Halacha: What is the Blessing for Bourekas?
Want to know what blessings to say over bourekas - both the initial and the concluding ones? All the information is here, including an explanation on the quantity of consumption.
- הידברות
- פורסם כ"ד תשרי התשע"ז
#VALUE!
For bourekas, recite Mezonot (the initial blessing)
And at the end of the meal, recite Al HaMichya (the concluding blessing)
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Eating enough to be required to say the concluding blessing (from "Daily Halacha" based on the rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef of blessed memory):
For everything a person eats, they must recite the "initial blessing," like the blessing "Shehakol" or "Ha'etz." Even if one eats only a small amount of the food, they must bless it, as long as they intend to eat it as food. (But if they only intend to taste it to season it with spices, etc., they do not bless this eating at all). Thus, one who chews flavored gum, even if they swallow very little of it, must still bless for the enjoyment of the gum's taste. Similarly, one who comes to drink something should bless it even if only drinking a single drop.
This applies only to the initial blessing. The concluding blessing is only recited when one has consumed a substantial amount of food, which is a measure of "k'zayit," or 27 grams, and for drinking, the measure is "revi'it," which is 81 grams.
Additionally, the eating or drinking must take place within a duration allowing the consumption to combine. If one were to eat a "k'zayit" of bread throughout an entire day, piece by piece, they certainly could not bless Birkat HaMazon afterward. The consumption of "k'zayit" must be within the time frame of "Achilat Pras," and scholars disagree on the exact duration, with some saying five minutes and others around seven and a half minutes (there are other views as well). Therefore, it is proper to be careful to eat the measure of k'zayit (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to satisfy all opinions.
Regarding the concluding blessing for a drink, one must drink a "revi'it" (81 grams) at once. If they drink and pause between sips, no concluding blessing is said. Thus, if one drinks soup with a spoon, they do not say a concluding blessing for that soup, as they did not drink a "revi'it" at once. Similarly, if one drinks coffee or tea when it's hot, they do not say a concluding blessing, as they cannot drink it all at once.
