Panim Chadashos: “New Faces” at a Simcha

As Rivka took leave of her family, joining Eliezer on the journey to Yitzchak, the Torah describes how her family blessed her: “They blessed Rivka and told her: Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your seed possess the gate of their enemies” (Bereishis 24:61).

Chazal (Maseches Kallah, Chap. 1) derive from this blessing the concept of birkas chasanim, commonly known as the sheva brachos (though according to Tosafos, the reference is to the earlier birkas erusin, and not to the sheva brachos): “What is the Torah source of birkas chasanim?—as it says, ‘They blessed Rivka.’”

This article will focus on a particular halacha of sheva brachos, a halacha that is at once well known and often neglected. This is the concept of panim chadashos, the “new faces” that are required for sheva brachos to be recited.

What are the parameters of this halacha? When, if at all, can sheva brachos be recited in the absence of panim chadashos? Why does a new person need to be present for the blessings? Can children serve as panim chadashos? We will discuss these questions, and seek to clarify the issue, in the present article.

Augmenting Joy

The Gemara (Kesubos 7b) cites the teaching of a baraisa: “Sheva brachos are recited with a quorum (ten men) for all seven days. Rav said: On condition that there are panim chadashos.” The Gemara explains that at the first meal sheva brachos are always recited, but at the remaining meals, their recitation—except for the final brachah, which is always recited—is contingent on the presence of panim chadashos.

Tosafos explain the basic definition of panim chadashos: “Panim chadashos must be people who bring extra joy.” According to Tosafos, the principle of panim chadashos is that their presence causes extra joy.

This explanation is likewise given by the Rosh (Kesubos 1:13), who adds that panim chadashos are people who have not eaten yet at one of the wedding feasts, even if they were present at the chupah. According to this opinion, the additional joy depends on the presence of panim chadashos at the meal (though it is possible that they don’t actually have to eat; see Bach, Even Ha’ezer 62), and panim chadashos are therefore people who had hitherto not been present at a wedding meal.

Based on this definition, it follows that panim chadashos are specifically “important people, for whom the food and drink at a meal is augmented” (Bach; Aruch Hashulchan 62:26). As the Bach adds (see also Beis Shmuel 62:10), there is no need for an actual increase in the quantity or quality of the food, but only that the people should be worthy of such an increase.

The Joy of the Chasan

Whereas Tosafos underscore the joy of the wedding feast, the Ramban and the Ran emphasize the joy of the groom’s heart, for which the brachos were enacted (Ran on Rif 2a).

According to these Rishonim, it is not imperative to make the brachos during the meal (an opinion mentioned by the Rosh), and they can also be recited before the wedding feast, as the Rishonim cite Maseches Sofrim (19:11). The Ran (3a) explains that people used to gather at the groom’s house to cheer the chasan and kallah, and the brachos would be recited even without a meal.

Predictably, the above-mentioned Rosh (for whom the joy of panim chadashos relates to the meal) frowns on this practice, citing Rav Hai that the custom is “unworthy.”

According to the other Rishonim, however, there is no need for the panim chadashos to participate in the meal. As the Ran writes: “Provided the panim chadashos come and are present, even if they do not eat, Sheva brachos are recited.” Furthermore, it follows that somebody who has already participated in the joy of the wedding cannot qualify as panim chadashos, even if he had not yet participated in a celebratory feast (Rashba, Kesubos 7b).

It also emerges that there is no need for panim chadashos that are especially important or honored people (for whom extra food is served), and the main point is that the panim chadashos bring joy to the chasan and kallah (Beis Shmuel 62:10). It is better, according to this opinion, to have panim chadashos who know the chasan personally, and whose presence bring him (and/or the kallah) subjective joy, rather than to have an objectively “important” person who does not bring the chasan joy.

Fulfilling the Obligation of the Panim Chadashos

A third definition of panim chadashos emerges from the rulings of the Rambam.

The Tosafos Rid (Kesubos 7b) writes that panim chadashos are those “who have not yet heard the brachos.” The emphasis on hearing the brachos indicates that attendees at the wedding celebrations have an obligation of reciting (or hearing, which is considered reciting) the brachos. When panim chadashos are present—individuals who have not yet fulfilled their obligation—sheva brachos are recited on their account, so that they, too, will fulfill their duty to recite the brachos.

This rationale is implied by the Rambam (Brachos 2:10), who writes that in the presence of panim chadashos (who have not yet heard the brachos) sheva brachos are recited “on their behalf.” According to the Rambam, it seems that the principle of panim chadashos is fulfilled by the presence of those who have not yet been party to reciting the brachos, and for whom the brachos are therefore recited now.

