Chapter 43 : Laws Pertaining to the Berachos Over Special Courses During the Meal

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§1

Everything you eat during the meal to satisfy your hunger, for example: meat, fish, relishes, porridges, soups, pancakes etc., even if you eat them without bread, you do not have to recite a berachah before or after eating them; because since you are eating them to satisfy your hunger, they are considered part of the meal, and the whole meal is secondary to the bread which is the mainstay of life. Therefore, all such foods are exempt with the berachah of Hamotzi and the Birkas Hamazon. Even if food is sent to you from another house, you do not have to recite a [separate] berachah over it, because it is assumed that your intention [when reciting Hamotzi] was to include any food that is brought to you.

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§2

Similarly, you do not have to recite a separate berachah over beverages; because beverages are also considered part of the meal, since it is not usual to eat [a meal] without drinking. The exception to this rule is when you drink wine, because wine is something special. (For in many instances, we must recite a berachah over wine, even though we do not actually want to drink any, for example, when reciting Kiddush or Havdallah.) Therefore, you have to recite a berachah over it, even during the course of a meal. If you recited a berachah over the wine before washing your hands for the meal, and you intended to drink wine during the meal, or [even without special intention] if you are accustomed to drink wine during the meal, you do not have to repeat the berachah, for it is exempt with the berachah you said over the wine before the meal. Whiskey, which in our area [Central and Eastern Europe] is not usually consumed during a meal, is in question whether it is part of the meal or not. Therefore, if you intend drinking whiskey during the meal, drink a little before washing your hands, [that is] less than a kazayis, recite the berachah over it and have in mind to exempt that which you will drink during the meal. If you failed to do this, recite a berachah first on a bit of sugar and thus exempt the whiskey. There are those who resolve the problem by dipping some bread into the whiskey, but other authorities question this practice.

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§3

If you wish to eat fruit during the meal without eating bread with it, since the fruit is not an essential part of the meal, therefore, even if the fruit was on the table before you said the Hamotzi, nevertheless, the fruit is not exempt with the berachah of Hamotzi and you have to say a berachah before eating the fruit. However the after-berachah over fruit is not necessary because it will be exempt with Birkas Hamazon. If you intend to eat the fruit with bread, you do not have to say any berachah because the fruit is secondary to the bread. If you intend to eat some fruit with bread and some without bread, be sure to eat the fruit without bread first and make a berachah over the fruit, and afterwards you can eat fruit even with the bread. But if you first eat the fruit with bread and then eat fruit without bread, there is a question about saying the berachah. Some people are accustomed to car something between courses that increases the appetite, such as pickles, olives, pickled lemons, radishes or other such relishes. These are considered part of the meal since these relishes enable you to eat more. Therefore, you do not have to recite a berachah [before eating these relishes] for the berachah on the bread exempts them.

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§4

If the principal part of your meal consists of fruit that you (intend to) eat with bread, since the fruit is the main part of the meal, it is exempt with the berachah of Hamotzi, even if at the time you said the Hamotzi, the fruit was not on the table; just be sure when you start eating the fruit to eat some bread with it and then, even the fruit you eat without bread does not require a berachah.

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§5

If you are going to eat fruit that was cooked for a meal, as is usually done with a side dish, whether it was cooked with meat or without meat, you should eat some of it both at the beginning and at the end [of the meal] with bread, and then during the meal, you may eat it even without bread, and you do not have to recite a berachah.

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§6

If you eat baked goods, such as cakes, torte, mandel bread etc., (during the meal) to satisfy your hunger, you do not have to say a berachah. But if you eat them just for enjoyment, there is a question if a berachah is required. Therefore it is best to have in mind when you say the Hamotzi to exempt [with it] all these types of food.

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§7

If, after you finish the meal, you drink coffee in order to digest the food, before you recite the Birkas Hamazon, you have to say a berachah prior to drinking it, because anything eaten to help digestion is not considered part of the meal. Nevertheless, it is best to say the berachah of Shehakol on some sugar, and with that exempt the coffee.