Making the Beracha

From Halachipedia

Sitting

  1. One should sit while making Birkat HaMazon. Some say one should also sit for Al HaMichya. It’s preferable to sit for Boreh Nefashot, but in cases of need one may say it standing. [1]

Clean hands

  1. One shouldn’t make a Bracha while one’s hands are dirty rather one should wipe one hands. [2]

If one Mistakenly ate Without a Beracha

  1. If one drank a liquid but forgot to make a beracha before it, and remembered before swallowing it he should swallow the liquid and not say a beracha rishona on what he already drank. [3] One can, however, think the beracha in his mind while the liquid is still in his mouth. [4]
  2. If one mistakenly stuck food in his mouth without reciting a beracha first, and remembered before swallowing if it is a food that will be disgusting if spit out, he should put it in the side of his mouth and recite the beracha, but if it won't be disgusting to spit it out, he should spit it out and say a beracha and put it back in his mouth. [5]
  3. If the food or drink is already swallowed no beracha is recited. [6] However, one should attempt to quickly recite a beracha on another food or drink with the same beracha. [7]

Preparing the food

  1. The food must be in front of the one making the Bracha, otherwise, the Bracha doesn’t have what to be effective upon and one would need to be a new Bracha. [8] If the food that’s brought afterwards is of the same king as the one that the bracha was made upon or it has the same Bracha as the food that we made a Bracha on originally. [9]

Text of the bracha

Shem Umalchut

  1. For every Bracha it’s very important to say the words as they were established by the men of the Great Assembly. Words that are crucial to the Bracha and if one misses one of them, the Bracha doesn’t count: Baruch, either Hashem or Elokenu, Melech, and HaOlam. [10] If the Bracha has a conclusion of Baruch Atta Hashem… then the name of Hashem is also crucial. [11]

References

  1. ↑ S”A 183:10 writes that one must sit while saying Birkat HaMazon and some say one should it while saying Al HaMichya. So agree the achronim including Yalkut Yosef 183:7. See Mishna Brurah 183:35 who writes that this is according to all opinions. Kaf HaChaim 183:51 and Ben Ish Chai Chukat 4 write that it’s proper to say Boreh Nefashot seated. VeZot HaBracha (pg 8) writes that if there’s a need one may be lenient and say it standing.
  2. ↑ Kaf Hachaim 158:53 Shaar haTzion 181:32, VeZot HaBracha (pg 8)
  3. ↑ Chazon Ovadia Berachot page 68, S"A 172:1. Although Rama 171:1 says that in this case when the person swallowed the liquid, he should stay say beracha rishona afterwards, Mishna Berura 171:5 and Eliya Rabba 172:1 say the opinion of most poskim is not to say a beracha rishona if you aren't going to drink more, but only to recite a beracha achrona if you drank enough in the first place.
  4. ↑ Chazon Ovadia Berachot page 70-71, Ben Ish Chai Matot 14, Kaf Hachayim 172:1, Pri Megadim M.Z. 172:2 and A.A. 172:1, Ketzot Hashulchan 55:9.
  5. ↑ Chazon Ovadia Berachot page 68.
  6. ↑ Mishna Berura 172:3
  7. ↑ Mishna Berura 167:49. Shaare Teshuva 206:2 adds that if done immediately this could help retroactively to correct having eaten without a beracha.
  8. ↑ S”A 206:5
  9. ↑ S”A 206:5
  10. ↑ S”A 214:1, Mishna Brurah 214:4
  11. ↑ Mishna Brurah 214:5
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