Chapter 44 : Laws Concerning the Washing of Hands After a Meal, and the Saying of Birkas Hamazon

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§1

We find that many people are lenient regarding the law of washing the hands at the end of a meal. However, it is proper for every God-fearing person to observe this law scrupulously. You are required to wash only up to the second knuckle, holding your hands downward before drying them. The one leading the Birkas Hamazon should wash first.

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§2

Do not wash on ground where people walk, because a damaging spirit dwells on this water, but rather wash into a vessel or under the table, dry your hands and then recite Birkas Hamazon. There must be no interruption between washing and Birkas Hamazon.

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§3

Do not remove the tablecloth or bread until after Birkas Hamazon. Bread should be on the table at the time of Birkas Hamazon to demonstrate the abundance of goodness from Hashem, blessed be His Name — that He gives us enough to eat and to spare, as Elisha [the prophet] said to his servant: "For so said Hashem, eat and leave over." Another reason for this custom is that Hashem's blessing has no effect on a void. It is only effective on some existing substance, as Elisha said to the wife of Ovadiah: "What do you have in the house?" [which I can bless.]

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§4

It is customary to remove all the knives from the table before Birkas Hamazon or to cover them, because the table is like the Altar [of the Bais Hamikdash] and concerning the Altar it is said: "Do not lift up any iron upon them." Since metal shortens human life [in the form of weapons] and the Altar prolongs human life, it is improper that something that shortens life be lifted above that which lengthens life. Similarly the table prolongs the days of man, and atones for his sins when needy guests are invited to the table, for the power of hospitality is so great that it causes the Divine Spirit to dwell in our midst. It is customary in many places not to cover the knives on Shabbos and Yom Tov; for on weekdays we cover them because they represent the power of Esau, but on Shabbos and Yom Tov the forces of evil do not prevail, and a custom of Israel has the validity of Torah.

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§5

Even if you only eat a kazayis of bread, you have to recite Birkas Hamazon.

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§6

You must not recite Birkas Hamazon while standing or walking, but only while sitting. Even if you were walking around the house while eating or you were standing or reclining, when you recite Birkas Hamazon, you should sit in order to concentrate properly. You must not even recline, for that is a form of haughtiness, but you should sit erect. You should put on your jacket, and your hat, so that the fear of Heaven be upon you. You should arouse your concentration and recite Birkas Hamazon with reverence and awe.You must not engage in any other activity while reciting Birkas Hamazon.

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§7

It is customary that the listeners answer Amein, after the phrases beginning with Harachamon, which are said [at the end of] Birkas Hamazon. Because the Midrash teaches us that when you hear someone reciting a prayer, or blessing another Jew, even without mentioning the Name of Hashem, you should respond with Amein.

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§8

If you neglected to recite Birkas Hamazon, until the food was digested, that is when you begin to feel hungry, you can no longer recite Birkas Hamazon. Some are of the opinion that this time span is one and a fifth hours [seventy-two minutes]. Nevertheless, at elaborate meals, the time people take between eating and Birkas Hamazon is longer than this time limit because even during this interim, people usually drink and eat desserts. The best thing, however, is not to delay Birkas Hamazon too long.

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§9

If you left your place before reciting Birkas Hamazon, then, if there is a piece of bread at the new place, eat it there and you need not recite the Hamotzi before eating it. You need only recite Birkas Hamazon afterwards. If there is no bread there, you must return to the original place to recite Birkas Hamazon. If you are so far away that until you return to your original place, the time limit will have elapsed, then recite Birkas Hamazon where you are.

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§10

On a Shabbos which is also Rosh Chodesh or a Yom Tov or the intermediate days of a holiday, first recite Retzei and then say Ydaleh Veyaro. The reason for this is that Shabbos occurs regularly and is more sacred than the others [Rosh Chodesh or Yom Tov]

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§11

If you forgot or are uncertain whether you said Binkas Hamazon. then if you ate enough to be satisfied (for which the reciting of Birkas Hamazon is Biblically mandated), you must say Birkas Hamazon again. Similarly if you fall asleep while reciting Birkas Hamazon and when you awaken you do not know where you were up to [before falling asleep], you must start from the beginning of Birkas liamazen. In the case of a woman who is uncertain whether she recited Birkas Hamazon or not, she does not have to recite it.

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§12

If you forgot to say Retzei on Shabbos, or Ya'aleh Veyavo on Yom Tov, if you remember before you said Hashem's Name of the berachah "Baruch ata Hashem Boneh Berachamav Yerushalayim," then you may recite Retzei or Ya'aleh Veyavo and start again from Uvenei Yerushalayim. But if you did not remember until after you said Hashem's Name, finish the berachah of Boneh Berachamav Yerushalayim Amein, and there [before starting the fourth berachah] on Shabbos say the following: "Blessed are you Hashem, our God, King of the Universe, Who gave Shabbos for rest to His people Yisroel with love, for a sign and a covenant. Blessed are you, Hashem, Sanctifier of Shabbos." On Yom Tov if you forgot Ya'aleh Veyavo you should say the following: "Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who gave Festivals to His people Yisroel for happiness and joy, this day of (name of festival). Blessed are You, Hashem, Sanctifier of Yisroel and the seasons." If a festival occurs on a Shabbos and you forgot to say Retzei and Ya'aleh Veyavo, you should say the following: "Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who gave Shabbosos for rest to His people Yisroel with love, for a sign and a covenant, and Festivals for happiness and joy this day of (name of festival.) Blessed are You, Hashem, Sanctifier of Shabbos, Yisroel, and the seasons." If on a Shabbos and Yom Tov, you said Retzei but did not say Ya'aleh Veyavo, say the berachah as if it were only Yom Tov. If in this situation you said Ya'aleh Veyavo and did not say Retzei say what you would if it were just Shabbos.

