Brachos 50 - How to see if someone is a scholar, splitting for Zimun, what to do if forgot bracha - a podcast by Eran Netkin

1. Talmid chacham or ignoramus making berachos
The Gemara teaches that we can tell whether a person is a talmid chacham or an ignoramus from the
way he makes berachos.
• If he does any of the following, he is considered an ignoramus:
• Instead of saying חיינו ובטובו) and through Whose goodness we live), he says חיינו ומטובו) and from
Whose goodness we live), which minimizes Hashem’s bestowal of goodness.
• He says חיים ובטובו...) and through Whose goodness they live), since he is excluding himself.
• Instead of saying משלו שאכלנו נברך) Let us bless [He] of Whose we have eaten) he says שאכלנו למי
משלו) to the One of Whose we have eaten), since it implies that he is blessing one of many
possible providers.
• Instead of saying משלו שאכלנו ברוך) Blessed is [He] of Whose we have eaten) he says המזון על
שאכלנו...) for the food we have eaten) since it appears as if he is blessing the food and not its
Provider.
2. One bentched without making a zimun
If a group of three ate bread together and one of them recited Birkas Hamazon on his own without a
zimun, he may join the other two in a zimun so they can fulfill their obligation, but he does not fulfill
his own obligation, because there is no such thing as a retroactive zimun (למפרע זימון.(
3. One forgot to make a berachah
If one mistakenly put food in his mouth without reciting a berachah:
• If it’s a liquid, he should swallow it.
• If it’s a food that won’t be made repulsive by being spit out, he should spit it out, make the
berachah and then eat it.
• If spitting it out would make the food repulsive, he should shift it to the side of his mouth, make
the berachah and then eat it.
Siman – Nincompoop
The nincompoop who always forgot to make berachos and join in a zimun, was declared a total
ignoramus when the Rabbi overheard all the textual changes he made in his bentching.
Key words – ignoramus, forgot zimun & berachah

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