Jewish Prayers:
Brachot (Blessings) Before Eating

Jewish Prayers: Table of Contents | Grace After Meals | Daily Services

Special Brachot - benedictions - are traditionally said in Hebrew before eating any food or drinking any beverage.

- Brachot Transliteration & Translation
- General Rules for the First Bracha
- General Rules for the Order of the Brachot
- General Rules for the After Bracha
- The Brachot Guide

Brachot Transliteration & Translation

Each benediction begins baruch atah adonai elokeinu melech haolam (Blessed Are You G-d, our Lord, King of the World).
The endings depend specifically on what is to be eaten or drunk:

For Bread: "... Hamotzie lechem myn ha'aretz." (Who brings forth bread from the ground)

For Wine & Grape juice: "...Boreiy pree hagafen" (Who creates the fruit of the vine)

For Most Desserts: "...Boreiy minei mezonot" (Who creates various types of foods)

For Fruits: "...Boreiy pree ha'etz" (Who creates the fruit of the trees)

For Vegetables: "...Boreiy pree ha'adamah" (Who creates the fruits of the ground)

For Drinks, Meat, Fish, Cheese: "...Shehakol Nihyah bidvaro" (Everything was created through His words)

General Rules for the First Bracha

1. One must say a Bracha on ANY amount of food.
2. You should see the food before reciting the Bracha, e.g. if one wants to eat a cashew, you first open up the shell and see if its fit for a Bracha (no worms etc.).
3. You should hold the food/drink in your right hand, or left hand if you are a lefty.
4. One must be very careful not to mention G-D's name in vain. Before you start saying the Bracha, you should know which Bracha is the appropriate one.
5. No food or drink should be in your mouth while reciting a Bracha.
6. Between the Bracha and eating you must not talk or even wait any amount of time, but eat or drink the food right away.
7. If you forgot to say a Bracha before eating, as long as you still have some food left you still have to say the Bracha.

General Rules for the Order of the Brachot

These are the order of the Brachot in general:

1. Hamotzie - on bread
2. Mezonot - on cakes
3. Hagefen - on wine
4. Haetz - on fruits
5. Haadama - on vegetables
6. Shehakol - on drinks etc.

Chaviv (Most Desired): When one has in front of him different types of foods but all are the same bracha - e.g. candy, soda etc - you should say the bracha on the one you desire most, that is meaning of 'Chaviv'.

Fruits of Israel: Hashem has blessed Israel with seven (7) fruits as it says: "A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey (dates)".

1. Therefore when one has different types of fruits that he wants to eat (e.g. apples and figs), the fruit of the 7 species are first.
2. If however the fruit which is not of the 7 species, is Chaviv [meaning - he likes it more] then he may say a Bracha on any one he wants.

General Rules for the After Bracha

In order to be obligated to recite the Bracha Achrona (Post-Meal Benediction), two things must be taken into consideration:

1. Amount of Food Eaten; and,
2. Time Taken to Eat
   
   Amount:
   For Food: For bread, cakes (Hamotzi & Mezonot) you must eat a 'Kazayit' (an Olive) in weight which comes to be 17.3 grams (0.61 ounces).
   For Drinks: For drinks, you must drink a "Revee'it", 86 grams (2.9 fluid ounces)

Time:
The time is the same wether its food or drink. In order to be required to say the After Benediction you must eat or drink the required amount (see above) within 'Kedei Achilat Pras', a period of around 4 minutes.

For example, drinking a hot cup of cocoa, since usually you would sip it you wouldn't drink the required amount within the required amount of time (4 minutes). The best way to get out of any questions would be to drink something else like milk, or to save some of the cocoa/coffee till it gets cool enough to drink the required amount in the required time.

