Final Blessing: 10 Important Laws You May Not Know

As part of the 'Blessings of Enjoyment,' one must recite a blessing for every food - before and after eating it. A survey conducted by Rabbi Chaim Navon reveals an enormous gap between those who recite the initial blessing and those who recite the final blessing: even dear Jews who are careful to recite an initial blessing before every food begin to hesitate when it comes to the final blessing.

Many people feel unclear about the laws of the final blessing: Wait, have I finished eating? Maybe I'll eat a bit more soon? People wait, and they're never sure whether they should already recite the blessing, or conversely - if the time for the blessing has already passed.

To answer these questions, we have compiled 10 basic and important laws regarding final blessings. The sources for these laws are: 'Kitzur Shulchan Aruch' and 'Yalkut Yosef.'

1. Types of Final Blessings: A final blessing is recited after eating. There are three final blessings, and at the end of each meal, we say the blessing according to the type of food consumed in that meal:

Birkat Hamazon - Blessing after a bread meal.

Bracha Me'ein Shalosh - Blessing after eating food made from one of the five grain species (whose initial blessing isn't 'Hamotzi'), wine, or fruits from the seven species.

Borei Nefashot - After eating all other foods.

2. Order of Final Blessings: When one has eaten several types of food: If bread was among them – one should recite Birkat Hamazon, which exempts one from reciting Me'ein Shalosh and Borei Nefashot. If there was no bread – Me'ein Shalosh does not exempt Borei Nefashot, so if one ate foods requiring Me'ein Shalosh and foods requiring Borei Nefashot – one must recite both final blessings. Exception: A person who ate fruits from the seven species and fruits not from the seven species – Me'ein Shalosh in this case also exempts the fruits not from the seven species. Note that the 'Me'ein Shalosh' blessing precedes the 'Borei Nefashot' blessing.

3. Two Conditions for a Final Blessing: While an initial blessing must be recited even if one tastes very little, a final blessing should only be recited if two conditions are met: the quantity and duration of eating.

4. Time Frame and Quantity Required for Eating: That is, only a person who eats the measure of a 'kazayit' (olive-sized portion) within the time of 'k'dei achilat pras' recites a final blessing. A 'kazayit' is 27 grams (the size of a matchbox), within 3 to 7.5 minutes.

5. Time Frame and Quantity Required for Drinking: For drinking, one should recite a final blessing when drinking between 81-86 cc (almost half a regular disposable cup, which contains 180 ml), within the time frame of 'drinking a revi'it.' Contemporary authorities explain that if one drank in one gulp, or at most in three gulps, one must recite a final blessing.

A person who drank a hot beverage slowly (such as tea or coffee), since they do not drink the required amount at once, does not recite a final blessing.

6. Eating a Whole Item: The Jerusalem Talmud states that if one eats a whole item (such as: a whole grape, a pomegranate seed, an almond, etc.) even if it is less than a kazayit, one should recite a final blessing because a whole item has its own importance regardless of the amount eaten. However, most authorities exempt from the blessing if one did not eat a kazayit. Authorities note that it is proper to be careful not to put oneself in a situation of doubt regarding blessings and to eat at least a kazayit, which requires a blessing according to all opinions.

7. When to Recite the Blessing: One should recite the blessing immediately after finishing eating or drinking. Authorities address a person who plans to continue eating or drinking after a period of time.

If one did not recite the blessing immediately, one may recite it up to half an hour from the time of eating, and even within 72 minutes. After that, one should not recite the blessing. If one is uncertain whether they recited the blessing or not – they should not recite it, since "when in doubt about blessings, be lenient," but it is proper to contemplate the blessing in one's heart.

A person who is uncertain whether they can recite the blessing – it is proper to eat another food, and recite a final blessing, with the intention to exempt the first eating as well.

8. Do Not Leave Your Place Until You Have Recited the Blessing: Ideally, a person should not leave their place or engage in any activity until they have recited the final blessing, lest they forget to recite it.

If one has already left their place: If they need to recite 'Borei Nefashot' - they can recite it wherever they are, but if they need to recite 'Me'ein Shalosh' or 'Birkat Hamazon,' they should return to the place where they ate.

9. Recite the Final Blessing Immediately After Finishing Eating or Drinking: One should recite the final blessing immediately after finishing eating or drinking, and not engage in anything else before the blessing. It is not proper for a person to attend to their affairs before thanking Hashem for the food they ate, and furthermore, there is concern that they may become immersed in their matters and forget to recite the blessing.

10. Eating and Drinking with Interruptions: Sometimes a person intends to eat several fruits or various grain products, or drink several cups, over the coming hours, and the question arises: Is it correct to recite one blessing initially for everything they intend to eat and drink, and at the end one final blessing for everything they ate and drank; or is it better to recite a blessing before and after each eating and each cup?

The rule is that if the eating and drinking are considered as one continuous act, one recites a single blessing for everything. If they are considered separate, such as if there is a long interruption between them, or if they are eaten in different places, one should recite a separate blessing for each eating and drinking.

It is proper for a person to eat and drink in an orderly manner, and when they have finished eating or drinking, to immediately recite a final blessing. It is less desirable to be in a state of 'eating and drinking' for several hours.

One who sits in one place and intends to pause between eating and eating and between drinking and drinking for less than half an hour, should combine all the eating or drinking, and recite an initial blessing at the beginning for everything, and a final blessing at the end for everything. If a person thinks they will pause for more than half an hour, since the interruption is relatively long, it is better to recite an initial and final blessing for each eating and drinking. In any case, as long as one pauses less than 72 minutes between eating and eating and drinking and drinking, one can still, after the fact, recite one blessing before everything and one blessing after everything.

Rabbi Shai Amar explains the great importance of studying the laws of blessings:

Rabbi Zamir Cohen in a fascinating lecture explaining the entire subject of the various and numerous blessings in Judaism: their importance, meaning, and what they give and provide to a person: