The question is asked in Halacha, what is the proper protocol in making the Hamotzih? When many people are sitting together, who is the one that should be invited to make the Hamotzih for the people sitting around the table?
So Maran discusses this in seman 167, Halacha 14. And he writes, [listen to the audio clip for the exact quote,] that if there are many people sitting around the table, and we are talking about a case where there is no host, for example they are sitting in a neutral place and they are having lunch with bread, and nobody would be considered the Baal Habayit (host), so then the rule Maran says is, the Gadol amongst them makes the Hamotzih. So what does ‘Hagadol’ mean? So Rav Zalman explains that it’s referring to Gadol Bechachma (the most wise). This is referring where you have one Gadol, which means a Chacham. So he would get the Kavod to make the Hamotzih. But let’s take the case where you have a few Gedolim, where you have 2 Talmide Chachamim. Then how would you judge which Talmid Chacham would get the honors to make the Hamotzih? So the Halacha brings down, that if you have lets say a Chacham who is an expert in Gemara, but another Chacham that’s an expert in Halacha, so the in expert in Halacha takes precedence over the expert in Gemara, since he’s able to come a bottom line, finality, and conclusion, what Lemaase the Halacha is, so he takes precedence like is mentioned in the Gemara.
Now in the event, where in this Seudah without a host, there is a Kohen, so obviously the Kohen, based on his stature that the Torah gives him, would take the precedence in this case and make the Hamotzih. If there was no Kohen, but there was a Levi, then a Levi would take precedence over a Yisrael. In both of these cases, it’s only where there is no Talmid Chacham. But if there is a Talmid Chacham amongst them, then he would take precedence even over the Kohen or Levi. Assuming, that the Kohen is an Am Ha’aretz (uneducated man of the world) or the Levi is the same. Then it’s a mitzvah for the Talmid Chacham to take the Beracha of Hamotzih. However, if the Kohen is not Am Ha’aretz then it would be a mitzvah to give to the Kohen to make the Hamotzih.
Again, we review in the case where there is no host, where people are sitting for a meal, the proper order would be. Gadol mevarech, meaning he makes the Hamotzih. If there’s 2 Gedolim, then the Gadol in Halacha takes precedence. If there are no Gedolim, then the Kohen takes precedence. If there is no Kohen, then the Levi. Again we said this is only in the case where the Kohen or Levi are not an Am Ha’aertz. But if the Kohen or Levi is an Am Ha’aertz, then the Talmid Chacham would come before him.
Now for the case where you have host. According to Shulchan Aruch, if there’s a host at the meal, where he’s the Ba’al Habayit, then he always takes precedence, and he makes the Hamotzih first. It seems even over a Talmid Chacham, even over a Kohen, the Baal Habayit is always the person to make the Hamotzih, in order that he could give the bread with a generous portion. As opposed to somebody else, as a guest in somebody’s house, maybe would be embarrassed to give a big portion for himself and others. So therefore, the Halacha, where somebody is a Baal Habayit, so he should make Hamotzih himself. As the Gemara says, the Baal Habayit makes the Hamotzih.
