Good morning, everybody. Today we'll be discussing the Beracha Acharona (final blessing) on perot, or fruits. As we've learned in the past, for regular fruits like apples, oranges, and pears, the Beracha Acharona after one eats a kezayit (olive's volume) is Borei Nefashot (Who creates many souls). However, when it comes to fruit from the Shivat Haminim, the seven species for which Eretz Yisrael was praised, five of those are fruits: grapes, dates, figs, olives, and pomegranates. For these five perot, the Beracha Acharona is not Borei Nefashot; rather, one makes the Beracha Me'en Shalosh (from three), which is Al Ha'etz (for the tree), the same as Al Hamichya (for sustenance), but instead of the words Al Hamichya, we put Al Ha'etz.
So Shulchan Aruch speaks about a case where one ate from both kinds, which means one ate a kezayit of apples and also ate, for example, a kezayit of grapes. So, on one hand, for the tapuchim, the apples, he needs to make a Borei Nefashot, and for the grapes he needs to make Al Ha'etz. So what does he do? Does he make two Berachot (blessings)? It says that if he ate something and ate apples, he doesn't have to make a separate Borei Nefashot for the apples; it's not necessary. Why? Because he's saying the blessing, tapuchim, apples are also included in it, even though when they're alone we don't make a Beracha of Me'en Shalosh on them because they're not chashuv; they're not important enough to get such a Beracha. However, in this case, one is already saying it on the perot of the five minim (species) that we mentioned, so it will cover the Borei Nefashot as well.
Now the Mishnah Berurah points out that this is only if one would eat apples or oranges; then we could say that the Beracha of Al Ha'etz covers the Borei Nefashot for the apples and oranges. But if one would drink apple juice or orange juice, then in that case the Beracha is Shehakol (everything was created by His word). That's the Beracha Rishona (first blessing), as we know, and the Beracha Acharona is Borei Nefashot. In this case, one cannot use the Me'en Shalosh of Al Ha'etz to cover the Borei Nefashot on the apple juice or the orange juice, because once it is squeezed into juice, it loses its status as a pri (fruit), and therefore one cannot exempt it with the Beracha of Al Ha'etz.
The Acharonim (later authorities) even say further than that. Even if one would make juice from the five fruits of Eretz Yisrael—for example, one would drink three ounces of pomegranate juice—the Beracha Acharona is Borei Nefashot. Let's say he would also eat from the five minim; then he owes Al Ha'etz. So even in that scenario, the Al Ha'etz will not cover the pomegranate juice, because once the pomegranate becomes juice, it loses its chashivut (importance).
So again, as a review, for apples and oranges and all fruits we make Borei Nefashot. When it comes to the five minim, grapes, dates, figs, pomegranates, and olives, one makes Beracha Acharona Al Ha'etz. If one ate from both, one Beracha of Al Ha'etz is required, and it will cover the apples and the oranges. And that law does not apply when it comes to juices. When we have juices, we have to make both: to Borei Nefashot and Al Ha'etz. Have a wonderful day.