The Brachot Guide

 { A-B } { C-D-E } { F-G-H } { I-J-K-L } { M-N-O-P } { R-S-T-U-W-Y-Z }

Food	First Bracha	After Bracha
Alcoholic Beverages (except wine)	She'hakol	Boray Nefashot
Ale	She'hakol	Boray Nefashot
Almonds (nut)	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Apple baked cake cider jelly (without pieces) juice preserves (with pieces) sauce strudel	Ha'etz Ha'etz Mezonot She'hakol She'hakol She'hakol Ha'etz Ha'etz Mezonot	Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Al Hamichyah Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Al Hamichyah
Apricot	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Asparagus	Ho'adama	Boray Nefashot
Aspirin	None 1	None
Bagels	Hamotzi	Birkat Hamazon
Baked Beans	Ho'adama	Boray Nefashot
Banana	Ho'adama	She'hakol
Beans (soup)	Ho'adama	Boray Nefashot
Beef	She'hakol	Boray Nefashot
Beer	She'hakol	Boray Nefashot
Blackberries	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Bologna	She'hakol	Boray Nefashot
Bologna Sandwich	Hamotzi	Birkat Hamazon
Brandy	She'hakol	Boray Nefashot
Bread	Hamotzi	Birkat Hamazon
Bread Stuffing	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Broccoli	Ho'adama	Boray Nefashot
Brownies	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Butter Milk	She'hakol	Boray Nefashot
Butter Cookies	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah

Notes: *1 - If the aspirin (or other medicines) is being taken with water (and is not thirsty), no Bracha is said on the water either. However, if one takes the medicine with a juice, then a Bracha over the juice should be said and after drinking some of the drink should the medicine be taken.

 

Food	First Bracha	After Bracha
Cabbage cooked/coleslaw/soup	Ho'adama	Boray Nefashot
Cake - all types	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Candy	She'hakol	NONE 1
Cantaloupe	Ho'adama	Boray Nefashot
Carbonated Water/Soda	She'hakol	Boray Nefashot
Carp	She'hakol	Boray Nefashot
Carrots raw/cooked	Ho'adama	Boray Nefashot
Cashew nuts	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Cauliflower	Ho'adama	Boray Nefashot
Celery	Ho'adama	Boray Nefashot
Cereals 2 All Bran Alpha Bits Cheerios Corn Chex Corn Flakes Honeycomb Oat Cereal Raisin Bran Rice Crispies	Mezonot Mezonot Mezonot She'hakol Ho'adamah Mezonot Mezonot Mezonot She'hakol	Al Hamichyah Al Hamichyah Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Al Hamichyah Al Hamichyah Al Hamichyah Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot
Champagne	Hagefen	Al Hagefen
Cheese Blintzes Cake Sandwich	Shehakol Mezonot Mezonot Hamotzi	Boray Nefashot Al Hamichyah Al Hamichyah Birkat Hamazon
Cherry	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Chestnuts	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Chick Peas	Ho'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Chicken	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Chicken Soup without lokshen with lokshen 3	Shehakol Mezonot & Shehakol	Al Hamichyah & Boray Nefashot
Chocolate Bar with Nuts Chocolate covered Peanuts Chocolate covered Raisins Eclair Fudge Ice cream Drink	Shehakol Shehakol Ho'adamah 4 Ha'etz 5 Mezonot Shehakol Shehakol Shehakol	Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Al Hamichyah Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot
Coconut	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Coffee	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot 6
Coleslaw (Sour kraut)	Ho'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Cookies	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Corn On the Cob Bread Soup Chips	Ho'adamah Hamotzi Ho'adamah Ho'adamah	Boray Nefashot Birkat Hamazon Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot
Cotton Candy	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Crackers	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Cranberry Juice/Sauce	Ha'etz Shehakol	Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot
Cucumber	Ho'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Cupcakes	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Custard	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Dates	Ha'etz	Al Ha'etz
Doughnut	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Eclair	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Egg	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Eggplant	Ho'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Etrog	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot

Notes: *1- Candy - One must determine if the candy eaten was a Kazayit and whether it was eaten within the time limit of Kdei Achilat Pras. Since the latter requirement is usually not present when eating hard candies, no Brochoh Acronah would be required. *2-Cereal - When eating cereal with milk, no Bracha is said on the milk since it is subordinate to the cereal. Even if milk remains after all the cereal has been eaten, no Bracha is to be said on the milk unless a substantial amount of milk is left. *3-Soup with noodles - There are 3 types of soup (generally) 1) A soup which is cooked separately, and the noodles are cooked separately. 2) Where the Mezonot is cooked together with the soup. 3) Where one cooks the soup in order to make the Mezonot edible. The most common situation is found with chicken soup, into which we add knedlach, noodles etc. Since each part is cooked separately, one must say 2 Brachot, Mezonot on the solid, Shehakol on the soup. In a case where the Mezonot is cooked together with the soup, then the soup becomes secondary as in all other instances (vegetable soup etc.), and only a Bracha over the mezonot is said. In a case where a person desires to eat knedlach or noodles, but since it doesn't taste good when eaten alone, he therefore cooks up a clear broth to improve the taste of the Mezonot, then it is obvious that the soup is secondary, even though it was cooked separately. *4- Chocolate covered Peanuts - since the peanuts are the main food, therefore the Brachah Ho'adamah is said. *5- Chocolate covered Raisins - since the raisins are the main food, therefore the Brachah Ha'etz is said. *6- Coffee - A Boray Nefashot is said only if the required amount is drunk within the required time (approx. 4 min), since its usually drunk while it is hot it could take longer then the required time.

 

Food	First Bracha	After Bracha
Falafel w/ Pita	Hamotzi	Birkat Hamazon
Falafel w/o Pita	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Farfel (cooked)	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Figs	Ha'etz	Al Ha'etz
Fish Breaded Cakes Gefilte Sticks	Shehakol Shehakol Shehakol Shehakol Shehakol	Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot
Frankfurter - in a Bun	Shehakol Hamotzi	Boray Nefashot Birkat Hamazon
French Bread/Toast	Hamotzi	Birkat Hamazon
Fruit Cocktail/Soup - if majority of fruits are from a tree are from the ground	Ha'etz Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot
Fruit roll	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Garlic	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Gefilta Fish	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Gelatine type desert	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Ginger (raw, dried, candied) Ale Bread Cookies	Ha'adamah Shehakol Hamotzi Mezonot	Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Birkat Hamazon Al Hamichyah
Graham Crackers	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Grapes	Ha'etz	Al Ha'etz
Grape Juice	HaGafen	Al HaGafen
Grapefruit Juice	Ha'etz Shehakol	Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot
Green Beans	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Green Peas	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Green Vegetables	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Gum	Shehakol	NONE
Halvah	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Hamburger	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Hazel nut	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Herring	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Honey	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Honey Cake	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Hot Dogs	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot

 

Food	First Bracha	After Bracha
Ices	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Ice Cream with cone cake Sundae (if contains pieces of fruit)	Shehakol Shehakol (& Mezonot) 1 Shehakol & Mezonot Shehakol & Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot Al Hamichyah Boray Nefashot
Iced coffee/Tea	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Italian Bread	Hamotzi	Birkat Hamazon
Jam (without pieces)	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Jam (with pieces)	Make proper Brochoh according to type of jam.	Boray Nefashot
Jellies	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Juices Tomato Juice Grape Juice Other Juices (without pieces)	Ha'adamah Hagefen Shehakol	Boray Nefashot Al Hagefen Boray Nefashot
Kashe (Buckwheat) if kernels whole if kernels crushed	Ha'adamah Shehakol	Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot
Kashe Varneshkas	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Kishke	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Kneidelach	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Knishes	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Kreplach	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Kugel Challah Lokshen Potato Rice	Hamotzi Mezonot Shehakol Shehakol	Birkat Hamazon Al Hamichyah Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot
Lasagna	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Lemon (raw - if edible)	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Lemonade	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Lemon Meringue Pie	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Lentil /Soup	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Lettuce	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Licorice Candy/Sticks	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Liqueur	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Lokshen	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Lollipops	Shehakol	NONE 2

Notes: *1- Ice cream with cone - If one eats the ice cream and also wants the cone 2 Brachot are said Shehakol on the ice cream and Mezonot on the cone. However if one doesn't really want the cone and it is secondary only Shehakol is said. Since there is no Shiur in the cone so the after Bracha is always only Boray Nefashot. *2- Lollipops - One must determine if the candy eaten was a Kazayit and whether it was eaten within the time limit of Kdei Achilat Pras. Since the latter requirement is usually not present when eating hard candies, no Brochoh Acronah would be required.

