Beki'im BaHalacha. This is the Vico Mizrahi edition, dedicated by the children of Ayim Bin Mazal, of blessed memory, to the daily study of halacha. Volume seven of Beki'im BaHalacha is in memory of Dania Koel, of blessed memory.
Today is day 59. Day 59 is sponsored by Emil and Yaffa, for the elevation of the soul of Abraham Ben Levkar, and for Malika, Le'abba T'Rachel, with the merit of Adam Etan Ben Yaffa, Avigail Le'abba T'Yaffa, for suitable matches, and for the success of the parents, Ben Sion Ben Achel and Ben Yaffa Batsara.
For those following in the book, we are on page 128, and today we will begin Halakha 9. Let us see what we are discussing this morning.
Until now, we have been discussing foods that are included in the meal: fish, meat, eggs, and even vegetables. We said that although the Ben Ish Chai said to place the pickle and the olive inside the bread, the practice has changed, and they are therefore included as well. We also said that even cakes whose blessing is mezonot are included in the meal, unless the cake is a completely independent mezonot item.
What do we have left? We said that drinks are included in the meal, although it is preferable to recite the blessing of shehakol over them before the meal, simply to avoid any doubt. What remains, then, is fruit.
People do not generally eat fruit together with bread during a meal. Figs, grapes, and all sorts of other fruit are normally eaten without bread. Therefore, the blessing over the bread does not cover them, since they are not part of the primary meal. However, one does not need to recite an after-blessing over them, because the blessing after the meal will cover fruit that was eaten during the meal.
Someone asked about eating dates with bread. They make date spreads, and one could spread the dates on bread, almost like a fresh steak. In that case, since the fruit is being spread on the bread, it is something that one would eat with bread. But I am referring to someone who takes a piece of watermelon and puts it into a piece of bread. They do not have watermelon spread. Who is going to do such a thing? Technically, if someone takes an apple and puts it into a piece of bread, that is an apple sandwich. Good luck to him; he recites hamotzi, and that is fine. But most people do not eat fruit together with bread.
Let us continue with Halakha 10: Suppose a person eats fruit with bread at the beginning and intends to continue eating it with bread afterward. Even if, in the middle of the meal, he eats some of the fruit by itself, there is a question about whether he needs to recite a blessing over it. Since he ate it with bread at the beginning and intends to eat it with bread at the end, one opinion says that he does not need to recite an additional blessing. However, some rabbis say that if he ate the fruit with bread at the beginning and at the end, but ate it by itself in the middle, he does need to recite a blessing.
To be safe, the best thing is to eat the fruit without bread at the beginning of the meal and recite a blessing over it. That way, one avoids all of these issues.
According to the first opinion cited by Maran in the Shulchan Aruch, as long as the person began eating the fruit with bread and finished eating it with bread, he is covered by hamotzi, even if he ate some of it without bread in the middle. However, the Beit Hadash took into account the earlier authorities who maintained that this makes no difference: Any food eaten during the meal without bread requires an additional blessing.
We do not generally conduct ourselves in this way, because most people do not eat fruit with bread. For us, fruit is dessert; it comes after the meal. Avocado is a vegetable for this purpose. We call it a fruit, but we treat it as a vegetable.
What about a Waldorf salad? It may contain pineapple, mango, and other fruit. That is a very good point. You are not necessarily eating the fruit with bread, although perhaps you do eat the salad with bread. This would be a case like the one we are discussing. But then you are already creating a problem for yourself, because some opinions say that even if you eat the fruit with bread at the beginning and at the end, eating it by itself even once in the middle creates an issue.
Therefore, in such a case, the best thing is to recite the appropriate blessings over the mango and the other items separately. Mango does not automatically become part of the meal merely because it was placed in a salad. It is still a fruit. When you eat the vegetables together with a fork, each item is being held separately. The principle of being subordinate applies when the items are being eaten together as one mixture. But if I take a fork and pierce a piece of mango, I cannot say that the lettuce is the primary item and that the mango is subordinate. The mango is a separate item. The Waldorf salad would therefore be an interesting case.
Look at fruit as dessert. The Mishnah Berurah clarified that this discussion concerns someone who uses fruit as part of the meal's sustenance, and not someone who eats it merely as a snack or dessert.
