Joining a Zimun Without Eating Bread
Question: Must one eat bread in order to participate in the zimun?
Discussion: There are three opinions among the Rishonim regarding this question. Some286 say that all three people making the zimun must eat at least a kezayis of bread. Others287 say that if two people ate bread, a third person who ate a kezayis of food made from one of the five principle grain species (wheat, barley, oats, spelt, and rye) may complete the zimun. A third opinion288 holds that a third person who ate a kezayis of any food, or drank a revi’is of any beverage (other than water),289 permits the group to bentch with zimun.
Shulchan Aruch (197:3) rules that if two people are eating bread and a third person arrives, they should encourage him to eat bread so that they can conduct zimun according to all opinions. If he refuses, this person should not eat anything, to avoid a questionable situation of zimun. Other Acharonim,290 however, rule that he may be given any type of food or drink (other than water), and the group may make a zimun based on the third opinion.
For a zimun of ten, the halachah is clear that Hashem’s Name (Elokeinu) may be mentioned when seven people ate bread; the remaining three in the group may join by consuming a kezayis291 of any food or revi’is292 of any drink (other than water).293
The Poskim disagree regarding whether one who drinks a beverage that is essentially water may participate in creating the zimun.
Some hold that it is only water that does not qualify one to be part of a zimun, for water is not a significant beverage via which one is considered as “participating” in a meal. One who drinks a more significant beverage, however, such as lemonade, or seltzer, qualifies one as part of the meal and thus zimun.294
Others hold that a sweetened or modified drink which is primarily water does not play a role in allowing one to create a zimun.295 Drinking coffee or tea with sugar,296 however, allows one to join.297 [Note, that even when drinking hot drinks, one must drink a revi’is of the drink within the usual timeframe that it takes to drink a revi’is of liquid in order to be considered as a participant in the meal.298]
A third opinion maintains that one who drinks tea or coffee cannot join the zimun.299
One who drinks natural fruit juice may participate in creating the zimun.300
One who did not eat bread must of course recite the appropriate berachah acharonah following their meal.301 Some say that he may recite this berachah immediately after Birkas Hazimun,302 while others require them to wait until after the leader says the berachah of Hazan.303
286 Rambam, Berachos 5:8.
287 Rif, Berachos, 35b (Rif folio); Rashba, Berachos 48a, ד"ה ולענין.
288 For example, Rabbeinu Yonah, Berachos ibid.; Rosh, Berachos 7:21.
289 Shulchan Aruch 197:2, with Mishnah Berurah 12.
290 Cited in Mishnah Berurah 197:22.
291 Beiur Halachah, ד"ה כזית, cites the more lenient position of Gra, who allows one to join upon even eating a small amount of food. Sha’ar Hatziyun 197:14, though, points out that this opinion agrees that to create a zimun of three people each member of the zimun must eat a kezayis. See, however, Chazon Ish 30:11.
292 For discussion on whether drinking the majority of a revi’is allows one to participate in creating a zimun (based on the halachic principle of rubo kekulo, the majority is like the whole), see Beiur Halachah, ד"ה שיש; Baddei Hashulchan 45:7; and Shoneh Halachos 197:2.
293 Shulchan Aruch 197:2, with Mishnah Berurah 14.
294 Aruch Hashulchan 197:5.
295 R’ Yisrael Ya’akov Fisher and R’ Moshe Shternbuch, (cited in Vezos Haberachah 14, p. 130). Maharshag 2, 180:3 rules that seltzer is like water, but agrees that lemonade is a significant drink.
296 R’ Moshe Shternbuch (cited in Vezos Haberachah ibid.).
297 Teshuvos Maharitz (21).
298 R’ Moshe Shternbuch, cited in Vezos Haberachah ibid., and Teshuvos Vehanhagos 1:183. This amount of time is discussed in Mishnah Berurah 210:1.
299 See Kovetz Teshuvos 1:22; Ohr Letzion II, 46:32.
300 Vezos Haberachah 14, p. 130.
301 Shulchan Aruch 197:3.
302 Chazon Ish 31:2.
303 Shulchan Aruch Harav 197:5; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 45:10; Ketzos Hashulchan 45, Baddei Hashulchan 7.