Study Berakhot folio 46A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
רבי זירא חלש, על לגביה רבי אבהו, קביל עליה: אי מתפח קטינא חריך שקי — עבידנא יומא טבא לרבנן. אתפח, עבד סעודתא לכולהו רבנן. כי מטא למשרי אמר ליה לרבי זירא: לישרי לן מר. אמר ליה: לא סבר לה מר להא דרבי יוחנן דאמר: בעל הבית בוצע? שרא להו.
The Talmud recounts: R' Zeira took ill. R' Abbahu went to visit him and resolved: If the little man with the scorched legs, a nickname for R' Zeira, is cured, I will make a festival, a feast, for the rabbis. R' Zeira was cured and R' Abbahu made a feast for all the rabbis. When it came time to break bread, R' Abbahu said to R' Zeira: Master, please break bread for us. R' Zeira said to him: Doesn’t the Master hold in accordance with that halakha of R' Yoḥanan, who said: The host breaks bread? R' Abbahu broke bread for them.
כי מטא לברוכי, אמר ליה: נבריך לן מר. אמר ליה: לא סבר לה מר להא דרב הונא דמן בבל דאמר: בוצע מברך?
When the time came to recite the blessing, R' Abbahu said to R' Zeira: Master, recite Grace after Meals on our behalf. R' Zeira said to him: Doesn’t the Master hold in accordance with that halakha of R' Huna of Babylonia, who said: He who breaks bread recites Grace after Meals?
ואיהו, כמאן סבירא ליה?
The Talmud asks: And in accordance with whose opinion does R' Abbahu hold that he asked R' Zeira to recite Grace after Meals?
כי הא דאמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי: בעל הבית בוצע, ואורח מברך. בעל הבית בוצע — כדי שיבצע בעין יפה. ואורח מברך — כדי שיברך בעל הבית.
The Talmud answers: R' Abbahu holds in accordance with that halakha that R' Yoḥanan said in the name of R' Shimon ben Yoḥai: The host breaks bread and a guest recites Grace after Meals. The host breaks bread so that he will break bread generously, whereas a guest might be embarrassed to break a large piece for himself and other guests; and the guest recites Grace after Meals so that he may bless the host in the course of reciting Grace after Meals, as the Talmud proceeds to explain.