Halacha: What Blessing is Recited Over Chestnuts?
Want to know the blessings for chestnuts – including the initial and final blessings? All the information you need, plus an explanation about the amount of consumption.
- הידברות
- פורסם ח' חשון התשע"ז
#VALUE!
The blessing for chestnuts is Ha'etz (initial blessing)
At the end of eating, the blessing is Borei Nefashot (final blessing)
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The amount needed to obligate a final blessing (from "Daily Halacha" based on rulings by the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt"l):
For anything that a person eats, he must recite the "initial blessing" over it, such as the blessing "Shehakol" or "Ha'etz". Even if he eats only a little of that food, he must bless it, provided he intends to eat it. (However, if he intends only to taste it in order to adjust seasonings, he does not bless that tasting at all). Therefore, one who chews flavored gum, even if he swallows very little, must still bless it for the enjoyment of its taste. Similarly, one who drinks anything must bless it, even if it is just a single drop.
However, all of this applies only to the initial blessing; a final blessing is only recited after a "significant eating", which is the measure of a "kezayit", roughly twenty-seven grams. For a drink, the measure is a "revi'it", which is eighty-one grams.
Additionally, the eating or drinking must occur within a timeframe that the consumption connects. For if someone eats a "kezayit" of bread over an entire day, crumb by crumb, he certainly cannot bless the Grace After Meals. Rather, the "kezayit" must be eaten within the time of "Achilat Pras", for which halachic opinions vary – some say five minutes, and others roughly seven and a half minutes (with additional views). Therefore, one should strive to eat a "kezayit" (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to satisfy all opinions.
For a final blessing on a drink, one must consume a "revi'it" (eighty-one grams) all at once, because if there is a pause between sips, no final blessing is required. Thus, someone who drinks soup with a spoon does not bless the final blessing on that soup, as he has not consumed a "revi'it" all at once. Likewise, one who drinks hot coffee or tea does not bless the final blessing, as they cannot drink it all at once.
