of ten adult Jewish men) there are further additions to the invitation. A Zimmun of 10 is called aZimmun B'Shem.
TheTalmud states that women are obligated to saybirkat hamazon and that accordingly, three women can constitute azimmun and lead it.[27] Accordingly, theShulchan Aruch rules that three women may choose to make azimmun among themselves, but are not required to do so.[28] However, ten women cannot make theZimmun B'Shem,[29] and men and women cannot combine to form the three members of an ordinaryzimmun.[30] If three men and three women are present, the three men make thezimmun, and the women are required to answer to it.[28]
According to the one opinion in theTalmud,[31] there are special versions of thezimmun ifbirkat hamazon is said by at least 100, 1000 or 10000 seated at one meal. When 100 are present, the leader says "Blessed is HaShem our God, of Whose we have eaten and of Whose goodness we have lived", and the group responds "Blessed is HaShem our God, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." When 1000 are present, the leader of the Zimmun says "Let us bless HaShem our God, the God of Israel, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived", and the crowd responds, "Blessed is HaShem our God, the God of Israel, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." When at least 10000 are present, the leader of thezimmun says "Let us bless Hashem our God, the God of Israel, whodwells among thecherubim, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived," and the multitude responds, "Blessed is Hashem our God, the God of Israel, who dwells among the cherubim, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." However, the Shulchan Aruch rules like the other opinion in the Talmud and we do not use any of these variations.[32]
The practice of a cup of blessing is mentioned in theTalmud, and technically it can be done anytime Birkat Hamazon is recited, even by an individual.[33] However, common practice is to use a cup only when there is azimmun, in which case the person leading thezimmun recites the blessings over the cup of wine called thekos shel beracha (cup of blessing). It is more commonly done onShabbat andJewish Holidays, and almost universally done at meals celebrating special events. At aPassover Seder, the cup of blessing is drunk by everyone present, and functions as the "Third Cup".
Many have the custom - especially after aShabbat meal - of sharing aDvar Torah ("word of Torah"; Yiddish, "vort"), before the invitation. This is based onPirkei Avot3:3: "If three have eaten at one table, and have spoken there words of Torah, [it is] as if they had eaten at the table ofthe All-Present, blessed be He..."
There is a practice in many Orthodox communities to wash the hands before recitingbirkat hamazon. This practice is calledmayim acharonim (final waters). While the Talmud andShulchan Aruch rule this practice to be obligatory,Tosafot and other sources rule it to be unnecessary in current circumstances, and thus many do not perform the practice.
Bentschers (/ˈbɛntʃər/; orbenchers,birkhonim,birkhon,birchon,birchonim) are small Birkat Hamazon booklets usually handed out at bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings and other celebratory events. Traditionally, the cover of thebentscher is customized to reflect the event. Somebentschers now feature photography of Israel throughout. There are several services currently available that customize thebentscher using graphics, logos and/or photographs.[34] They often contain other texts such askiddush and the Shabbatzemirot, in addition to Birkat Hamazon itself.
In the early modern era (1563-1780),Birkat Hamazon was used the title for a book that included a wider variety of prayers that are not part of the daily prayer routine, such as the wedding ceremony anderuv tavshilin, in addition to Birkat Hamazon and kiddush and zemirot.[35]
TheTalmud relates that at the time of theResurrection of the Dead, aspecial feast will take place.Abraham,Isaac,Jacob,Moses andJoshua will all claim unworthiness to lead the grace and the Cup of Blessing will pass toKing David, who will accept the honour.[36]
The giving of thanks for the food received dates back to the first Jewish Patriarch, Abraham. AMidrash says that his tent for hospitality had openings on all four sides. He invited guests to bless the Heavenly source of the food. If they refused, he told them that they would have to pay 10 gold coins for bread, ten for wine and ten for hospitality. To their amazement for the excessive price he replied that that price corresponded to those delights difficult to find in the desert; then they accepted God and thanked Him.[37][which?]
In the Jewish faith, "benching" (the Birkat Hamazon) is ...
There is a difference of opinion... Biblical ... or a Rabbinic enactment.
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