On Shabbat, when one person recites the Beracha of "Ha'motzi" over two loaves of bread and everybody else listens to and relies upon his Beracha, may they partake of the bread before the person who recited the Beracha? Must they refrain from eating bread until he takes a bite from the bread, or may they eat immediately upon hearing the Beracha and answering "Amen"?
The Halacha depends on whether or not the people listening to the Beracha have two loaves of bread of their own. If each person at the table has two loaves, and he relies on the head of the table only for the recitation of the Beracha, then they may all partake of their bread immediately after hearing the Beracha, and need not wait for him to first take a bite. If, however, only the head of the table has two loaves, and the others rely on him both for the Beracha and for fulfilling the obligation of Lechem Mishneh (using two loaves of bread for the Shabbat meal), then they may not eat of the bread before the head of the table. They must wait for him to take a bite of bread, and only then may they partake of the bread.
