Questions tagged [bentching]

Questions about the the blessings of thanks recited after eating bread products. Hebrew: Bircat Hamazon. Also known as Grace After Meals.

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People half-standing for אלקינו in zimun

When conducting a zimun with ten or more men, the nusach is to say "...ברוך אלקינו שאכלנו משלו". I have noticed that many people, when saying the word "אלקינו", get up from their seats at least a ...
jake's user avatar
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11 votes
4 answers
1k views

Continuing to drink a Beverage after Birchas HaMazon?

Perhaps this is a simple matter that I should be embarrassed not to know (which I am even if it isn't because I need to learn hilchos b'rachos better and always forget to look this question up) but.......
Yirmeyahu's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
210 views

Bentching after accidentally eating prohibited foods

Should one recite Birkath HaMazon after eating foods that one did not realize were prohibited, or does this fall under the idea that doing so is offensive?
Seth J's user avatar
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29 votes
2 answers
922 views

Why don't people bentch on a kos nowadays?

Bentching with a kos (recite Grace after Meals with a cup of wine) was clearly a popular thing to do in the times of the gemara. Additionally many Ashkenazi rishonim (Rosh, Ri, and many other ...
Double AA's user avatar
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24 votes
11 answers
849 views

"I never saw a tzaddik be abandoned..." - how do we understand this?

At the end of bentching we say that "I was young, and I also became old, and I never saw a righteous person be abandoned, and his children asking for bread" (Tehillim 37:25). How do we reconcile that ...
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24 votes
4 answers
1k views

תהלת ה' ידבר פי - what's the origin?

In between the 'Shir HaMaalot' that precedes birchat hamazon and the the blessings themselves, there are a few psukim beginning תהלת ה' ידבר פי . Some people add these, and some don't. What's the ...
Laizer's user avatar
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15 votes
1 answer
732 views

Woman and Zimun: What is the requirement?

What is a woman's requirement to say Bircat Hamazon with a Zimun of women? What is a woman's requirement to say Bircat Hamazon with a Zimun of men?
RCW's user avatar
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15 votes
1 answer
370 views

And let who say Amen?

In light of this answer, why do we say V'imru amen and V'nomar amen at various points in bentching and davening when saying that passage alone? (eg. bentching by yourself, or oseh shalom at the end of ...
Double AA's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
6k views

What is mazonot?

Could someone kindly explain to me what Mazonot means? I recenlty attended a charity do where the bread rolls were described as mazonot. Another person at the table explained to me that this meant ...
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15 votes
4 answers
496 views

Benching on yom kipper

If one must eat on yom kipper, does he make any day-specific additions during benching?
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12 votes
2 answers
1k views

Zimun and Bentsching (Bircat Hamazon / Grace After Meals) with Jews who ate non-kosher food

I came across an interesting situation recently. I was eating with Jewish, non-observant friends. I brought over a hamburger from a local kosher take-out place. They had homemade, non-kosher food, ...
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4 votes
2 answers
426 views

How much of benching should be said aloud in a zimmun?

When a zimmun (rabbotai nevarech, etc.) is done, I have heard that the first three paragraphs should be said aloud by the leader. (That'd be: Baruch Ata Adoshem Hazan Et Haolam......Baruch Ata ...
barlop's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
217 views

What to do if you realize while Bentching that you want more to eat or drink?

What do you do if you realize while you are Bentching that you want more to eat or drink? Let's say you realize you are thirsty, or you are Bentching early, and the host brings out the next course and ...
Seth J's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
245 views

Bar mitzvah boy joining a zimun on the night of his bar mitzvah, having started the meal during the day

(This question could probably be made better if someone answers What time does a bar mitzvah come into effect?, but for now i'll just use the earlier or later time, as applicable.) Let's say a boy's ...
Scimonster's user avatar
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0 votes
3 answers
195 views

Why no singular in birchat hamazon for "ours and all that is ours"?

Near the end of the birchat hamazon there is alternate wording for the beginning of a sentence for eating at your own table, or that of another person, but the end of that sentence is always in the ...
Yehuda W's user avatar
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12 votes
4 answers
1k views

Source of saying migdol / magdil in Bentching

I was once told by someone that saying migdol instead of magdil in bentching on Shabbos and yom tov is an error. That a siddur had the source in pesukim in short form on the side and people mistook it ...
Moshe Yitzhak's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
250 views

If three men pre-arranged to sit down and eat together over a video-chat, is there any reason they shouldn't have a zimun?

I learned that if two groups were eating in two different rooms but even one person could see someone in the other room, then they could have one zimun (I thought this was in Masechet Brachot, but I ...
zaq's user avatar
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11 votes
2 answers
1k views

Should we say Al Naharos Bavel?

