בוצע בפת במקום שנאפה היטב (ובפת דידן יש לבצוע בצד הפת ויחתוך מעט מצד העליון והתחתון) (הגהות מיימוני פ"ז מהלכות ברכות) ויחתוך פרוסת הבציעה וצריך לחתוך מעט שאם יאחוז בפרוסה יעלה שאר הככר עמו שאם לא כן חשוב כפרוסה ויניחנה מחוברת לפת ויתחיל לברך ואחר שסיים הברכה יפרידנה כדי שתכלה הברכה בעוד שהפת שלם ולא יבצע פרוסה קטנה מפני שנראה כצר עין ולא פרוסה יותר מכביצ' מפני שנרא' כרעבתן: הגה ובשבת לא יחתוך בככר עד אחר הברכה כדי שיהיו הככרות שלימות (תוס' ומרדכי פ' כיצד מברכין) ומ"מ אם שכח וחתך כמו בחול אינו מזיק (מרדכי) ונראה הא דלא יבצע יותר מכביצה היינו דוקא בחול ואוכל לבדו אבל בשבת או שאוכל עם הרבה בני אדם וצריך ליתן מן הפרוסה לכל אחד כזית מותר לבצוע כפי מה שצריך לו וע"ל סי' רע"ד:

One should break the bread at the place where it is well baked. (And with our bread, one should break it on the side of the loaf and cut slightly from the top and bottom—Hagahot Maimoni, chapter 7 of Hilchot Berachot). He should cut the piece to be broken, and he must cut it slightly, so that if he were to hold the slice, the rest of the loaf would be lifted with it. For if not, it is considered as already sliced. He should leave it attached to the loaf and begin the blessing, and after he concludes the blessing, he should separate it—so that the blessing concludes while the bread is still whole. And he should not break off a piece that is too small, because that appears stingy, nor a piece larger than the size of a kebeitza (an egg), because that appears gluttonous. Rema: On Shabbat, one should not cut the loaf before the blessing, so that the loaves remain whole (Tosafot and Mordechai, chapter "Keitzad Mevarchin"). Nevertheless, if he forgot and cut it as on a weekday, it is not harmful (Mordechai). And it seems that the restriction not to break more than a kebeitza applies only on weekdays and when eating alone, but on Shabbat or when eating with many people—and he must give each person a kezayit—it is permitted to break off as much as needed. See also Siman 274.

Bless "Who takes out bread from the ground" (And if many people are eating together, the people dining should direct their heart (intention) to the person saying the beracha, and answer amen, and the person saying the beracha should give intention to the amen)(Or Zarua). And one pauses slightly between the word "lechem" [bread] and the word "min" [from].

Do not bless "Hamotzi" before grasping the bread.

Put both hands on the bread when you are about to bless "Hamotzi"; for the 10 fingers are reflective of the 10 mitzvot that are dependent on bread. Additionally, there are 10 words in the blessing of "Hamotzi" and 10 words in the following verses: Psalms 104:14, "He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and grass for the service of man: that he may bring forth bread out of the land." Psalms 145:15, "The eyes of all look to you expectantly, and you give them their food at the proper time." Deuteronomy 8:8, "A land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey." Bresheit 27:28, "May G!d give you from the dew of heaven and fat of the earth, and an abundance of grain and wine."

He should not break (the bread) until they bring before him salt or a condiment (Rashi explains: anything that is eaten with bread) with which to dip the piece of bread. But if the bread is clean (i.e., of fine quality) or seasoned with spices or salt like ours, or if he intends to eat dry bread, he does not need to wait. Rema: Nevertheless, it is a mitzvah to bring salt to every table before breaking the bread, because the table is likened to the altar and the eating to a sacrifice, and it is said, "On all your offerings you shall offer salt" (Beit Yosef in the name of Shibbolei HaLeket). And it protects from calamity (Tosafot and Hagahot Ashri, chapter "Keitzad Mevarchin", and see the end of Siman 170).

He should eat immediately and not speak between the blessing and the eating. If he did speak, he must recite the blessing again—unless the speech was related to matters connected to what he blessed over. For example, if he blessed over the bread and before eating said, "Bring salt" or "Bring a condiment," or "Give so-and-so to eat," or "Give food to the animal," and the like—he does not need to bless again. Rema: Nevertheless, ideally one should not interrupt at all (Kol Bo). And the ruling that if he spoke idle words he must bless again applies only if the one who broke the bread spoke before he ate. But if he spoke afterward, it is not considered an interrupting speech—even if the other participants have not yet eaten—since they already fulfilled their obligation through the eating of the one who broke the bread. For they are not required to eat from his piece; they do so only to enhance the mitzvah (Rokeach and Or Zarua).

