Berakhot 6

כֵּיצַד מְבָרְכִין עַל הַפֵּרוֹת. עַל פֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן אוֹמֵר, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָעֵץ, חוּץ מִן הַיַּיִן, שֶׁעַל הַיַּיִן אוֹמֵר בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן. וְעַל פֵּרוֹת הָאָרֶץ אוֹמֵר בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה, חוּץ מִן הַפַּת, שֶׁעַל הַפַּת הוּא אוֹמֵר הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ. וְעַל הַיְרָקוֹת אוֹמֵר בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי דְשָׁאִים:

What blessing does one make over fruits? On the fruits of the tree he says: "Who creates the fruit of the tree" — with the exception of wine [(because of whose distinctiveness, they assigned it a special blessing, as they did with bread)], over which he says: "Who creates the fruit of the vine." On the fruits of the earth he says: "Who creates the fruit of the earth" — with the exception of bread, over which he says: "Who brings forth bread from the earth." On vegetables he says: "Who creates the fruit of the earth." R. Yehudah says: "Who creates varieties of herbiage." [For there are among the fruits of the earth grasses and seeds, such as pulse, and R. Yehudah requires a distinctive blessing for each species. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Yehudah. As to our learning that one says "Who creates the fruit of the earth" for vegetables, this applies to vegetables that are generally eaten raw and are eaten raw, or that are generally cooked and are eaten cooked. But for those which are generally eaten raw and are eaten cooked, or which are generally eaten cooked and are eaten raw, he says only "shehakol." And for vegetables which are eaten either raw or cooked, one says "Who creates the fruit of the earth" whether he eats them raw or cooked.]

בֵּרַךְ עַל פֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה, יָצָא. וְעַל פֵּרוֹת הָאָרֶץ בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָעֵץ, לֹא יָצָא. עַל כֻּלָּם אִם אָמַר שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה, יָצָא:

If one blessed over fruits of the ilan "Who creates the fruit of the earth," he has fulfilled his obligation. [An ilan is any growth which when a fruit is taken from it, a shoot remains, and that shoot itself produces fruit in the following year. The blessing for all of its fruits is "Who creates the fruit of the tree." But where, when a fruit is taken, no such shoot remains, the blessing for the fruits is "Who creates the fruit of the earth."] And if one blessed over fruits of the earth "Who creates the fruit of the tree," he has not fulfilled his obligation. With all foods, if one said "Who caused all to be" ("shehakol"), he has fulfilled his obligation [even for bread and wine. But ab initio, one should not eat any food if he does not know the appropriate blessing.]

עַל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין גִּדּוּלוֹ מִן הָאָרֶץ אוֹמֵר שֶׁהַכֹּל. עַל הַחֹמֶץ וְעַל הַנּוֹבְלוֹת וְעַל הַגּוֹבַאי אוֹמֵר שֶׁהַכֹּל. עַל הֶחָלָב וְעַל הַגְּבִינָה וְעַל הַבֵּיצִים אוֹמֵר שֶׁהַכֹּל. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל שֶׁהוּא מִין קְלָלָה אֵין מְבָרְכִין עָלָיו:

Over something which does not grow in the ground, one says "shehakol." Over vinegar, novloth [fruits fallen from the tree before they are fully ripe] and govai [ritually clean hoppers], one says "shehakol." Over milk, cheese, and eggs, one says "shehakol." R. Yehudah says: No blessing is made over anything which is "species of a curse." [Novloth and govai come through a curse. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Yehudah.]

הָיוּ לְפָנָיו מִינִים הַרְבֵּה, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אִם יֵשׁ בֵּינֵיהֶם מִמִּין שִׁבְעָה, מְבָרֵךְ עָלָיו. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, מְבָרֵךְ עַל אֵיזֶה מֵהֶם שֶׁיִּרְצֶה:

If there were before him many species, R. Yehudah says: If any of the seven species [wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranate, olive, date] were among them, he blesses upon them (first). [These take precedence, Eretz Yisrael having been graced with them.] The sages say: He blesses on whichever he wishes, [personal taste taking precedence. The halachah is in accordance with the sages.]