Tehillim 137 is printed in several bentchers before birkas hamazon, but from what I have seen most people do not say it. What is the correct thing to do: say or omit? Are there different minhagim?
none's user avatar
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10 votes
1 answer
436 views

Can a woman drink the Kos Shel Bracha?

After saying Birkat HaMazon with a cup of wine, the Shulchan Aruch rules in OC 190:3, that at least a cheekful of wine must be drunk. If this was at a zimmun and the leader of the zimmun does not want ...
Double AA's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
255 views

V'Al Brischa SheChasamta Bivsoreinu - ועל בריתך שחתמת בבשרנו - does a lady say this?

In Bentching (grace after meals) - both in the Ashkenazic and in the Sefardic version - we say V'Al Brischa SheChasamta Bivsoreinu - ועל בריתך שחתמת בבשרנו - "and for Your covenant, which you sealed ...
Gershon Gold's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
117 views

What is the qualification for chamar m'dina ? [duplicate]

The Shulchan Aruch mentions in a few places that if wine is not available then one may use chamar m'dina (a national drink), for bentching, kiddush, and havdala. chamar m'dina is also permitted if one ...
eramm's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
1k views

V'Nomar Amen (וְנאמַר אָמֵן) vs. V'Imru Amen (ואמרוּ אָמֵן)

In Bentching by the end of the Harachamon's we say וְנאמַר אָמֵן and at the end of Magdil we say ואמרוּ אָמֵן. Is there a difference? What is the difference? Why the difference?
Gershon Gold's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
3k views

Abridged Birkat HaMazon - Online?

HaRav Binyamin Kwalwasser from Yeshivat Lev Hatorah taught us that Rabbi Abadi is of the opinion that it is better to say a shorter version of Birkat Hamazon after eating than not to say it at all. (...
Adam Mosheh's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Saying Birkas Hamazon after leaving your house

If one leaves his house to daven Ma'ariv before he Bentched (Birkas Hamazon) and then comes back home , may he Bentch then
sye81397's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
371 views

Why did the Vilna Gaon not approve of singing the zemiroh “Tzur Mishelo” on Shabbos?

I understand that the Vilna Gaon did not approve of singing the zemiroh “Tzur Mishelo” on Shabbos because it could be valid as Grace after Meals. But on Shabbos, Grace after Meals is not valid ...
Avrohom Yitzchok's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
207 views

What should i do with food stuck in my mouth after bentching?

It happens to everyone sometimes. You'll be eating a sandwich (for example), bentch, and then find some food stuck in your mouth. What should be done with this food? Is it permissible to swallow it? ...
Scimonster's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
701 views

Tzur MiShelo - Should you sing it before Bentching?

The song "Tzur MiShelo", generally printed in Bentchers, Siddurim, Zimronim, etc., as a Friday night song, follows the pattern of Bentching (grace after meals), praising G-d and praying for redemption,...
Seth J's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
326 views

What is the source for washing Mayim Acharonim with only a few drops of water?

OC 181 (4) MB [10] says that when washing mayim acharonim one must wash up to the second knuckle and using a few drops does not fulfill the mitzvah at all. Shulchan Oruch HaRav 181 (4) says there is ...
Avrohom Yitzchok's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
3k views

Does "Brich Rachamana Malka D'Alma Ma'rei D'Hai Pita' really fullfil the obligation of Birkas Hamazon?

I heard from a friend that, as per the Gemara, saying the following phrase in Aramaic discharges the obligation to recite Bircas Hamazon in its entirety: Brich rachamana malka d'alma ma'rei d'hai ...
Naftuli Kay's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
343 views

wording of the invitation to birkas hamazon

I know some Ashk'nazim say rabosay n'varech, some rabosay mir velen bentschen, and some hertzi rabosay mir velen bentschen. (Any other forms?) Is there any particular reason given for one or another?
msh210's user avatar
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8 votes
3 answers
610 views

Why can't a mixed gender meal of 3 form a zimun?

In a group of two women and one man (or one woman and two men), why can they not have a zimun together? Is it because of different levels of obligation in bentching? If so, why is a woman less-...
Charles Koppelman's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
333 views

Not Bentching on a Kos when wine is already on the table

According to this answer R' Moshe Feinstein Paskened that, since for many years the practice of Bentching on a Kos (reciting grace after meals over a cup of wine, as formally constructed in the Talmud)...
Seth J's user avatar
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7 votes
3 answers
529 views

"Praiseworthy is he who will clutch and dash your infants against the rock"?