 

Food	First Bracha	After Bracha
Macaroni /& cheese	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Macaroons	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Marshmallows	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Marzipan	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Mashed Potatoes	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Matzo	Hamotzi	Birkat Hamazon
Matzo Balls	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Matzo Brei/Farfel/Meal	Hamotzi	Birkat Hamazon
Meat- Balls/Loaf	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Medicines	NONE 1	NONE
Melons	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Milk /Milk shake	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Mints	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Mushrooms /Soup	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Nectarine	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Napoleon	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Noodles	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Noodle - Vegetable Soup see what was written in regards to 'soup with noodles.'
Oatmeal	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Olives (ripe - prepared)	Ha'etz	Al Ha'etz
Onions (raw) Bread Crackers Rings Soup	Ha'adamah Hamotzi Mezonot Ha'adamah Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot Birkat Hamazon Al Hamichyah Boray Nefashot Boray Nefashot
Oranges	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Orange Peels (candied)	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Pancakes	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Pastrami	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Pastry	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Peaches	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Peanuts	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Peanut Butter - Chunky	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Peanut Butter - Creamy	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Pears	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
peas	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Pecan Nuts	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Pickle	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Pineapple	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Pistachio Nuts	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Pizza (depending on how the dough was made)	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Plums	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Pomegranates	Ha'etz	Al Ha'etz
Popcorn	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Potatoes - chips, cooked, instant, kugel, latkes, mashed, fried (if any of the above is made from "powdered potatos")	Ha'adamah (Shehakol)	Boray Nefashot
Pretzels	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Prunes	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Prune Juice	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Pudding	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot

Notes: *1 - If the medicines is being taken with water (and is not thirsty), no Bracha is said on the water either. However, if one takes the medicine with a juice, then a Bracha over the juice should be said and after drinking some of the drink should the medicine be taken.

 

Food	First Bracha	After Bracha
Radishes	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Raisins	Ha'etz	Al Ha'etz
Raisin Bran Flakes	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Raisin Cake	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Raisin Wine	HaGafen	Al HaGafen
Raspberries	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Rhubarb (cooked)	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Rice - cakes, chex, crispies, kugel	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Salami	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Salmon - croquettes, loaf, patties	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Sardine	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Scallions	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Schav	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Scotch	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Seltzer	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Slurpees	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Soda	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Sour Cream	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Sour Kraut	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Spaghetti	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Spaghetti & Meatballs	Mezonot & Shehakol	Al Hamichyah
Spinach	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Strawberries	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
String Beans	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Stuffed Cabbage/Peppers (with meat)	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Sugar	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Sweet Potatoes	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Sunflower Seeds	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Syrup	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Taco Shells	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Taffy	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Tangerine	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Tarts	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Tea	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Tomato	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Tomato Juice	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Tomato Soup	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Tuna Fish Cassarole	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Tuna Fish /Salad	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Turkey	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Turnips	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Veal / Cutlets	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Vegetables /Salad, Soup	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Vitamins	Shehakol	1
Waffles	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Walnuts	Ha'etz	Boray Nefashot
Water (if drunk for thirst)	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Watermelon	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Wheat Germ - Cooked	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Wheat Germ - Toasted	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot
Wheaties	Mezonot	Al Hamichyah
Whiskey	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Whipped Topping	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Wine (grape & raisin)	Hagafen	Al Hagefen
Yogurt	Shehakol	Boray Nefashot
Zucchini	Ha'adamah	Boray Nefashot

Notes: *1- Vitamins - Since vitamins are not eaten in large enough quantity a Bracha Achronah is not said. If the vitamin was taken together with juice, then a Bracha Achronah is said over the juice.

 

Sources: Torah.Net