If Reuven was washing his hands for eating, and Yaakov was reciting the HaMotzi blessing with the intention to fulfill the obligation on behalf of the listeners, and afterward Reuven dried his hands and recited the blessing over washing hands (Al Netilat Yadayim)—this is not considered an interruption, and he fulfills his obligation with Yaakov’s HaMotzi blessing and does not need to recite the HaMotzi blessing again.

If one forgot and ate without reciting the HaMotzi blessing, then if he remembers during the meal, he should recite the blessing. But if he only remembers after he has finished his meal, he does not recite the blessing.

If one is in doubt whether or not he recited the HaMotzi blessing, he does not go back and recite the blessing.

If, instead of the HaMotzi blessing, he recited Shehakol Nihyah Bidvaro, or said Barich Rachmana Malka Marei Dehai Pita ("Blessed is the Merciful One, King, Master of this bread") — he has fulfilled his obligation.

If people were riding and they decided to eat they constitute a single group even though each person eats from his own loaf as long as they are all standing in a single location. If they were eating as the animals were walking they do not constitute a single group. If they were eating spread out in a field they do not form a single group even if they are eat- ing at the same time and from a single loaf of bread since they did not set themselves in their place.

If they were riding and said, "Let us eat," then even if each one eats from his own loaf and they did not dismount from their animals, they are considered joined (for purposes such as zimun)—since they are standing in one place. But if they are eating while walking, they are not considered joined. And if they are eating scattered and separated in a field—even if they are all eating at the same time and from the same loaf—since they did not establish a place and are eating while dispersed, they are not considered joined....

In a case where they did not establish a fixed place—where we say that each one recites the blessing for himself—if the one reciting the blessing intended to fulfill the obligation on their behalf, and they intended to be fulfilled by his blessing, then they have fulfilled their obligation.

If there are many participants at the table, the greatest among them breaks the bread. Gloss Rema: If they are equal and one of them is a Kohen, it is a mitzvah to give him precedence. But if the Kohen is an ignoramus and the other is a Torah scholar, the scholar takes precedence. And if the Kohen is also a Torah scholar, but of a lesser level than the other, it is preferable to give him precedence, but it is not an obligation (see also Siman 281 and Mordechai, chapter "Bnei HaIr", and Beit Yosef in Siman 135 in the name of the Rashba). And if there is a host among them, he is the one who breaks the bread, even if the guest is greater. [And the one reciting the blessing should begin by saying, "With the permission of my teachers and masters."] (Or Zarua and Beit Yosef in the name of Shibbolei HaLeket).

The participants at the table are not allowed to taste until the one who breaks the bread tastes first. However, it is permitted to give each one their portion before he eats. (Tosafot and Mordechai, chapter 3 of "Sha'alu"). If each person is eating from their own loaf, and not all are dependent on the loaf of the one breaking the bread, they are allowed to taste before him. But if it is Shabbat, there must be two loaves of bread in front of the participants, aside from what is in front of the one breaking the bread. In that case, they may taste before the one breaking the bread.

The one breaking the bread is not permitted to break the bread until the "Amen" is completed by the majority of those answering.

The one breaking the bread should first extend his hand to the dish to eat. However, if he wishes to show respect to someone greater than him, he is permitted to give the portion to that person first.

The one breaking the bread gives a slice to each person, and each person takes the slice in their hand. The one breaking the bread does not give it directly into the hand of the eater, unless it is during a period of mourning. (Beit Yosef and Abudraham in the name of the Rambam, chapter 7 of Hilchot Berachot, and Responsa Rashba). (The reference to "and she shall stretch forth her hand" indicates a symbolic gesture during mourning, where the slice of bread is handed in a specific manner during times of grief.)

One who is not eating cannot recite the HaMotzi blessing to fulfill the obligation of those eating. However, he can recite it for children, even if he is not eating with them, in order to train them in the mitzvah.

Even on Shabbat, when one is obligated to eat bread, his friend cannot recite the HaMotzi blessing for him if he is not eating. It is not permitted for him to bless others, even if he is not tasting the bread himself, except for the HaMotzi blessing on matzah on the first night of Passover and the blessing over the wine for Kiddush, both at night and during the day. Gloss Rema: One should eat the piece of bread that was broken for the blessing before eating any other bread, and it should be eaten with appetite, as it enhances the mitzvah. (Agar and Nishmat Yisrael in the name of Shibbolei HaLeket).