Berachos, Chapter Seven, Mishnah 3. This mishnah deals with the wording used for zimun, the invitation that precedes Birkas HaMazon. Everyone agrees that with three diners or more a zimun is made, and that with ten the word "Elokeinu" is added to the text. The question our mishnah discusses is what the law is for a crowd far larger than ten: a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand times ten thousand. Is the wording of the zimun expanded to match the size of the crowd?
"Keitzad mezamnin?" - the wording of the zimun with three:
"Bishloshah omer 'nevarech'" - when there are three diners, the one leading says "nevarech," meaning: let us say a berachah to the One from whose food we have eaten, to the Holy One, blessed be He.
"Bishloshah v'hu omer 'barechu'" - when there are three in addition to the leader himself, he may address them in the imperative: "barechu," you bless.
The Gemara clarifies that the mishnah does not mean to obligate this wording. When there are three plus one more, the one making the zimun may say to the rest of the company "barechu," whereas with three alone he must say "nevarech." Even so, according to the Gemara the wording "nevarech" is preferable, since with it a person includes himself in the berachah.
The wording of the zimun with ten:
"Ba'asarah omer 'nevarech l'Elokeinu'" - in the presence of ten, "Elokeinu" is added to the text.
"Ba'asarah v'hu omer 'baruch Hu'" - with ten plus one more he may say "baruch Hu Elokeinu." Here too, all the versions phrased as "baruch Hu" are not preferable to the wording "nevarech."
"Echad asarah v'echad asarah ribo":
Once "Elokeinu" has been added at ten, there is no difference between ten and ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand people - the wording is the same for all of them. The Gemara clarifies that this view is the opinion of Rabbi Akiva, who is mentioned at the end of the mishnah.
The continuation of the mishnah reflects the opinion of Rabbi Yosi HaGelili, which is also cited later on, and it appears to contradict the previous statement: in his view the wording changes according to the number of people in the crowd:
"B'meah omer 'nevarech laHashem Elokeinu'" - the Name of Hashem is added (yud, hei, vav, hei). "B'meah v'hu omer 'baruch Hu'."
"B'elef omer 'nevarech laHashem Elokeinu Elokei Yisrael'" - "B'elef v'hu omer 'baruch Hu'."
"B'ribo omer 'nevarech laHashem Elokeinu Elokei Yisrael Elokei Tzeva'os yosheiv haKeruvim al hamazon she'achalnu'" - here the closing phrase "al hamazon she'achalnu" also joins the text, having been omitted until now. "B'ribo v'hu omer 'baruch'."
The mishnah continues with a separate matter: whatever wording the one reciting the berachah uses, that is, the one actually making the zimun, that is how the company answers after him - "Baruch Hashem Elokeinu Elokei Yisrael Elokei Tzeva'os yosheiv haKeruvim al hamazon she'achalnu"; and if the number of diners is smaller, they answer after him with the correspondingly shorter wording.
The dispute between Rabbi Yosi HaGelili and Rabbi Akiva:
Rabbi Yosi HaGelili: according to the number in the crowd - the larger the crowd, the more expansive the wording of the berachah. As the verse in Tehillim says, "b'mak'helos": the berachah is said according to the size of the assembly.
Rabbi Akiva: disagrees, and as we mentioned, this is the view presented at the beginning of the mishnah. His proof comes from the synagogue: the one who calls the congregation to prayer says "barechu" in one single wording, whether there is a small crowd in the synagogue or thousands of people, or even ten million. He does not adopt a more expansive wording because of the size of the crowd, and therefore in Birkas HaMazon as well one remains with that very same wording.
Adding "HaMevorach" - the opinion of Rabbi Shimon:
Based on the example Rabbi Akiva brought from the synagogue, both in calling the congregation to prayer and in the berachah over the Sefer Torah when a person is called up for an aliyah, Rabbi Shimon holds - and this is indeed our practice - that one should not say only "Barechu es Hashem," but rather "Barechu es Hashem hamevorach". The reason is this: when he says "Barechu es Hashem" he does not include himself in the act of blessing, but places the berachah upon the congregation alone; by adding "hamevorach," however, he himself is also saying words of berachah and is not merely instructing others to bless, and that is preferable.
In summary: in this mishnah we learned the various wordings of the zimun - "nevarech" with three, "barechu" with three plus the leader, and the addition of "Elokeinu" with ten - and the preference for the wording "nevarech," in which the leader includes himself in the berachah. We examined the dispute between Rabbi Yosi HaGelili, according to whom the wording of the berachah expands with the size of the crowd (a hundred, a thousand, and ten thousand), and Rabbi Akiva, who holds that once there are ten the wording does not change, just as with the call to prayer in the synagogue. Finally, we learned the opinion of Rabbi Shimon, that "hamevorach" is added so that the one leading will himself have a share in the words of berachah.