בֵּרַךְ עַל הַיַּיִן שֶׁלִּפְנֵי הַמָּזוֹן, פָּטַר אֶת הַיַּיִן שֶׁלְּאַחַר הַמָּזוֹן. בֵּרַךְ עַל הַפַּרְפֶּרֶת שֶׁלִּפְנֵי הַמָּזוֹן, פָּטַר אֶת הַפַּרְפֶּרֶת שֶׁלְּאַחַר הַמָּזוֹן. בֵּרַךְ עַל הַפַּת, פָּטַר אֶת הַפַּרְפֶּרֶת. עַל הַפַּרְפֶּרֶת, לֹא פָטַר אֶת הַפָּת. בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, אַף לֹא מַעֲשֵׂה קְדֵרָה:

If one blessed on wine before the meal, he exempts (from blessing) the wine after the meal. [This applies to Sabbaths and festivals, when the meal is "appointed" over the wine following the meal. But on other days, when such "appointment" does not obtain, the wine before the meal does not exempt the wine after. Every "after the meal" in our Mishnah means after they have finished with the bread, before reciting grace.] If he blessed over the parpereth before the meal, he exempts the parpereth after the meal. [Parpereth is anything which accompanies the bread, such as meat, eggs, and fish. Sometimes they would bring parperaoth before the meal to whet the appetite, and again, after the meal, after having finished with the bread.] The blessing over the bread exempts the parpereth. The blessing over parpereth does not exempt the bread. Beth Shammai say: It also does not exempt what comes from the pot [such as grits, fruit, green grain, and flour cooked in water, such as pancakes and the like. And there are some who understand the "parpereth" of our Mishnah as loaf hardened in a dish, which does not have the appearance of bread, for which the blessing is borei minei mezonoth. This explains the necessity of "The blessing over the parpereth does not exempt that over the bread" — even though parpereth, too, is a kind of bread. But it does exempt "what comes from the pot." And Beth Shammai hold that just as the blessing over parpereth does not exempt the bread, so it does not exempt what comes from the pot. The halachah is not in accordance with Beth Shammai.]

הָיוּ יוֹשְׁבִין לֶאֱכֹל, כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מְבָרֵךְ לְעַצְמוֹ. הֵסֵבּוּ, אֶחָד מְבָרֵךְ לְכֻלָּן. בָּא לָהֶם יַיִן בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּזוֹן, כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מְבָרֵךְ לְעַצְמוֹ. לְאַחַר הַמָּזוֹן, אֶחָד מְבָרֵךְ לְכֻלָּם. וְהוּא אוֹמֵר עַל הַמֻּגְמָר, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין מְבִיאִין אֶת הַמֻּגְמָר אֶלָּא לְאַחַר הַסְּעֻדָּה:

If they sat down to eat [without reclining, a sign that they had not arranged to eat together, for when groups of people had arranged to eat together, they would recline on mats, and eat and drink reclining on their left side], each one blesses for himself, [there being no "appointed" meal without reclining. However, if they said: "Let us go and eat bread in that place," even if they did not recline, it is as if they had, and one blesses for all; and they also join together for grace.] If they reclined, one blesses for all. If wine were brought before them during the meal, each one blesses (over the wine) for himself [since their throat is not free, and the recliners are intent not upon the blessing, but upon swallowing what is in their mouths. Or it may be that we are apprehensive of their choking in answering Amen.] And he makes the blessing over the mugmar [The one who makes grace blesses over the mugmar: "Who creates woods of spices." And even though there may be present a person more eminent than he, since he began with one (blessing), he makes the other], even though the mugmar is not brought until after the meal [after grace, so that it is not a requirement of the meal. Still, since he began the latter blessings, he completes them. ["Mugmar": After the meal they were wont to bring wood-spices on a coal-pan, to produce an aromatic fragrance.]

