Reciting Birkas Hamazon with the Mezamen

Q. Should the participants in zimun recite Birkas Hamozon together with the mezamen?

A. There were four different stages of practice for the mitzvah of zimun over the course of the centuries. As we shall see, modifications were made in response to changes in the powers of concentration of the general population.

As previously noted, zimun is an invitation to the group to join in praising Hashem with Birkas Hamozon. Initially, in the Talmudic era, the mezamen (leader of zimun) recited the entire Birkas Hamozon out loud, and the participants did not recite any part of Birkas Hamazon. Rather they listened to the mizamen and were yotzai (fulfilled the mitzvah of) Birchas Hamozon in that manner. (See Mishna Berura 183:27 and 195:10).

Rav Yosef Kairo (1485-1575) in Bais Yosef (OC 183) quotes poskim who were concerned that participants would have difficulty listening to the mezamen for an extended period of time. If there would be a lapse of concentration, the listener would not be yotzei. Apparently, in Talmudic times, people were able to stay focused while listening to the mazamen recite the entire Birkas Hamozon , but in later generations, individual’s power of concentration was diminished. As such, the poskim recommended modifying the original custom. The mezamen would continue to recite the entire Birkas Hamozon out loud, but the participants would follow along and quietly recite Birkas Hamazon on their own together with the mezamen. Rav Yosef codified this position in Shulchan Aruch 183:7.

With the passage of time we find that powers of concentration continued to diminish even further. Thus, three centuries after the Bais Yosef wrote that the participants should quietly recite the entire Birchas Hamozon with the mezamen, the Chofetz Chaim (Mishnah Berura 183:28) informs us that this was not widely practiced and many people would recite Birkas Hamozon totally independently of the mezamen. The Mishna Berurah sharply criticized this practice and writes that at the very least, the mezamen should recite the first beracha of Birkas Hamozon out loud with the participants quietly following along and reciting the beracha.

Nonetheless, Rav Chaim Medini (1832-1904) reported in the Sedai Chemed (Asifas Dinim, Maareches Zayin, os 5) that he attended dinners with distinguished Ashkenazic Rabbonim where the participants recited the entire Birkas Hamozon on their own, and this was apparently common practice in many circles. Rav Shmuel Vosner writes in Shevet Haleivi (10:40) that this became the practice because it was difficult for most people to recite the first brocha quietly with the mezamen without becoming confused and possibly scrambling the words of the bracha.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.