Blessings before Eating

Before partaking of any food, a brachah rishonah (preceding blessing), is said. There are six different blessings, each beginnning with the same words, BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NOI ELO-HAI-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM, Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, and concluding with a few words related to the type of food eaten. Following are the food groups with examples for each group and a transliteration and translation of the Hebrew blessing for each.

1. On bread, bagels, challah, matzah, pita and rolls made from any of these five grains: wheat, barley, rye, oat or spelt1:

BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NOI
ELO-HAI-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM
HA-MO-TZI LE-CHEM MIN HA-A-RETZ.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the
Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.

2. On cakes, cereals, cookies, cupcakes, doughnuts, and pasta - if made of one or more of the five grains listed under the first blessing:

BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NOI
ELO-HAI-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM
BO-RAI MI-NAI ME-ZO-NOT.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the
Universe, Who creates various kinds of sustenance.

3. On wine and grape juice:

BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NOI
ELO-HAI-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM
BO-RAI PRI HA-GA-FEN.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the
Universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.

4. For all fruits from permanent trees, such as apples, oranges, and peaches, even if these fruits are dried; also grapes, raisins, and all nuts (except peanuts, which are a legume):

BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NOI
ELO-HAI-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM
BO-RAI PRI HA-AITZ.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the
Universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree.

5. For all vegetables and greens from the ground, peanuts, legumes, and some fruits such as bananas, melons, and pineapples:

BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NOI
ELO-HAI-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM
BO-RAI PRI HA-A-DA-MAH.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the
Universe, Who creates the fruit of the earth.

6. For candy, dairy, eggs, fish, liquids, meat, mushrooms and everything else not included in the first five blessings above:

BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NOI
ELO-HAI-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM
SHE-HA-KOL NI-H'YAH BI-D'VA-RO.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the
Universe, by Whose word all things came to be.

NOTE: The above blessings apply to foods in their basic form; however, the blessings may vary when the form is changed through processing, or when foods are combined. See Combined Foods

FOOTNOTES
1.	Many of these foods, especially bagels, pita and rolls, may require a blessing of mezonot. When the proportion of combined liquids (including eggs, oil, margarine, jiuce, honey, etc.) is greater than the amount of water, the blessing mezonot is said.

By Chabad.org Staff

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December 27, 2011

Hebrew

Could you please provide the Hebrew writings for each blessing as well as what is already there?

Anonymous
Allentown, PA

January 4, 2011

Kiddush/blessing order...

You are correct; if it was simply a matter of reciting blessings over foods, we would indeed first make the blessing on the bread and then the wine.

However, the Torah commands us, "Remember the Shabbat day to keep it holy." We fulfill this commandment by verbally declaring Shabbat's holiness when it starts – the Friday night kiddush – and as it departs—the havdalah. The sages instituted that we recite this sanctification over a cup of wine.

Because kiddush's objective is to sanctify Shabbat as it enters, we recite it as near as possible to Shabbat's beginning, before partaking of the bread, or challah, which serves as the beginning of the Shabbat meal. Furthermore, by first sanctifying the Shabbat and then breaking bread we are indicating that the entire meal is an extension of the kiddush—that the intention of the sumptuous meal is only to confer honor on the holy Shabbat.

(During the rest of the week, however, we start our meals with bread – even if wine will be drunk during the course of the meal – because bread is "the staff of life," the centerpiece of the human diet.)

Now, the fact that it is generally not proper to have wine before bread is actually one of the reasons why we cover the bread when reciting the blessing on the wine, as you can read here.

Please let me know if this helps.

Rabbi Menachem Posner for Chabad.org

December 31, 2010

Kiddush/blessing order...

So according to this, we say breads first, then wine. So why on shabbat do we do kiddush over wine first and THEN hand-washing/ha'motzi?

Anonymous
Blacksburg, VA

March 17, 2010

Thank You!!!

My Batmitvah is coming up and at lunch in my school I'm trying to say the prayers over my food before snack and lunch. So it was a big help for you to post this.
Thanks!!! :) :) :) :).

Anonymous
HMLTN, BDA

October 5, 2008

RE: silence before eating

We do not interrupt between reciting a blessing and the execution of the act upon which we're making the blessing. Thus, after you recite the blessing over food, you should not speak until you have swallowed the food. If you're hearing the blessing from someone else, you must not speak from when that person begins to recite the blessing until you swallow the food.

But what if you goofed?
If before putting the food in your mouth you spoke about something not relevant to the food, then you must recite a new blessing. If you spoke while chewing the food, you should not make a new blessing. (Seder Birchat Hanehenin 9:1)

Concerning washing our hands before eating bread:
You should not speak from when you begin washing your hands until after you swallow some bread. Many people believe that one may talk until one recites the blessing for washing one's hands. This is an erroneous conception. (See Shulchan Aruch Harav 165:1.)

Eliezer Posner, Chabad.org

October 1, 2008

Silence before eating

Shalom,
Please explain the custom of remaining silent at the table during the blessings and until the first swallow of food. When does the silence begin and when does it end?

Yvette Goorevitch
New Rochelle, ny

March 10, 2008

Blessings before Eating

I have practiced these blessings when I attend a Chabad Synagoguue, it is nice to print a list out and place it in my kitchen. Thnak you for posting this as well as all the thousands of other wonderful materials, that your organization offers!!!

Pam Frischer
Indio, CA/USA
jewishto.org

March 4, 2008

American Blessing Of Food

I am looking for a Grace to say before each meal. American way.
Thanks very much!

Calvin White
Harvey, Louisiana

November 30, 2007

Blessings on Food-Before and After Consumption

Shalom!!!
Thank you so much for this site and contents.
This has been extremely helpful.
I have just discovered my Hebrew heritage, and had always thought instinctivly that each food group should be blessed before eating but was never sure of how.I can now give the proper blessings both in English & Hebrew.
again, many thanks. You have no idea what a blessing this site is for me!!
Happy Chanukah
Shalom

Valarie Kingston
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

January 1, 2007

Blessing over food and Grace after meal

It is easy to understand and makes easier to practice mitzvot. Thank you for your effort.

Kayo
Tokyo, Japan

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