Question:
- If one washed for a meal and had hamotzie, when he gets up to dessert does he make a brocha on: a cookie and a hot tea? Also, if one did not wash for hamotzie and wants the same dessert as above, would they make a brocha, or would a previously made brocha of mezonos and shehakol patur the dessert from needing a brocha?
Answer:
- Regarding making a bracha on cookies when they are eaten for dessert during a bread meal depends on the type of cookie. If it all three types of “pas hba’ah b’kisnin”, meaning it is 1. filled with a (sweet) filling, 2. it has sugar and other flavorings added to the dough or batter and it doesn’t taste like bread, and 3. it is flakey (it cracks), then we do say a bracha on it, otherwise we don’t. According to some opinions even it if it is only filled we may make a bracha on it. Regarding making a bracha when drinking tea after a bread meal, it is controversial if it considered like other drinks and part of the meal or if it is considered like dessert and it gets its own bracha. Therefore, it is preferable to eat something that is shehakol, (a candy) to avoid the question. If this can’t be done, then we don’t say a bracha on it.
- The above discussion is only when eating a bread meal, since mezonos and shehakol were not made, and the question is if these foods are exempt and included in the persons hamotzei. If it isn’t a bread meal, then if the person already said mezonos and shehakol for this meal he doesn’t make another bracha.
Hatzlocha
Sources:
O:CH 168- See Shulchan Aruch Horav 168-14, that the rule is that any type of “bread” which includes cakes cookies etc. that might be considered bread is considered as a part of the meal, because bread is the main food of the meal. Pas haba’ah bkisnin is the term used for a bread like product that has been changed and therefore it isn’t used as the bread of a meal. There is different opinions as to what pas haba’ah b’kisnin is. Therefore unless it is all 3 types of pas haba’ah bkisnin, it is possible that it is considered bread, therefore we will not say a bracha on it. The opinion of the Biur Halacha 168 D:H Ti’unim is that since the main opinion is that the filled type is the real one, therefore if it is filled, it isn’t considered bread and one can make a bracha on it. It should be noted that there is an opinion that one should not make a bracha on pas haba’ah bkisnin at all, see Sharei Habracha 8 ftnt. 45. Regarding tea- see M:B 174-39 in the name of Chayei Adom to make a bracha, however the M:B and other poskim are skeptical about this, also see Be’er Moshe 5-50, 64, Vzos Habracha chap. 8, Sharei Habracha 8-27. Also see Biur Halacha 177-2 D:H Sh’ein, that if the table was cleared, and he will drink tea at another table, i.e. during a wedding, that since the tables were cleared and it is a different table then he would make a bracha on the tea.
