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Bracha on Coffee and Tea: Difference between revisions
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<p style="text-indent: 2em">There’s nothing like a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning (or if you’re English, a fresh pot of earl gray). Although it’s not necessarily so that you’ll cry over the last drop, but it definitely is part of a good American morning.<ref> Of course, there are many halachos in regards to drinking and/eating before Shachris or before Kiddush on Shabbos. See Hilchos Tefilla siman 89 sif 3, there are many Poskim who permit drinking coffee or tea before davening. Among them are the Maharsham, Aruch Hashulchan (ibid) Kaf hachaim, and many other prominent Poskim. While the Mishneh Berurah seems to only permit black coffee without sugar, most permit coffee even with Sugar and cream since the drinking is necessary to enable one to daven in a better manner. </ref> Since we are a grateful nation who are always looking to pay homage to Hashem for all the good that he constantly gives us, we certainly would like to recite a meaningful berachah on that delicious cup of coffee, but what is the correct blessing on that cup of joe? Now, if you’ll ask, what in the world is the basis for such a question? Everyone knows that you recite the berachah of Shehakol on coffee/tea! Well, that is not necessarily so.</p> | <p style="text-indent: 2em">There’s nothing like a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning (or if you’re English, a fresh pot of earl gray). Although it’s not necessarily so that you’ll cry over the last drop, but it definitely is part of a good American morning.<ref> Of course, there are many halachos in regards to drinking and/eating before Shachris or before [[Kiddush]] on Shabbos. See Hilchos Tefilla siman 89 sif 3, there are many Poskim who permit drinking coffee or tea before davening. Among them are the Maharsham, Aruch Hashulchan (ibid) Kaf hachaim, and many other prominent Poskim. While the Mishneh Berurah seems to only permit black coffee without sugar, most permit coffee even with Sugar and cream since the drinking is necessary to enable one to daven in a better manner. </ref> Since we are a grateful nation who are always looking to pay homage to Hashem for all the good that he constantly gives us, we certainly would like to recite a meaningful berachah on that delicious cup of coffee, but what is the correct blessing on that cup of joe? Now, if you’ll ask, what in the world is the basis for such a question? Everyone knows that you recite the berachah of Shehakol on coffee/tea! Well, that is not necessarily so.</p> | ||
<p style="text-indent: 2em"> The Panim Meiros<ref> Rav Meir Eisenstadt, 1670-1744. Famous Gaon, Rov and Rosh Hayeshiva in Eisenstadt, Austria.</ref> was once visiting the city of Worms, Germany <ref> The city, known in Medieval Hebrew under the name Vermayza or Vermaysa </ref>and he saw the great Chasid and Gaon Rav Shmuel Shatin <ref> Rav Shmuel Shatin, the Kos Hayeshuos (died 14 Tammuz 1719). Rav of Dramesht </ref>reciting the blessing of Borei Pri Ha’adomah on a cup of tea. He approached Rav Shmuel and questioned his choice of blessing based on the general custom of everyone else, who usually recited a Shehakol on tea. Rav Shmuel responded that “a custom based on a mistaken notion is not a valid custom or law.” The Panim Meiros goes on to rule in two separate responsa <ref> Shu”t Panim Meiros. Chelek Aleph siman 95, chelek Beis siman 190. </ref> that although the general custom is to recite a Shehakol on tea/coffee, the correct Berachah on tea is, in fact, a Borei pri Ha’adomoh<ref> And the coffee would need a Borei Pri Ha’eitz, as the coffee grows on a perennial tree. See Gemrah Berachos daf 40a and Ritva and Rabbeinu Chananel </ref>. </p> | <p style="text-indent: 2em"> The Panim Meiros<ref> Rav Meir Eisenstadt, 1670-1744. Famous Gaon, Rov and Rosh Hayeshiva in Eisenstadt, Austria.</ref> was once visiting the city of Worms, Germany <ref> The city, known in Medieval Hebrew under the name Vermayza or Vermaysa </ref>and he saw the great Chasid and Gaon Rav Shmuel Shatin <ref> Rav Shmuel Shatin, the Kos Hayeshuos (died 14 Tammuz 1719). Rav of Dramesht </ref>reciting the blessing of Borei Pri Ha’adomah on a cup of tea. He approached Rav Shmuel and questioned his choice of blessing based on the general custom of everyone else, who usually recited a Shehakol on tea. Rav Shmuel responded that “a custom based on a mistaken notion is not a valid custom or law.” The Panim Meiros goes on to rule in two separate responsa <ref> Shu”t Panim Meiros. Chelek Aleph siman 95, chelek Beis siman 190. </ref> that although the general custom is to recite a Shehakol on tea/coffee, the correct Berachah on tea is, in fact, a Borei pri Ha’adomoh<ref> And the coffee would need a Borei Pri Ha’eitz, as the coffee grows on a perennial tree. See Gemrah Berachos daf 40a and Ritva and Rabbeinu Chananel </ref>. </p> | ||
<p style="text-indent: 2em">This whole issue originates in a Gemarah in Berachos. The Gemarah in Berachos (daf 39a) refers to various blessings recited on different types of foods. The berachah on water, as we all know, is a Shehakol. However, it is possible for water to change its status and require a person to recite a different blessing over it. One such example, the Gemarah says, is Mei Silka K’silka-the water that beets were cooked in has the same berachah as the beets themselves. Basically, this means that when you cook vegetables in water, the water itself is infused with the essence of the vegetable <ref> Rosh Berachos perek Keitzad mevorchim </ref> and changes berachos- It transforms from requiring the berachah of Shehakol to now needing the berachah of Borei Pri Ha’adomah. In essence, the water in which the vegetables were cooked has taken the identity of the vegetable onto itself and it now requires the same berachah as the vegetable. For example, if you have a nice vegetable soup waiting for you at home, but by the time you get home all the vegetables were gone leaving you with only a vegetable-free broth, you would need to recite a borei pri Ha’adomoh over the broth. <Ref> See shulchan aruch Orach chaim Siman 205, sif 2. This is only if the soup was originally a pure vegetable soup. If there was chicken or meat in the soup, the blessing on the leftover broth would be a Shehakol as the ikar taam and chashivus of the soup would be the chicken flavor and not the vegetables </ref> </p> | <p style="text-indent: 2em">This whole issue originates in a Gemarah in Berachos. The Gemarah in Berachos (daf 39a) refers to various blessings recited on different types of foods. The berachah on water, as we all know, is a Shehakol. However, it is possible for water to change its status and require a person to recite a different blessing over it. One such example, the Gemarah says, is Mei Silka K’silka-the water that beets were cooked in has the same berachah as the beets themselves. Basically, this means that when you cook vegetables in water, the water itself is infused with the essence of the vegetable <ref> Rosh Berachos perek Keitzad mevorchim </ref> and changes berachos- It transforms from requiring the berachah of Shehakol to now needing the berachah of Borei Pri Ha’adomah. In essence, the water in which the vegetables were cooked has taken the identity of the vegetable onto itself and it now requires the same berachah as the vegetable. For example, if you have a nice vegetable soup waiting for you at home, but by the time you get home all the vegetables were gone leaving you with only a vegetable-free broth, you would need to recite a borei pri Ha’adomoh over the broth. <Ref> See shulchan aruch Orach chaim Siman 205, sif 2. This is only if the soup was originally a pure vegetable soup. If there was chicken or meat in the soup, the blessing on the leftover broth would be a Shehakol as the ikar taam and chashivus of the soup would be the chicken flavor and not the vegetables </ref> </p> | ||
