Friday, September 14, 2012

Brachos 39b - Breaking Bread And Honoring Shabbos


It has been stated: If pieces and whole loaves are set before one, R. Huna says that the bracha can be said over the pieces, and this serves also for the whole loaves [Rashi explains that one has the option of making the bracha on the pieces and if the pieces are larger than the whole then certainly he should make the bracha on the pieces], whereas R. Yochanan says that the religious duty is better performed if the blessing is said over the whole one. R. Nachman b. Isaac said: A Godfearing man will seek to satisfy both. Who is such a one? Mar the son of Rabina. For Mar the son of Ravina used to put the broken piece under the whole loaf and then break the bread [Either both breads or just the whole piece – Rashi].

R. Papa said: All admit that on Passover one puts the broken matza under the whole one and breaks [them together]. What is the reason? The Torah speaks of ‘Bread of poverty’.

 R. Abba said: On Sabbath one should break bread from two loaves. What is the reason? The Torah speaks of ‘double bread’. R. Ashi said: I have observed R. Kahana take two and break one. R. Zera בצע אכולה שירותא  [broke off one piece which was enough for the whole meal – Rashi] . Said Ravina to R. Ashi: Does not this look like greediness? He replied: Since every other day he does not act thus and today he acts thus, it does not look like greediness. When R. Ammi and R. Assi happened to get hold of a loaf which had been used for an ‘eruv, they used to say over it the blessing, ‘who brings forth bread from the earth’, saying, Since one religious duty has been performed with it, let us perform with it still another.

 

We now shift to a parallel sugya in Shabbos [117b]: R. Chisda said: One should always make early [preparations] for Shabbos, for it is said, And it shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in — [i.e.,] immediately.

R. Abba said: On the Sabbath it is one's duty to break bread over two loaves, for it is written, 'twice as much bread'. R. Ashi said: I saw that R. Kahana held two [loaves] but broke bread over one, observing, ‘they gathered’ is written [implying that one must hold two but one may break only one – Rashi] , R. Zeraבצע אכולה שירותא   broke enough bread for the whole meal [ In order to show honor to Shabbos and to show that he loves Shabbos and wants to eat a lot - Rashi].  Said Rabina to R. Ashi: But that looks like greed? — Since he does not do this every day, he replied, but only now [the Sabbath], it does not look like greed, he replied. R. Ammi and R. Assi, when they came across the bread of an ‘eruv, שרו עליה  - they would commence (their meal] therewith, observing, ‘Since one mitzva has been performed with it, let another mitzva be performed with it.

 

1] We are obligated to inquire as to why in the sugya in Shabbos we bring a proof from the pasuk that one should make Hamotzi over two breads [לקטו כתיב] whereas in the gemara in Brachos we suffice without a proof for Rav Kahana's behavior.

 

2] We also have to understand why on the words בצע אכולה שירותא  Rashi in Brachos explained simply that he broke off enough for the whole meal while in the sugya on Shabbos, Rashi went on about how it was li-kavod shabbos and that it shows a love of Shabbos etc.

 

3] Another difference between the two sugyos. In Brachos it states simply that Rav Ami and Rav Assi would make hamotzi on the bread of an eruv whereas in Shabbos it says שרו עליה  - which Rashi has to explain to mean that they used to commence their meal by making hamotzi on the bread of the eruv.

 

The explanation is that the two sugyos are discussing two different issues. The gemara in Brachos is discussing הלכות בציעת הפת –  the laws of breaking bread. The gemara in Shabbos is talking about הלכות כבוד שבת. 

 

Now we can explain each of our three differences.

 

 1] Only in the sugya in Shabbos it was necessary to explain the behavior of Rav Kahana i.e. that he held both breads due to the pasuk of לקטו . As far as הלכות בציעת הפת  is concerned we know that holding onto two breads is like breaking on both breads as we saw in Rashi when he explained the practice of Mar Bar Ravina who used to hold the broken piece and the whole piece of matzos together and only break the whole piece and that was enough.

 

2] Only in maseches Shabbos does Rashi need to explain that he broke off a large piece  לכבוד שבת.

 

3] In Shabbos the language is שרו  "they started" the meal with an eruv bread to show kavod and chashivus for Shabbos by starting the meal with a mitzvah bread. [It is not clear to me why מדין בציעת הפת  there wouldn't also be an ענין  to 'start' by breaking the eruv bread].      

[Marbeh Bracha by Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Homnick]