The Aruch Hashulchan (ibid.) explains the opinion of the Rambam along similar lines, writing that the sheva brachos mean to bless the newlywed couple, and each person is obligated to give his blessing. Therefore, when somebody who has not yet given his blessing is present, the blessings are recited again (so the panim chadashos can hear the blessing, and thereby fulfill their obligation).

The Special Nature of Shabbos

In line with his definition, the Rambam makes no distinction between Shabbos and the rest of the week. If the concept of panim chadashos refers to people who have not yet fulfilled their obligation to recite the blessings, it follows that the day of Shabbos cannot serve as an “alternative” to panim chadashos.

Tosafos, however, who explain that sheva brachos are made on account of the extra joy from the panim chadashos, cite the Midrash that the day of Shabbos is considered panim chadashos. Tosafos explain that “here, too, there is an increase in celebration and feasting in honor of the Shabbos.” The Rosh writes similarly that “it is the way to increase in joy and portions on Shabbos.”

For the Ramban and the Ran, for whom the brachos are not related to the meal but rather to the personal joy of the chasan and kallah, the virtue of Shabbos is explained differently: “But on Friday and Shabbos, because the groom comes out of shul, and the bride is taken out of her room and they enter the chupah, the brachos are recited before the meal, for this is an intense celebration and the people cheer them” (Ramban, Kesubos 8a). The brachos, as noted above, are not on account of the augmented feast, but for the joy of the chasan.

The Ramban adds that sheva brachos are recited even on the day of Shabbos (and not only on Friday night), because “there is certainly somebody present who was not there yesterday.” Alternatively, the Ramban (and others) explains that the presence of panim chadashos causes a full day of joy, which includes the night and the day that follows.

A practical implication of the dispute concerns the third Shabbos meal. According to Tosafos and the Rosh, it stands to reason that sheva brachos are not recited at se’udah shlishis, because the special nature of Shabbos meals is generally limited to the first two meals (Ateres Paz, cited in Otzar Ha-Poskim p. 73). According to the Ran and the Ramban, however, the joy of panim chadashos perhaps applies to the entire day, and sheva brachos could perhaps be recited even at the last meal.

Halachic Rulings

All three opinions are mentioned by the Shulchan Aruch and the Rema (Even Ha’ezer 62).

The Shulchan Aruch (62:7) cites the ruling of the Rambam, and adds, as a second opinion, the ruling of the Rosh: “Some say that even if they were present at the chupah and heard the brachos, if until now they did not eat at a meal, they are considered panim chadashos and sheva brachos are recited after benching.” The Shulchan Aruch adds that this is the common custom, adding (62:8), that panim chadashos refers to people for whom the celebration is augmented.

The Rema adds the opinion of the Ran and the Ramban: “Some say that if there are panim chadashos, even if they do not eat there, the blessings are recited night and day.”

The practical ramification of se’udah shlishis is mentioned in the following halacha (62:8), where the Shulchan Aruch rules: “Some say that Shabbos and Yom Tov are considered as panim chadashos, but only in the night and day meals, and not in the third meal. This is the common custom.” This ruling is in line with the reasoning of the Rosh, as ruled by the Shulchan Aruch in the previous halacha.

The Rema, however, adds that the custom is to recite the blessings even during se’udah shlishis: “Nowadays, the custom in our places is to recite sheva brachos even in the third meal.” As the Aruch Hashulchan (62:29-30) notes, this ruling follows the opinion of the Ran and the Ramban, which the Rema quotes in the previous halachah.

It is noteworthy that the Rema mentions alternative reasons for why sheva brachos are recited even during se’udah shlishis. One possible reason is that new guests are invited, and another is that the special Torah lectures delivered during this meal are considered a substitute for panim chadashos.

The Aruch Hashulchan points out that in his time, no new guests were customarily invited, and nobody gave special sermons, yet the custom remained to recite sheva brachos. The reason he suggests for this is that extra and new foods are served during the meal; where this is not the case, one should ensure that there is some Torah lecture (preferably one that brings joy to listeners!).

There is some doubt concerning reciting sheva brachos when the third meal runs into the night of the eighth day after the wedding. The Shaarei Teshuva (188:7) writes that when a weekday meal runs into the night of the eighth day, the brachos are not recited. However, for the case of Shabbos, some authorities rule that the brachos are recited even into the night, because of the concept of tosefes Shabbos, and because we follow the beginning of the meal (as we do concerning the recitation of retzei in benching; see Shut Shevet Halevi 1:39). Yet, the common custom is to refrain from reciting sheva brachos when the meal has continued into the night.