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§13

If you did not remember until you already started the fourth berachah which begins: "Blessed are you, Hashem . . . Our God. King of the universe, Almighty, our Father," even if you only said the word Baruch [Blessed], vou cannot correct the omission by saying the berachah 'Who gave': therefore, if this occurs during the first two Shabbos meals you [must] repeat from the beginning of Birkas Hamazon. If all you have said was: "Blessed are you, Hashem" [of the fourth blessing], conclude by saying lamedeini chukecha so that God's name is not said in vain and then repeat from the beginning of Birkas Hamazon. But if this occurs at the third meal at which even on Shabbos we are not required to eat bread and certainly on Yom Tov, and Birkas Hamazon is thus not a requirement of the day, therefore you need not repeat from the beginning, but continue and complete saying Birkas Hamazon. But if you remember at a point where you can still correct the omission [by saying] the berachah Asher Nasan [Who gave]..., you must correct the error, even if it happens after you ate a number of meals.

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§14

If you forgot on Rosh Chodesh, and did not say Ya'aleh Veyavo, you should say the following: "Blessed are You, Hashem, King of the universe, Who gave Rosh Chodesh days to His people Yisroel for remembrance," and you do not say an after-berachah. (It does not matter whether this happened during the day or night of Rosh Chodesh. If during the intermediate days of Yom Tov, you did not say Ya'aleh Veyavo, you should say the following: "Blessed are You, Hashem, Our God, King of the universe, who gave Festivals to His people Yisroel for happiness and joy, this day of (name of festival). Blessed are You, Hashem, Sanctifier of Yisroel and the Seasons." If this should occur on Rosh Hashanah, you should say the following: "Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who gave Festivals to His people Yisroel for remembrance. Blessed are You Hashem, Sanctifier of Yisroel and the Day of Remembrance." And if you did not remember [that you forgot Ya'aleh Veyavo] until after starting the next berachah, you need not repeat from the beginning, for on Rosh Chodesh and the intermediate days of Yom Tov and on Rosh Hashanah, you are not specifically required to eat bread.

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§15

If Rosh Chodesh occurs on a Shabbos and you forgot to say Retzei and Ya'aleh Veyavo and you remember and say: Blessed are You, Hashem, Our God, King of the Universe, Asher Nasan, Who gave, then you should also mention Rosh Chodesh both at the beginning and at the end, and say the following: "Who gave Shabbosos for rest to His people Yisroel with love for a sign and a covenant; and Rosh Chodesh days for remembrance. Blessed are You, Hashem, Sanctifier of the Shabbos, Yisroel, and Rosh Chodesh." Even though, had it been only Rosh Chodesh, there would be no after-berachah, in this instance, since there is an after-berachah because of Shabbos, you mention Rosh Chodesh too. If, however, you said Retzei, but forgot Ya'aleh Veyavo and became aware of the omission only after the beginning of the next berachah, you need not repeat from the beginning, for you already mentioned Shabbos and for the sake of Rosh chodesh you need not repeat Birkas Hamazon. If in this situation you said Ya'aleh Veyavo but forgot Retzei and therefore must repeat Birkas Hamazon, then you have to say Ya'aleh Veyavo again. The same would apply if it were Shabbos on an intermediate day of Yom Tov or on Rosh Hashanah.

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§16

On Chanukah and Purim, if you forgot to say Al hanissim, and you did not remember until after you said Hashem's Name, at the conclusion of the berachah [Nodeh], you need not repeat Birkas Hamazon; but while reciting the Harachaman; you should say: "The all merciful One—may He perform for us miracles and wonders as He did to our forefathers in those days at this time in the days of Mattisyahu etc. or in the days of Mordechai etc."

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§17

If you are eating on Shabbos and it became dark, since you have not yet prayed the evening prayers, you still say Retzei. Likewise on Yom Tov, Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim, since the beginning of the meal was during the day, we must mention that which is related to the day even if the Birkas Hamazon is recited at night. If you ate on the eve of Rosh Chodesh and your meal was prolonged into the night, if after it was dark you also ate a kazayis of bread, you must say Ya'aleh Veyavo. The same applies to Chanukah and Purim. If you began eating a Shabbos meal, and the meal was prolonged into the night and you also ate a kazayis at night, and the next day is Rosh Chodesh say Retzei and Ya'aleh Veyavo. The same applies to Chanukah and Purim. There are some who argue this point because they consider it to be self-contradictory [it cannot be both day and night]. It is therefore best to avoid continuing the meal into the night.

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§18

If there is a non-Jew in the house when you are reciting Birkas Hamazon, you should say: [in the Harachaman] "We, the members of the covenant, all of us together."