If someone eats fruit during the meal as a snack, all the authorities can agree that food eaten without bread requires a blessing. He must recite a blessing before eating it and an after-blessing as well, because it is not considered part of the meal and is not covered by the blessing after the meal.
On the other hand, if someone makes an entire meal out of bread and fruit, then even if he eats some of the fruit without bread, no additional blessing is necessary according to all the relevant considerations. That is a strange case, but if a person is making an entire meal out of bread and fruit, then the fruit is covered.
The Kaf HaChaim pointed out that Maran wrote in the Beit Yosef that some authorities held that, in any case, if a person begins eating fruit with bread and afterward wishes to eat some without bread, he does not need to recite a blessing over the fruit. Therefore, he recommended that someone serving fruit as dessert should avoid eating bread when he begins eating the dessert. In that way, he will be obligated to recite a blessing according to all opinions.
Halakha Murad concurred with this ruling and rejected the opinion of the Kaf HaChaim altogether. The halachic ruling, as it appears, nevertheless follows the position of the Kaf HaChaim.
Here is the rule: Whether one is eating the fruit as part of the meal or as dessert, if he eats bread with it at the beginning and at the end, he does not recite an additional blessing, even if he eats some of the fruit without bread in the middle. Not all the authorities agree with this. It is therefore best to begin eating the fruit without any bread and recite a blessing over it. Afterward, one may eat the fruit without bread as much as he wishes.
Fruit can also be a major item in the meal. The Shulchan Aruch states that if someone chooses fruit as the main part of the meal, the fruit is then considered part of the meal, and it is not necessary to recite an additional blessing over it, even if he eats the fruit at the very beginning of the meal without bread.
That is an interesting case. Perhaps it would be a vegetarian meal, or perhaps fruit served together with cheese on a plate. Maran added, however, that some authorities disagree. Therefore, it is recommended to make sure to begin by eating the fruit together with bread.
Sometimes food is served at the beginning of a meal, and afterward one eats fruit without bread. That is acceptable according to this approach. This may be more common among Ashkenazim at a wedding, where a fruit plate is served at the beginning. Although one has already recited hamotzi, one is not eating the fruit together with bread; one is eating it simply to change the flavor.
On Rosh Hashanah, for example, we recite hamotzi, and then an apple is brought for dipping. Does anyone eat the apple with bread? Usually not. Dates may also be brought. One must therefore recite the blessing of ha'etz over one of them—the date or the apple. The point is that the fruit does not become part of the meal merely because hamotzi was recited. Since it is not being eaten with the bread, it generally remains a separate item.
Most of the time, when dessert is brought, even if it includes fruit, the bread has already been finished. Once one begins eating the fruit, one is no longer eating bread. Therefore, this halakha is not particularly common for us, although it has practical applications.
Although it has been established that in certain cases fruit is considered subordinate to bread and does not require an initial blessing, it still needs to be explained how much bread must be eaten together with the fruit in such cases. If someone eats only a tiny bit of bread, it is not reasonable to consider the fruit subordinate to the bread. On the contrary, the small amount of bread may diminish his enjoyment of the fruit. The principle can apply only when the fruit is being eaten as something that accompanies the bread and enhances the enjoyment of the bread.
In other words, one would need to eat a significant amount of bread for the bread to become the primary item and the fruit to become subordinate to it. Again, I do not think this halakha will arise very often for us. Avocado is treated as a vegetable, and the fruits included in salads are generally treated as part of the salad and therefore as part of the meal.
The case I mentioned yesterday concerning Rosh Hashanah may be more practical. Regarding the sweet gourd, I am uncertain whether it is included in the meal. I take it and put it into the bread, making a sandwich out of it, and then recite hamotzi. In general, however, do not get involved in these uncertainties. It is better to recite the blessings of ha'etz and ha'adamah beforehand, as we discussed.
Some days are more practical than others. I would say that today is less practical, because this is simply not the way we generally eat. Tomorrow, however, will be more practical. I hope to be back in my studio in New Jersey, and I wish everyone here, including the rabbi, continued success in leading this beautiful congregation. Please save my seat.