Question: If I eat some “sh’hakol” foods or drink in the airplane terminal do I need a new bracha rishona when I get on the airplane? Would there be a… Read more »
Category: Laws of Meals
The time between netilas yedayim and making hamotzi
Question: Hello, I believe I was taught that the reason we don’t talk after doing netilas yadayim is that we are trying to minimize the amount of stuff going on… Read more »
What do I have to know when cutting bread?
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,… Read more »
If I have a bread that when it is picked up will split is it considered whole?
Question: If I have a loaf of bread that if I pick up one side (before making a slice in it), it will fall apart, is that a problem of… Read more »
retzei
Question: The halacha is that a person who has a safek if he said retzei on shabbos needs to repeat benching because we assume that he did not say it…. Read more »
hefsek
Question: One washes for bread at work and says al netilas yadayim. While walking to his desk etc., one is asked a question or approached by a supervisor, coworker, asked… Read more »
zimun
Question: If one goes to a wedding with in mind not to bentch with a “mezuman”, ( in order to leave whenever he wants without needing to wait for a… Read more »
washing for bread
Question: When one is in the middle of washing for bread (having washed one hand already), can he say Amen? What about after having washed both hands, and before the… Read more »
Netilat Yadayim 2
Greetings Rabbi If I wash my hands inside the bathroom do I need to dry them outside, or can I just dry them inside? inside is fine when not washing… Read more »
Netilat Yadayim Questions
Greetings Rabbi, I have a lot of questions regarding Hand Washing and Eating and I hope that you can answer them. Thank you. Washing (Netilat Yadayim) If I enter a… Read more »
Disposing of Old Bread
How should one treat left over old bread or challah? Halachically, how can it be thrown away? Answer: It may be wrapped up in a bag and then thrown away…. Read more »
Answering Amen During Bentching
Can one only answer amen during bentching, if one is inbetween the first beracah and the second beracah and one hears someone finish the first berachah. Answer: Yes, this is… Read more »
Interrupting Birkat Hamazon
May one interupet in the middle of Birkas Hamazon to answer amen to any berachah of Birkas Hamazon he hears from another. What is also the Halacha, for kaddish kedushah… Read more »
Amen After Mayim Achronim
Is one allowed to answer Amein between mayim achronim and starting benching? Answer: One should not answer Amen after Mayim Achronim, unless they can wash again after the Amen. Sources:… Read more »
Al Naharos Bavel
Why do we say Al Naharos Bavel/Shir HaMaalos? Why do few people still say Al Naharos Bavel? Which Poskim/Gedolim did or didn’t say it? Where did the paragraph of Tehillas… Read more »
Shehakol Before Washing
If I make a shahakol or hadama then decide to wash. Do I first make a borei nefoshos or can I wash and be yoitze with bentching Thank you Answer:… Read more »
Mayim Acharonim Alone
Do you have to wash your fingers for Birkat Hamazon if you eat by yourself? Answer: The halachah of mayim acharonim, washing hands before Birkat HaMazon, does not depend on… Read more »
Finished Eating after Nightfall on Rosh Chodesh
Dear Rabbi, If on erev rosh codseh one starts to eat some cake before shkiah and finishes eating the cake after nightfall, should they make the insertion for rosh chodesh… Read more »
Beracha on Food Before Meal
Dear Rabbi I was wondering on the following halacha. If one eats an appetizer in a restaurant before washing for the main meal (say for example they eat some vegetables… Read more »
Eating More Before Benching
Sometimes a person will eat a Kabeiyah of bread at a Sheva abrachos or Shabbos table at the beginning, and then there’s Divrei torah and speakers or talking, etc. for… Read more »
Skipped Berachah in Birkas HaMazon
Dear Rabbi, If one is reciting birkhat hamazon and accidently skipped out וְעַל הַכּל and רַחֶם נָא and only realised after concluding the bracha of בּוֹנֵה בְרַחֲמָיו, (although didn’t start… Read more »