The Status of Women and Children

According to the Rambam, as explained above, it follows that a child cannot be considered panim chadashos. A child is not obligated to recite the blessings—as the Rambam notes (Brachos 2:9), the bracha is not made by a child under bar-mitzvah—and therefore his presence cannot justify their recitation. This will apparently apply even to women, though the Rambam is not explicit (however, he mentions slaves together with children, who generally have the same halachic status as women).

It is possible that this is the rationale behind the ruling of the Ritva (Kesubos 7b), who writes that a woman cannot be considered panim chadashos, “because only somebody who can join the minyan of birkas chasanim (sheva brachos) qualifies as panim chadashos.” However, the rulings of the Ritva (concerning sheva brachos on Shabbos, as noted above) do not concur with the opinion of the Rambam, so it seems the Ritva is referring to a different principle, as the rationale he mentions suggests.

According to the opinion of Tosafos and the Rosh, it follows that a woman and a child can be considered panim chadashos, provided their presence is a cause for extra celebration. Of course, this is rare for a child, but certainly possible for a woman (see Kehilas Yaakov, Kesubos no. 6).

Although the ruling of the Ritva is cited by a number of authorities (see Pischei Teshuvah 62:14, and see Otzar Haposkim), the Chasam Sofer (Kesubos 7b, s.v. bemakheilos) rules that women and children can act as panim chadashos. This matter is disputed by contemporary authorities (see Otzar Haposkim; Yismach Lev no. 339).

Additional Laws Concerning Panim Chadashos

• Defining panim chadashos: The custom is that even somebody who was present at the chupah, yet was not present for the festive meal, qualifies (in later sheva brachos occasions) as panim chadashos (Shulchan Aruch 62:7). Although some write that one should be stringent in this matter where possible, the Ezer Mi-Kodesh (62:8) writes that since this is the custom, one should not be stringent in this.

• Important people: Rav Shraya Deblitzky (Sova Semachos Chap. 1, note 36) writes that the custom is not to be particular about the presence of “important” panim chadashos, for whom we bring special additions to the meal, and to rely on any new participant. He adds, however, in the name of the Chazon Ish, that one should try to be particular in this matter. See also Teshuvos Vehanhagos (Vol. 2, no. 645), who suggests a reason for the customary leniency in this matter.

• Defining an important person: In defining who is considered an “important person,” Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l has ruled that this is defined as somebody who would be served special food as a guest.

• Does a waiter/charity collector qualify: Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l ruled that a waiter, who is asked to sit down at the end of the meal, does not qualify as a panim chadashos. In thus ruling he cited an anecdote concerning the Chazon Ish, who was once present at a sheva brachos meal in which no panim chadashos participated. When a pauper knocked on the door, the Chazon Ish ruled that he cannot serve as panim chadashos, because his presence will not warrant increased festivity at the meal. Later, when Rav Yaakov Neiman, a noted Rosh Yeshiva, knocked on the door, the Chazon Ish said that after his arrival, sheva brachos may certainly be recited.

• Participation of panim chadashos in the meal: According to many authorities, there is no need for the panim chadashos to actually participate in the meal (Rema 62:7; Chelkas Mechokek 11; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 149:5). However, some write that based on the opinion of Tosafos and the Rosh, one should ensure that the panim chadashos participate in the meal (Maharit Tzalhon 71).

• Presence at sheva brachos: The panim chadashon should be present at the time of making the brachos—certainly if they were not present during the meal (Chelkas Mechokek 62:11). Some rule that if the panim chadashos are not present at the time of the Sheva brachos, the blessings cannot be recited (Shut Shenos Chayim 105). This is obviously the case according to the Rambam (the brachos are recited to discharge the obligation of the panim chadashos).

Summary

We have seen three different approaches to the concept of panim chadashos. According to several Rishonim, the panim chadashos bring special joy to the occasion, and this warrants the recitation of the brachos. Other Rishonim write that the joy of panim chadashos is a subjective joy of the chasan and the kallah, over which the bracha is made. The Rambam, however, takes a different approach, explaining that panim chadashos are people who have not yet fulfilled their own obligation of reciting the brachos, and that the brachos are therefore recited on their behalf.

As we have seen, these different understanding lead to a number of halachic ramifications in reciting the sheva brachos. As a result there are cases in which the brachos will not be recited due to absence of qualified panim chadashos. It is therefore important to be aware of the requirements and the relevant principles, and in cases of doubt one should of course refer to a qualified authority.