Megillah, Daf Kaf Gimmel, Part 5

 

Introduction

This section interprets some of the elements of the mishnah we learned yesterday.

 

ואין עושין מעמד ומושב פחות מעשרה, כיון דבעי למימר עמדו יקרים, עמוד. שבו יקרים, שבו. בציר מעשרה לאו אורח ארעא.

 

Nor are stops made at funerals with less than ten: Since they must say,
"Stand, dear friends, stand; sit, dear friends, sit," it is not proper [to have less than ten].

 

A minyan is required for the formal procedure of stopping and starting during the funeral procession, because there are formal announcements of when to rise and when to sit. It would not be proper to make these announcements without a minyan of ten.

ואין אומרים ברכת אבלים וברכת חתנים (וכו’), מאי ברכת אבלים? ברכת רחבה, דאמר רבי יצחק אמר רבי יוחנן: ברכת אבלים בעשרה, ואין אבלים מן המנין. ברכת חתנים בעשרה וחתנים מן המנין.

 

Nor do they say the blessing of mourners nor the blessing of bridegrooms etc.

What is the blessing of mourners? The blessing said in the public square, as R. Yitzchak said in the name of R. Yohanan: The blessing of mourners requires the presence of ten, the mourners are not counted; the blessing of bridegrooms requires the presence of ten, and the bridegroom is counted.

 

The blessing for mourners was recited in the public square. It is a formal blessing, but one that we no longer recite. When such a blessing was recited, mourners did not count as part of the minyan. The parallel blessing, the blessing of the bridegrooms (which is still recited), also requires a minyan, but in this case the bridegroom counts towards the requisite ten.

 

ואין מזמנין על המזון בשם פחות מעשרה (וכו’), כיון דבעי למימר נברך לאלהינו בציר מעשרה לאו אורח ארעא.

 

And they do not mention God s name in the invitation [to say Birkat Hamazon], except in the presence of ten.

Since the one who invites has to say, "Let us bless our God" it is not proper to do so with less than ten.

 

To recite the full "zimmun" for Birkat Hamazon, ten are necessary. Without ten the word "our God" is omitted.