הֵבִיאוּ לְפָנָיו מָלִיחַ בַּתְּחִלָּה וּפַת עִמּוֹ, מְבָרֵךְ עַל הַמָּלִיחַ וּפוֹטֵר אֶת הַפַּת, שֶׁהַפַּת טְפֵלָה לוֹ. זֶה הַכְּלָל, כֹּל שֶׁהוּא עִקָּר וְעִמּוֹ טְפֵלָה, מְבָרֵךְ עַל הָעִקָּר וּפוֹטֵר אֶת הַטְּפֵלָה:

If they brought before him maliach [anything maluach (salted)] in the beginning, and bread with it, he blesses over the maliach and exempts the bread; for the bread is ancillary to it. [One who had a large helping of especially sweet fruits eats something salty afterwards to "break" the sweetness in his body. And because he cannot eat the maliach by itself, he eats some bread with it. But the maliach by itself is primary, and the bread is ancillary to it.] This is the rule: In every instance of primary and ancillary, one blesses on the primary and exempts the ancillary.

אָכַל תְּאֵנִים עֲנָבִים וְרִמּוֹנִים, מְבָרֵךְ אַחֲרֵיהֶן שָׁלשׁ בְּרָכוֹת, דִּבְרֵי רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, בְּרָכָה אַחַת מֵעֵין שָׁלשׁ. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, אֲפִלּוּ אָכַל שֶׁלֶק וְהוּא מְזוֹנוֹ, מְבָרֵךְ אַחֲרָיו שָׁלשׁ בְּרָכוֹת. הַשּׁוֹתֶה מַיִם לִצְמָאוֹ, אוֹמֵר שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיֶה בִּדְבָרוֹ. רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן אוֹמֵר, בּוֹרֵא נְפָשׁוֹת רַבּוֹת:

If one ate figs, grapes, or pomegranates, he makes three blessings afterwards. These are the words of R. Gamliel. [One makes three blessings after any of the seven varieties, R. Gamliel holding that "And you shall eat, and you shall be sated, and you shall bless" (Deuteronomy 8:10) refers not to bread alone, but to all of the seven varieties mentioned above in that section (Ibid. 8). And in this verse, three blessings are intimated: "And you shall bless" — "hazan"; "for the land" — the blessing for the land; "the good" — "who builds Jerusalem," viz. (Deuteronomy 3:25): "this goodly mountain."] And the sages say: One blessing, like three [i.e., like three blessings. If he ate grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates, he blesses "for the tree, and for the fruit of the tree, and for the good, desirable land, etc.", and he concludes: "for the land and for the fruits." And in Eretz Yisrael, he concludes: "for the land and for its fruits." And he recites this blessing itself for wine, but begins: "for the vine and for the fruit of the vine." And for all things made from the five types of grain, instead of "for the tree and for the fruit of the tree," he says: "for the food and for the sustenance," and he concludes: "for the land and for the food."] R. Akiva says: Even if he ate shelek [boiled vegetables] and that is his food [i.e., his staple], he recites three blessings afterwards, [for "And you shall eat and you shall be sated" applies to anything one eats. And the halachah is in accordance with the sages, that three blessings are recited only for bread. And for the seven varieties, "one blessing like three," and on all other things: "Borei nefashoth rabboth vechesronan" ("He creates many creatures and (supplies) their lacks"). "their lacks" — such as bread and water, without which it is impossible to survive. "And for all that He created to sustain the spirit of all living things" — that is, for everything in the world, which, even if it had not been created, the creatures could survive without, and which was created only to provide pleasure and additional good. And because this blessing contains two elements, it is a long blessing, which opens and closes with "Baruch," as stated in Yerushalmi, the closing being: "Blessed (Baruch) are you, O L-rd, Life of the worlds."] If one drinks water to assuage his thirst [specifically] he says "shehakol nihyeh bidvaro" ("All came into being through His word"). [But if one drinks water to swallow something stuck in his throat and the like, he does not bless.] R. Tarfon says: "Borei nefashoth rabboth." [He recites this before drinking water. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Tarfon; but before drinking water he says "shehakol," and after, "Borei nefashoth rabboth."]