Halacha: What Blessings to Recite on Sambusak?
Curious about the blessings for sambusak, both before and after eating? Here is all the information you need, including an explanation of the eating amount.
- הידברות
- פורסם ח' חשון התשע"ז
#VALUE!
For the Sambusak, recite (fried in oil) mezonot. (baked in the oven) hamotzi (first blessing)
At the end of the meal, recite(fried in oil) al hamichya.(baked in the oven) birkat hamazon(final blessing)
* * *
Amount of eating required to be obligated for a final blessing (from "Daily Halacha" based on the rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ztz"l):
For everything a person eats, they must recite a "first blessing" over it, such as the blessing "shehakol" or "ha'etz." Even if one eats only a small amount of that food, they must recite a blessing on it, as long as they intend to eat it. (But if they only taste it in order to adjust the seasoning, no blessing is recited at all). Thus, one who chews flavored gum, even if they swallow only a very small amount of it, is still required to bless on the enjoyment of the gum's flavor. Similarly, anyone who comes to drink something must bless over it even if they intend to drink only a single drop of that beverage.
However, all of this pertains only to the first blessing. A final blessing is only recited if one ate a substantial amount, which is defined as the amount of a "k'zayit," meaning 27 grams. In drinking, the required amount is a "revi'it," which is 81 grams.
Additionally, the eating or drinking must take place within a single time span for the consumption to be considered together. If a person eats a "k'zayit" of bread piece by piece over an entire day, they cannot say birkat hamazon after. Rather the entire "k'zayit" must be consumed within the time span of "achilat pras," and there is a dispute among the poskim regarding this time span, some say 5 minutes while others say about 7 and a half minutes (there are other opinions as well). Therefore, it is advisable to always eat a "k'zayit" amount (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to satisfy all opinions.
Regarding a final blessing over drinks, one must consume a "revi'it" of the drink (which is 81 grams) all at once, because if they drank and paused between sips, a final blessing is not recited at all. Therefore, someone who eats soup with a spoon does not recite a final blessing on that soup since they did not consume a "revi'it" amount all at once. Similarly, one who drinks hot coffee or tea does not recite a final blessing because they cannot drink it all at once.
