Brachot on Food One Eats Before a Meal: Difference between revisions
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If one eats before a meal in a number of cases one is exempt from making a [[Bracha Achrona]] because it is exempted by the [[Birkat HaMazon]] after the meal. In other cases, though, the foods are not exempted and require a [[Bracha Achrona]] as usual. Lastly, in the cases where there is a dispute as regards to the halacha, one should be strict to avoid that situation. See further for details. | If one eats before a meal in a number of cases one is exempt from making a [[Bracha Achrona]] because it is exempted by the [[Birkat HaMazon]] after the meal. In other cases, though, the foods are not exempted and require a [[Bracha Achrona]] as usual. Lastly, in the cases where there is a dispute as regards to the halacha, one should be strict to avoid that situation. See further for details. | ||
==Long Before the Meal== | |||
#If one eat a snack long before the meal and without intention about the meal, then he should recite a bracha achrona when finishing the snack (even if it is wine or pat haba bkisnin). However, if you knew that you were going to have a meal even if it wasn't for another 15 or 30 minutes still you should not a bracha achrona (depending on the rules below) when finishing the snack since you knew that you were going to have the meal.<ref>Yalkut Yosef 177:11 writes that if it is more than 30 minutes before the meal and it isn't in one's mind or the meal will be in another place one should recite a bracha achrona. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Teshuvot at the end of Veten Bracha to Siman 176) agreed that if it is another 15-30 minutes to the meal and one has it in mind one should not recite a bracha achrona on the snack before the meal.</reF> | |||
#If you didn't think that you were going to have a meal soon and then changed your mind and are going to have a meal you should still recite a bracha achrona since you didn't think that you were going to have a meal.<ref>Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Teshuvot at the end of Veten Bracha to Siman 176) explains that since one didn't think that one was having a meal soon one should recite a bracha achrona even if one ends up having a meal very soon. His example is that a person who went to a reception for a Bar Mitzvah and had a snack without intending on staying for the meal. He should recite a bracha achrona even if he changed his mind to stay for the meal.</ref> | |||
==Exempting Other Foods== | ==Exempting Other Foods== | ||
# If someone is eating foods before a meal and the same food in the meal he should have in mind that the food before the meal is going to exempt the food during the meal. Consequently, the food before the meal is connected to the meal and birkat hamazon will cover it, therefore it doesn't need a bracha achrona.<ref>Mishna Brurah 176:2:1, Vezot Habracha (p. 80). Igrot Moshe 3:33 elaborates that the food before the meal exempts the food in the meal even though one actually intended to eat that food and enjoy it as long as one also had intent to exempt the food in the meal since it is then connected to the meal. See Talk page that in fact this ruling of the Mishna Brurah follows the Tosfot, Rosh, Baal Hameor, Shulchan Aruch, and Magen Avraham, but the Ramban holds that a bracha achrona should be made even if the food would have exempted foods in the meal.</ref> | # If someone is eating foods before a meal and the same food in the meal he should have in mind that the food before the meal is going to exempt the food during the meal. Consequently, the food before the meal is connected to the meal and birkat hamazon will cover it, therefore it doesn't need a bracha achrona.<ref>Mishna Brurah 176:2:1, Vezot Habracha (p. 80). Igrot Moshe 3:33 elaborates that the food before the meal exempts the food in the meal even though one actually intended to eat that food and enjoy it as long as one also had intent to exempt the food in the meal since it is then connected to the meal. See Talk page that in fact this ruling of the Mishna Brurah follows the Tosfot, Rosh, Baal Hameor, Shulchan Aruch, and Magen Avraham, but the Ramban holds that a bracha achrona should be made even if the food would have exempted foods in the meal.</ref> | ||
==Whetting Your Appetite== | ==Whetting Your Appetite== | ||
# If someone is eating food before a meal to whet his appetite many poskim hold that the birkat hamazon covers those foods even prior to the meal and as such one should not recite a bracha achrona.<ref>Mishna Brurah 176:2:3</ref> However, since this is a dispute one should avoid eating more than a kezayit before the meal.<ref>Shaar Hatziyun 176:9</ref> Examples of this include wine, liquor, or salty foods before a meal.<ref>Rosh (Pesachim 10:24), Mishna Brurah 176:2:3, Vezot Habracha (p. 81). (As a fun fact, the scientific research corresponds with the halacha about what makes your hungrier. See this [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/05/foods-that-make-you-hungry_n_6420332.html Huffingtonpost.com article] or [http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20835574,00.html#reasons-you-re-always-hungry-0 Health.com article]).</ref> | # If someone is eating food before a meal to whet his appetite many poskim hold that the birkat hamazon covers those foods even prior to the meal and as such one should not recite a bracha achrona.<ref>Mishna Brurah 176:2:3</ref> However, since this is a dispute one should avoid eating more than a kezayit before the meal.<ref>Shaar Hatziyun 176:9</ref> Examples of this include wine, liquor, or salty foods before a meal.<ref>Rosh (Pesachim 10:24), Mishna Brurah 176:2:3, Vezot Habracha (p. 81). (As a fun fact, the scientific research corresponds with the halacha about what makes your hungrier. See this [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/05/foods-that-make-you-hungry_n_6420332.html Huffingtonpost.com article] or [http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20835574,00.html#reasons-you-re-always-hungry-0 Health.com article]).</ref> | ||
