Halacha: What Blessing Do We Say Over Pistachios?
Want to know the blessings for pistachios both before and after eating? All the details are here, including the required amounts.
- הידברות
- פורסם י"ד חשון התשע"ז
#VALUE!
On pistachios, the blessing is "ha'etz" (the initial blessing)
After eating, the blessing is "borei nefashot" (the concluding blessing)
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The quantity required for a concluding blessing (from "Halacha Yomit" based on the rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef of blessed memory):
For every item a person eats, he must say an "initial blessing," such as "shehakol" or "ha'etz." Even if he eats only a small amount, he is required to bless it, as long as he intends to eat it for consumption. (However, if he only intends to taste the food to adjust spices or similar purposes, he does not bless this type of consumption at all). Therefore, one who chews gum with flavor, even if he swallows very little of it, nevertheless is required to bless for enjoying the flavor of the gum. Similarly, if someone comes to drink something, he must bless it even if he intends to drink only a single drop of that beverage.
However, this is specifically regarding the initial blessing. A concluding blessing is only made when one has eaten an "important amount," which is the measure of "k'zayit," meaning twenty-seven grams, and in drinking, the measure is "r'vi'it," which is eighty-one grams.
In addition, the eating or drinking must occur within the time frame where the eating or drinking cumulatively counts. For if a person eats a "k'zayit" of bread throughout an entire day, crumb by crumb, he certainly cannot bless the concluding "birkat hamazon." Rather, the entire "k'zayit" should be eaten within the time frame known as "achilat pras," and the poskim differ on this duration; some say it is five minutes, while others say about seven and a half minutes (and there are other opinions). Therefore, one should be cautious to eat a k'zayit (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to fulfill all opinions.
Concerning a concluding blessing over drinks, one needs to drink a "r'vi'it" of the drink (which is eighty-one grams) in one go, for if he drank some and paused between sips, he does not bless a concluding blessing at all. Therefore, one who drinks soup with a spoon does not bless the concluding blessing on that soup, as he did not drink a r'vi'it in one go. Similarly, one who drinks hot coffee or tea does not bless a concluding blessing, because he cannot drink it in one go.
