Halacha: What Blessing is Recited on Cheese?
Want to know the blessings for cheese, both before and after eating? All the information is here, including explanations about the required amount for blessings.
- הידברות
- פורסם כ"ד תשרי התשע"ז
#VALUE!
On cheese, the blessing of shehakol (first blessing) is recited.
At the end of the meal, the blessing of borei nefashot (final blessing) is recited.
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The amount of food required to obligate the final blessing (from "Daily Halacha" based on the rulings of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt"l):
For everything a person eats, he must recite a "first blessing" on it, such as shehakol or ha'etz. Even if he eats only a small amount of it, he must bless it, as long as he is eating it for the purpose of consumption. (However, if he is only tasting the food to season it with spices or the like, he does not bless over this tasting at all). Therefore, one who chews flavored gum, even if he swallows only a small amount of it, is nevertheless required to bless for the enjoyment of the gum's taste. Similarly, one who drinks something must bless it even if he only drinks a single drop of that beverage.
However, all of this is specifically for the first blessing, but the final blessing is only recited when the food consumption is considered "significant." The measure of significant eating is kezayit, which is twenty-seven grams, and for drinking, the measure is revi'it, which is eighty-one grams.
Additionally, the eating or drinking must occur within a time frame where the consumption joins together. For if a person eats the measure of kezayit of bread over an entire day, crumb by crumb, he certainly cannot recite the blessing after meals. Instead, the kezayit must be eaten within the time frame of "eating a pras," and there is a debate among the poskim regarding this time, with some saying it is five minutes and others saying it is roughly seven and a half minutes (with other opinions as well). Therefore, it is always advisable to eat a kezayit (especially at Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to fulfill all opinions.
Regarding the final blessing on beverages, one must drink a revi'it of the beverage (which is eighty-one grams) all at once, because if he drinks and pauses between sips, he does not recite the final blessing at all. Therefore, one who eats soup with a spoon does not recite the final blessing on that soup consumption, as he did not drink a revi'it at once; likewise, one who drinks coffee or tea while it's hot does not recite the final blessing, as he is unable to drink it all at once.
