Zimun: Two People?

Can two males make a Zimun

Shalom!

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When three men eat together, they are obligated to make a “Zimun,” which means “invitation” or “quorum” before reciting the Birkat Hamazon, the Grace after Meals. What this means is that they are not permitted to recite the Birkat Hamazon separately, on their own, but rather, they must recite it together, using a special formula where one “invites” the other two (or more) to recite Birkat Hamazon together.

The requirement to recite Birkat Hamazon in this format, when three or more men have eaten together, is derived from the verse “Praise God with me and we will exalt His name together” and from the verse “When I call upon the name of God ascribe greatness to our God.” According to some opinions, the mitzva of Zimun is a Torah level mitzva!

As one can see, a Zimun is for when three or more men have eaten bread together. So, although two men cannot make a Zimun, they can have someone else come and eat something with them in order to create the Zimun. So, for example, two men who have eaten a meal together can create a Zimun by having a third person join themLechatchilah one should eat a kesayit of bread bedieved fruits and vegetables, etc. is enough. They then can recite the Zimun as normal (though the one who ate “dessert” would only recite the “After Blessing” for the food he ate while the other two will recite the full Birkat Hamazon for having eaten bread).

Devarim 30; Tehillim 34; OC 192 and commentaries; Chazon Ish (31:1)