Halacha: What Blessings are Recited over Regular Challah?
Curious about which blessings to recite over regular challah? Here's everything you need to know, including an explanation of the required amount of eating.
- הידברות
- פורסם ה' חשון התשע"ז
#VALUE!
For regular challah, recite the blessing of Hamotzi (first blessing).
At the end of the meal, recite Birkat Hamazon (final blessing).
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The amount needed for a blessing after eating (from "Daily Halacha" by the rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ZT"L):
For everything a person eats, they must recite a "first blessing," such as the blessing "Shehakol" or "Ha'etz." Even if one eats only a small amount of that food, they are required to bless it as long as they intend to eat it for consumption. (However, if the purpose is only to taste the food to fix it by adding spices, etc., no blessing is recited for that tasting.) Therefore, one who chews flavored chewing gum, although they swallow very little of it, still must bless for enjoying the flavor. Likewise, when coming to drink something, a blessing is necessary even if only drinking a drop of that beverage.
However, this is only concerning the first blessing; the final blessing is only said when one eats a "significant eating," quantified as "kezayit," which is 27 grams, and for drinking, the measure is "revi'it," which is 81 grams.
Moreover, the eating or drinking must occur within a period where the consumption combines together. For if one eats a "kezayit" of bread crumbs throughout an entire day, they certainly can't recite Birkat Hamazon. Rather, the "kezayit" must be consumed within the time of "Achilat Pras," and there is a dispute among the poskim about this duration, with some saying it's five minutes and others saying about seven and a half minutes (there are additional views on this). Therefore, it's advisable to always eat a "kezayit" (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to fulfill all opinions.
Regarding the final blessing on a beverage, one needs to drink a revi'it of the beverage (which is 81 grams) at once, because if one drinks and pauses between sips, they do not recite a final blessing at all. Therefore, one who eats soup with a spoon does not bless it after drinking the soup, as they didn't drink a revi'it at once; similarly, drinking hot coffee or tea does not require a final blessing since one cannot drink it all at once.
