Gemara Clarity

Berachos 46a

ברכות מ״ו ע״א

Berakhot 46a

Learn Berachos 46a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Berachos 46a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Who breaks the bread and who leads ברכת המזון, where ברכת הזימון ends, and why הטוב והמטיב is not from the Torah.

Overview

The גמרא opens with a story. רבי אבהו made a feast for the רבנן after רבי זירא recovered from an illness. At the meal רבי אבהו asked his guest רבי זירא to break the bread and then to lead ברכת המזון, and both times רבי זירא declined by quoting a rule. The גמרא explains that רבי אבהו followed רבי יוחנן in the name of רבי שמעון בן יוחי: the host breaks the bread so he gives generous portions, and the guest leads ברכת המזון so he can bless the host. It then gives the words of that blessing, along with רבי's longer version. Next, רב נחמן and רב ששת argue about where ברכת הזימון ends, at נברך or at הזן. The גמרא tries to tie their argument to two ברייתות that count the blessings differently, but it concludes that each אמורא can explain both ברייתות his own way. Finally, רב יוסף and רב each bring a proof that הטוב והמטיב is not from the Torah. רב's proof relies on a ברייתא about which blessings open and close with 'ברוך', and that ברייתא continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

רַבִּי זֵירָא חֲלַשׁ,

Rabbi Zeira became ill,

עָל לְגַבֵּיהּ רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ,

Rabbi Abbahu went in to visit him,

קַבֵּיל עֲלֵיהּ:

and he resolved (took upon himself):

אִי מִתְּפַח קַטִּינָא חֲרִיךְ שָׁקֵי —

If the little one with the scorched legs is healed —

The steps (18)

  1. Statementרבי זירא's illness and רבי אבהו's promised feast
  2. Statementרבי זירא declines to break the bread
  3. Challengeרבי זירא declines to lead ברכת המזון
  4. QuestionWhat was רבי אבהו's own view?
  5. ResponseThe host breaks the bread and the guest leads the blessing
  6. QuestionWhat does the guest say when he blesses the host?
  7. ResponseThe basic blessing for the host
  8. Statementרבי adds blessings for the host's success
  9. QuestionWhere does ברכת הזימון end?
  10. Responseרב נחמן and רב ששת disagree
  11. ProofProposing a parallel dispute between two ברייתות
  12. ProofMatching each ברייתא to one side of the dispute
  13. RejectionRejecting the parallel
  14. Resolutionרב נחמן's explanation: the workers' blessing
  15. Resolutionרב ששת's explanation: the fourth blessing as Torah law
  16. ProofWorkers skip it, so it cannot be a Torah blessing
  17. ProofThe wording of the blessing shows it is not from the Torah
  18. ProofA ברייתא about which blessings open and close with 'ברוך'