Halacha: What Blessing Do You Say Over Sugar?
Want to know what blessings to say over sugar, both before and after eating? Here's everything you need to know, including details about the amount required.
- הידברות
- פורסם ח' חשון התשע"ז
#VALUE!
On sugar, say the blessing *Shehakol* (first blessing)
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Amount required to be obligated in the final blessing (from "Daily Halacha" from the rulings of the esteemed Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ztz"l):
For anything a person eats, a "first blessing" must be recited, such as the blessing "*Shehakol*" or "*Ha'etz*". Even if one eats only a small amount of the food, they must bless it, as long as it is eaten with the intent of consumption. (However, if one only intends to taste the food in order to adjust its seasoning and so forth, no blessing is said for that tasting.) Therefore, someone chewing gum that has flavor, even if they swallow very little of it, must nonetheless bless it for the enjoyment of the gum's taste. Similarly, one coming to drink something must bless it even if they intend to drink just a drop of that beverage.
However, all this is specifically for the first blessing, but a final blessing is only recited if one ate a significant amount of the food. A significant amount is defined as the volume of an "olive," which is twenty-seven grams, and in drinking, the amount is a "*Revi'it*," which is eighty-one grams.
Additionally, the eating or drinking must be done within a time period such that the eating or drinking is continuous. For indeed, if a person eats the volume of an "olive" worth of bread crumbs over an entire day, they certainly cannot recite the *Birkat Hamazon* blessing afterward. One must eat the volume of an "olive" within the time period known as "Achilat Pras," and there is a dispute among scholars about how long this is. Some say it is five minutes, while others say it is about seven and a half minutes (and there are other opinions). Therefore, it is correct to always be careful to eat the volume of an "olive" (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to satisfy all opinions.
Regarding the final blessing for a drink, one must drink a *Revi'it* (which is eighty-one grams) in one go. If one pauses between sips, no final blessing is said at all. Therefore, someone who drinks soup with a spoon does not bless after drinking that soup since they did not drink a *Revi'it* in one go. Similarly, someone who drinks coffee or tea while hot does not bless them with a final blessing, because drinking it all at once is not possible.
