Halacha: What Blessing Do You Recite Over a Biscuit?
Discover the blessings for a biscuit, including the primary and final blessings, with detailed explanations on consumption quantities.
- הידברות
- פורסם כ"ד תשרי התשע"ז

#VALUE!
Over the biscuit, recite the food blessing (first blessing)
At the end of eating, recite the blessing after food
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The required quantity of eating to fulfill the obligation of the final blessing (from "Daily Halacha" based on the rulings of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory):
For anything a person eats, a "first blessing" must be recited, such as the blessing "Shehakol" or "Haetz". Even if one eats only a small amount, they must still recite a blessing, as long as they eat it for the purpose of consumption. (However, if one just tastes the food to improve it with spices, no blessing is recited for this tasting.) Therefore, someone who chews gum with flavor, even if they swallow very little, still must recite a blessing for the enjoyment of the flavor. Similarly, when drinking, one must bless even if just consuming a tiny amount.
This applies only to the first blessing, but a final blessing is recited only when one has eaten a "significant amount". For eating, this is the size of an "olive", approximately 27 grams. For drinking, it is the measure of "Revi'it", which is 81 grams.
Additionally, the eating or drinking should happen within a timeframe allowing them to combine into a "significant" act. If one eats an olive-sized portion of bread throughout the whole day, crumb by crumb, they cannot recite the grace after meals. The "olive-sized" portion must be consumed within the time of "eating a portion", which is debated to be either five minutes or about seven and a half minutes (with other opinions as well). Therefore, it is best to consume the olive-sized portion (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to accommodate all opinions.
For the final blessing on a drink, one must drink a Revi'it of the liquid (81 grams) all at once, because pausing between sips means no final blessing is recited. Therefore, if one consumes soup with a spoon, no final blessing is made as they haven't consumed a Revi'it all at once. Likewise, someone drinking hot coffee or tea does not recite a final blessing, as they cannot consume it all at once.