Halacha: What Blessing Do You Say Over an Apricot?
Curious about the blessings for apricots? Discover the appropriate first and last blessings and guidelines on the amount to be consumed.
- הידברות
- פורסם ו' חשון התשע"ז
#VALUE!
For apricots, one says the blessing of ha'eitz (first blessing)
At the end of the consumption, one recites boreh nefashot (final blessing)
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The amount of consumption required to necessitate the final blessing (from "Daily Halacha" based on the rulings of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef):
For anything a person eats, they must say a "first blessing," such as the blessing of "shehakol" or "ha'eitz." Even if they eat only a small amount of the food, they must bless it if their intent is consumption. (However, if the intent is merely tasting for the purpose of seasoning or similar, no blessing is necessary for such consumption). Therefore, if one chews flavored gum, they are required to bless its taste, even if only swallowing a very small part of it. Similarly, when drinking something, a blessing is required even for just a single drop.
All of this pertains specifically to the first blessing, but a final blessing is only recited when a significant "important consumption" occurs, which is quantified as an amount of "kezayit," equivalent to twenty-seven grams, and for drinking, the quantity is "revi'it," which is eighty-one grams.
Furthermore, the eating or drinking must occur within a timeframe sufficient for combining the amounts. If one were to eat an amount of "kezayit" of bread throughout an entire day, piece by piece, they would surely not recite the Grace After Meals. Rather, the entire amount of "kezayit" consumption should occur within the timeframe of "eating a half-loaf," with differing opinions on this duration, some suggesting five minutes and others around seven and a half minutes (while other views exist as well). Therefore, it is appropriate to always consume an amount of kezayit (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to fulfill all opinions.
In regard to the final blessing on a beverage, one must drink a revi'it of the beverage (eighty-one grams) in one sitting, as any pauses between sips would negate the need for a final blessing. Therefore, one who eats soup with a spoon does not recite a final blessing on the soup since a revi'it was not drunk all at once. Similarly, those drinking hot coffee or tea do not recite a final blessing, as they cannot consume it all in one go.
