The Order of Blessings Between Foods

 

Rav Ganzfried here explains that someone who is about to eat a variety of foods should organize his eating so that he says the berakha on the most important food first and so on, in order of importance.

 

Rav Ganzfried mentions four basic criteria with additional, internal divisions.  Sometimes one criterion will favor one food and another some other food; therefore, it is necessary to order the criteria.  This Rav Ganzfried does as follows:

 

1.  IMPORTANT - Bread and wine have special importance, so they have precedence in berakhot to all other foods.  And within this category, bread and baked goods have precedence over wine.

 

2.  SPECIFIC - Fruits or vegetables which have the blessing "Creator of the fruit of the tree" or "Creator of the fruit of the earth" precede foods which require the general berakha "by Whose word all was created" (shehakol - Seif 4). If no other criterion applies, we give fruit precedence over vegetables (seif 1).

 

3.  "DELIGHT" - The food which the individual enjoys the most has precedence (Seif 1).

 

4.  "SEVEN SPECIES" - Among fruits, a whole fruit of the seven species has precedence over any other fruit.  And among the seven species, we order the berakhot in order of their proximity to the word "land" in the verse "A land of wheat and barley, and vines and figs and pomegranates; a land of oil olives and [date] honey" (Devarim 8:8).  The resulting order is: wheat, olives, barley, dates, grapes, figs, and pomegranates (Seif 2).

 

5.  WHOLE: If the two foods are identical in all the above categories, then it is preferable to make a blessing on an undivided whole.

 

For instance, if I prefer ice cream to bananas, ICE CREAM is preferable according to criterion three, but BANANAS are preferable according to criterion two, because their blessing is more specific.  According to Rav Ganzfried's ordering, we would make a blessing on the bananas because criterion two has precedence.

 

If I prefer apples to bananas and bananas to figs, I would bless first on the apples and then on the bananas.  (Interestingly, the Mishna Berura recommends a different ordering, in which "seven species" and the order among them are more important criteria than "delight" among fruits.  In our case, according to the Mishna Berura, apples come before bananas because I prefer them; bananas come before figs because I prefer them; figs come before apples because they are of the seven species! According to the Kitzur's ruling, this problem does not arise.)

 

CHOOSING A SON-IN-LAW

 

The ways of the Torah are ways of pleasantness, and a grown person may marry whom he pleases, even if the fiance is not the choice of the parents.  Even so, Jewish tradition, like other traditional societies, puts great weight on the opinion of the parents.  Our Sages urge the father to choose a groom for his daughter who is learned in Torah, and this consideration has always been a very important one in Judaism throughout the Jewish world, from Iran and Yemen in the East to England and America in the West. 

 

One traditional way that a young man's Torah knowledge is unobtrusively tested is by inviting him over and having the father present him with a dish of fruits, vegetables and candies.  His choice of "hors d'ouevre" will reveal if he is familiar with the intricate laws outlined in our chapter!

 

This particular "examination" has a beautiful hidden message.  The halakha itself establishes that one of the most important criteria determining the order of berakhot is a person's own taste, what we have called "delight."  So part of the exam involves discovering the guest's likes and dislikes.  The Jewish father is anxious to know his prospective son-in-law's Torah knowledge, but at the same time he wants to know how the young man is able to integrate Torah scholarship with his own personality and preferences.

 

Rav Bunim Yoel Taussig, in his book "Tiferet Banim" on the Kitzur Shulchan Arukh, relates a story which reveals an even deeper message latent in this custom.  Once a promising Yeshiva student was examined in this way by his Rebbe, and responded to the plate of sweets by deferring to his host!  The student pointed out that  according to one important authority (Be'er Heitev, Orach Chayim 213:1), the host is supposed to make a blessing before the guest.  In this case, the most learned solution of all is also the simplest and most gracious.  This shows that the most profound Torah knowledge often manifests itself in modesty and courtesy.  (The source in Berakhot 39a also shows that these laws must combine Torah with thoughtful conduct.)

 

CHAPTER 56 - A MISTAKEN BERAKHA

 

Rav Ganzfried explains that a mistaken berakha exempts the food if the berakha actually said can include the food we are eating.  Otherwise, the mistaken berakha is unavailing and it is necessary to go back and say the correct berakha.

 

In chapters 41 and 50 we explained the importance of matching the berakha as closely as possible to the food and the magnitude of the offense of saying a vain berakha.  The halakha in general and berakhot in particular enable us to CONNECT God's providence to our experience in this world. Saying the appropriate berakha creates the closest possible connection, whereas on the contrary a vain berakha seems to create a partition between Hashem and our world.

 

MISTAKES AND INACCURACIES

 

Care in saying the proper berakha is considered one of the most important barometers of a Jew's commitment to a life of sanctity.  The Talmud says, "From a person's berakhot it is evident if he is a scholar or an ignoramus" (Berakhot 50a).  Of course, our Torah knowledge is evident in the way we perform ANY mitzva.  Even so, this area of halakha was singled out by our sages as a critical one. 