I do not understand the last lines of psalm 137 ("By the rivers of Babylon"/"Al naharos bovel," the psalm recited before Birkat Ha-Mazon on weekdays. [It includes the famous lines &...
SAH's user avatar
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7 votes
3 answers
317 views

stop benching at al-yichasiranu?

Can you stop benching (saying the grace after a meal) after al-yichasiranu (the end of the fourth blessing of the grace)?
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7 votes
1 answer
318 views

who says "baruch hu uvaruch sh'mo" before birkas hamazon

Ashk'nazi prayer books generally include the line ברוך הוא וברוך שמו after the zimun (invitation to say birkas hamazon and before the actual birkas hamazon. It generally (in my experience) is ...
msh210's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
212 views

Should we say Amen after the Harachamans in Bentching?

I recently heard (cannot recall from who or if I saw it somewhere) that after each Harachaman (הרחמן) after the 4th Bracha in Birchas Hamazon, one should answer Amen. Additionally, I was bentching ...
yydl's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
643 views

Does Birkas Hamazon eliminate the need for bracha acharona on foods eaten before?

Someone ate something which, in and of itself, requires a bracha achrona (e.g. Al Hamichya or Borei Nefashos) and carelessly moved on to eating bread before reciting said bracha achrona. Should one ...
SAH's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
422 views

Special Grace After Meals in a House of Mourning

The Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh De'ah 379 outlines a special version of Bentching to be recited in a House of Mourning. I have been in several houses of mourning and have never seen this done. Has anyone ...
Double AA's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
374 views

Does birkat hamazon cover dessert (and other items requiring a separate bracha rishona during the meal)?

During a bread-based meal, but before bentching (i.e. reciting birkat hamazon), I eat something (e.g. fruit, dessert, etc.) that traditionally requires a separate bracha rishona. Must I say a ...
SAH's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Shortened version of birkat hammazon

Anecdotally, I've eaten with people before who have recited birkat hammazon to themselves quietly and who are either record-breaking speed speakers or who are using a shortened version. I suspect the ...
Shimon bM's user avatar
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5 votes
0 answers
372 views

Excluding water from blessing after food

One common scenario is for someone to make a berakha on water at some point in the morning and to drink the water throughout the day. Suppose during the day, the person decides to have a snack whose ...
Daniel's user avatar
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5 votes
3 answers
388 views

(How) Should the wife of the ba'al habayit (homeowner) be mentioned in the call to recite grace after meals

As part of leading birkat hamazon (grace after meals) there is a custom for the leader to mention he has been given permission to lead by the male homeowner. I am wondering if there is any discussion ...
rikitikitembo's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
927 views

Mac or PC computer file Bencher in Hebrew and English

I would like to get (for free or for pay) a bencher in Hebrew and English, similar to Artscroll, one side Hebrew and one side English in pdf format that I can open on a Mac or a PC and do some changes....
Ruth Cohen's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
265 views

After Shabbos, is it fine to pray Maariv first, and then to say Grace after Meals once the prayer is done?

I generally eat s'uda sh'lishis between mincha and maariv, and have been reciting Grace after Meals at night, after maariv. One who does so (and says havdala in the amida of maariv) does not recite ...
msh210's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
271 views

Why doesn't everyone say 'Al HaNisim for both days of Purim?

No matter where you live, walled city or not, there is no Tahanun or LaMenatzeah on either day, you aren't allowed to fast on either day, and you can even fulfill Matanoth LaEvyonim on either day (...
Seth J's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
246 views

ORDER OF krias shma, benshing and the omer

In summer when one davens early on Friday night and one finishes the meal at night, what is the correct order of saying these three things. Krias shma, Benshing and Omer.
preferred's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
104 views

Cut-off birkat hamazon

As a complement to this question on Shortened Birkat Hamazon, I would like to better understand the practice I saw of stopping Birkat Hamazon after the fourth blessing on Shabbat and not saying the ...
mbloch's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
181 views

differences of phrasing in Al hanisim: Chanuka vs. Purim

We add paragraphs to the liturgy of Chanuka and Purim, recounting the respective miracles that those holidays commemorate. We start the paragraphs as follows. Chanuka's starts: In the days of ...
msh210's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
78 views

Is bentching with a minyan considered a davar shebikdusha?

Closely related (particular example of): What is the meaning of Davar Shebakedusha? The Aruch Hashulchan notes that the wedding blessings require ten men, but are not a 'davar shebikdusha' (E.H. 62:...
הנער הזה's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
202 views

Sofek in Bircas HaTorah -- why not say all of the brachas?

The M"B brings in the beginning of Siman 47 from the Shagas Aryeh (Siman 24-25) that if one is in sofek (doubt) if they said Bircas HaTorah then they should go back and say the bracha however only the ...
Yehoshua's user avatar
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