Question:
How is one supposed to cut a loaf of bread? Cutting from part that baked first, from the best part? How big of a piece? The side, the top, the bottom? And anything else that is relevant. Thank you.
Answer:
The way to cut the bread is as follows; he should make a cut in the bread before saying the bracha in order to minimize the time between the bracha and eating the bread. The cut shouldn’t be too deep because we want the bread to still be considered whole, as it is better to thank Hashem on a whole loaf than on a piece. The cut shouldn’t be deep enough that if he will pick up the bread by the piece the rest of the loaf will break off. On shabbos we only make a slight mark, because we have to be extra careful that the bread remains whole. Some people don’t make even a mark on shabbos.
He should put down the knife and put all ten fingers on the bread, and say the bracha.
When he says Hashem’s name he should raise the bread.
After finishing saying the bracha he should finish cutting the bread. He should cut a piece from the top and the bottom crust, (this also applies when eating from a slice of bread) because that is the part that is baked better, however he should cut from a part that is burnt. This applies even if likes the soft inside better than the hard crust.
When cutting the bread during the week, he should cut for himself a piece that is larger than a kzayis, but not larger than the size of an egg. This is not to look stingy of gluttonous. During the week if he is eating and cutting the bread also for others he should cut enough from the piece for all of them to eat more than a kzayis. On Shabbos he may cut the piece even larger than the size of an egg.
After cutting the piece he should dip the bread into salt three times.
He should eat the bread right away and not talk out until he swallows a little bit, and preferably if it isn’t difficult, until he has eaten a kzayis
Sources:
O:CH 167-1,4,6 M:B ibid 1, 3, 12, 23, 33, 35. M:A ibid 1
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