 

Another passage mentions berakhot as one of the few areas with a special ability to enable a person to attain piety (Bava Kama 30a).  And we have already quoted the Talmudic statement (Berakhot 35a) that someone who enjoys this world without a berakha is guilty of a breach of faith (chapters 50 and 51), and this includes someone who makes an improper blessing which does not exempt the food.  The Talmud goes on to say that the only solution to this problem is to find a Torah scholar and learn from him the intricate laws of blessings.

 

One explanation for this importance is the direct and explicit way in which blessings help us relate our lives to holiness.  The Jewish tradition encompasses a mystical heritage which gives detailed explanations of how our performance of the commandments increases sanctity and spirituality in the world.  Pious individuals steeped in this tradition often try to direct their mitzva-performance in line with these explanations, by focusing their intention and expressing these directions aloud.  Rav Yitzchak Luria, the "Ari," composed an entire book devoted to these "Kavanot," which means intentions or directions.

 

So detailed intentions and explicit declarations of how our acts are connected to the world of holiness usually belong to the esoteric part of Judaism.  Yet these same concepts are the foundation of the laws of Berakhot.  Before eating EVERY Jew is supposed to announce the exact manner in which his act of eating is connected to sanctity and to say God's name in a way which reflects this connection (seif 5).

 

So great is the importance of being precise in our acknowledgement of God's bounty, that Jews with a special commitment to a Torah lifestyle will not eat if they are unsure of the proper berakha.  For instance, if I want to eat a pineapple and am unsure if pineapple is considered "fruit of the earth" or "fruit of the tree," the Kitzur rules that I may eat the pineapple and should bless "fruit of the earth" (seif 2).  Yet many people would avoid eating the pineapple altogether if faced with such a doubt (see Mishna Berura 206:4).  They would not consider ignorance a sufficient excuse for making an imprecise blessing.

 

Sometimes a doubt may reflect our knowledge rather than our ignorance.  For instance, a very learned person knows that some authorities believe that we should say "fruit of the tree" on a chocolate bar (see Minchat Shlomo 91b).  This does not obligate them to avoid chocolate! But if even after study we are unsure if ANY berakha is required, then it is still better to refrain (see chapter 58:8 in the Kitzur).

 

FRUIT, TREE, ROOTS, LAND

 

Rav Ganzfried explains that the blessing on "the fruit of the earth" can exempt fruits, which are actually "fruit of the tree."  There is another opinion in the Talmud and Rishonim which rules that fruit is NOT considered "fruit of the earth" (Berakhot 40a, Rambam Berakhot 8:10).  This dissenting opinion considers the tree to be its own, independent source for the fruit.

 

The accepted opinion is that the ultimate source of the fruits is the earth, to which the tree is attached through its roots.  "The most important part of the tree is the land" (Berakhot 40a).  This can teach us an important lesson.  We have a tendency to view our fruits, our creativity, as stemming solely from our own talents and individuality.  We should remember that these fruits depend on our roots - on our parents and teachers, and ultimately in our Root and Source in God.

 

CHAPTER 57 - BLESSING ON ADDITIONAL COURSES

 

In general, saying a blessing once exempts all foods eaten which require that blessing.  However, when it is clear there was no intention at all at the time of blessing to include a particular food, then that food is NOT included and requires a separate berakha.  All the detailed rules of this chapter are merely applications of this general principle.

 

A GUEST

 

Rav Ganzfried explains that a guest's intention is always to be prepared for anything the host may present.  In other words, a guest is hardly ever in a situation where he had no intention whatsoever for a new course, since he defers to the host with regard to the menu.  The Rishonim inferred this rule from the principle mentioned in the Talmud, that even if a guest decides he has finished his meal he doesn't have to stop eating, since his decision has no weight in someone else's home (Berakhot 42a).

 

This rule reflects the guest's honor, but also his dependence.  It is the responsibility, but also the prerogative, of the host to decide what to feed the guest, since the guest can not take care of himself, as nothing in the house belongs to him.  The Talmud urges the guest to recognize the honor he receives and acknowledge that the host exerted himself solely for the guest's comfort (Berakhot 58a).  But they also indicate that the guest should follow the instructions of the host (Masekhet Kallah chapter 9).

 

We are reminded that all of us are merely guests in this world.  The world does not belong to us but rather to its Creator, and we are only visiting here for a short time.  We are completely dependent on Hashem, and He in turn gives us a dignified livelihood.  However, we should not make the mistake of thinking that we are the masters and the world merely serves us.  Our decisions, while significant, are not decisive, for "Man proposes and God disposes." It is our responsibility to acknowledge the wonders of creation which Hashem places at our disposal, and to follow His instructions to the best of our ability.

 

Tosafot (d.h. "atakha") apply this metaphor to reach a specific halakhic ruling.  If someone decides to finish his meal but is obligated by the halakha to eat more, then it as if the guest decides to finish but the host - in this case the Lord of Hosts - intends to feed him more.  For this reason, say the Tosafot, someone who intends to make a concluding berakha before he has eaten the "afikoman" on Pesach has NOT actually concluded his meal, and may go back and eat the afikoman without making an additional blessing.