ב"ה
Birkat Hamazon: Grace After Bread (Bentching)
"And you shall eat, and be sated, and bless the L-rd your G‑d" (Deuteronomy 8:10). Grace After Bread consists of four primary blessings — the first composed by Moses when the manna came down from heaven in the desert, the second by Joshua when the Children of Israel ate from the first harvest after entering the Holy Land, the third by Kings David and Solomon, and the fourth by the Sages in mishnaic times.
The full "Grace" is recited only after partaking of a meal that includes bread, and covers everything eaten during the meal.
Listen to this blessing
Audio | 11:42
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Join the Discussion
shirel
June 24, 2024
why do we say birkat hamazon after eating bread?
Eliezer Zalmanov
for Chabad.org
June 25, 2024
The verse from Torah quoted above (Deuteronomy 8:10): "And you shall eat, and be sated, and bless the L-rd your G‑d."
If I never learned how to daven this blessing can I fulfill the mitzvah by listening to it?
A person can fulfill their obligation for Birkat Hamazon by listening to someone else recite it and answering "Amen," as long as they hear the entire blessing with intent, the reciter is equally or more obligated, the reciter has intent to include the listener, and there is no interruption. Answering "Amen" is customary and praiseworthy, but the primary fulfillment is through attentive listening with intent.
You can read it in English or Hebrew or any language and it will still fulfill the mitzvah