Leaving Zimmun for Minyan
Can you leave a zimmun (10 or 3) to daven with a minyan (no minyan later and there will be zimmun and minyan without you)? Answer: No, it is not… Read more »
Benching After Long Meals
Sometimes on Shabbos or at a simcha one eats a kebeiyah of bread, and one continues eating the meal without bread until benching 2 or 3 hours later. What’s the… Read more »
Benching Before Oneg Shabbos
Is it halachically correct to make an oneg shabbos immediately after the shabbos seudah? i.e. Can one decide to bentch and then bring out dessert and cake which will necessitate… Read more »
Meal that Crosses Over from Hoshanah Rabbah to Shemini Atzeres
On Hoshanah Rabbah someone was eating in the sukkah and wanted to continue his seudah when the shmini etzeres started. He was pores mappah and continued. When he comes to… Read more »
Phone Call in Bread Meal
If someone is eating a bread meal or drinking or a fruit and receives a phone call. Does one need to wash or make a new bracha or bench first?… Read more »
Eating Other Foods for Zimun
Is there any source within the halachic literature that says that if there is a group of people who have eaten a meal together and some did not eat bread,… Read more »
Borei Nefashos for Bread
I washed and ate bread and then absent-mindedly said the bracha nefashot afterwards? Should I now also say Birkat Hamazon and what is status of the bracha nefashot? Thank you…. Read more »
Se’udas Mitzvah with Divrei Torah
The Rema in Hilchos Channukah Siman 670 writes that if zemiros and shvachos (songs and praise) are said by a Seudah on Channukah it becomes a “Seudas Mitzvah” (without this… Read more »
Joining for Zimmun after Planning to Leave
If someone goes to a simcha (wedding for example) with in mind not to join together and therefore will not by chiyuv in a zimmun what if the person ends… Read more »
Zimun With Someone who Doesn’t Know How
May a zimun be made with 3 men when one of them is unable to respond properly to the zimmun (because he can’t read hebrew or doesn’t understand how to… Read more »
Satiated from Foods Other than Bread
Someone who ate a cazayis of pas and other foods that brought him to “c’dei saviah” is his chiyuv in Bircas HaMazon d’oraisa or d’rabbanan. Answer: Because he has become… Read more »
Time for Benching after Eating
How long does a person have between the end of meal (eating has stopped) and when one can still bentsch? How much time must go by where benching is no… Read more »
Throwing Away Bread
Bread that is no longer fresh or in some way is no longer edible. How must it be thrown away? Does it need 1 wrapping? 2? None at all maybe?… Read more »
Unsatisfied with Water
A person is trying to keep away from soda. However, the person does not feel as satisfied with drinking water or seltzer. Regarding Birkas Ha-Mazon a satisfied feeling should be… Read more »
Mayim Acharonim from the Faucet
Can one wash for mayim ahachronim without a cup, i.e. just under the faucet lechatchilah? Answer: It is permitted to wash one’s hands for mayim acharonim under the faucet. Some,… Read more »
Fell Asleep after Meal
I Laid down thinking it was just going to be for a few minutes, then I woke up many hours later, But I realized that I forgot to bentch. Is… Read more »
Birkas Ha-Mazon after Throwing Up
How do we pasken by someone who eats a seudah then throws up afterwards do they still have to bentch bircas hamazon? Answer: Birkas Hamazon is not recited if the… Read more »
Extra Ha-Rachaman for Oneself
In my birchon it says to recite a harachaman for the baal habayit. Under that harachamn it says: “if eating at own table recite harachaman for self and wife”. My… Read more »
Eating to Satiation at Kiddush
Is one be allowed to go to a large kiddush and eat many non-mezonot foods to point of satiation? Is one not obliged then to make homtzi and bench there… Read more »
Berachos after Removing Table
Rav Wosner in Shevat Halavi and Rav David Yosef in Halacha Brura write that today at Chasuna’s it could be that one has to make a before and after bracha… Read more »
Irreligious Jew for Zimun
I was at a talmud chacham’s shabbos table with an irreligious Jew. When the time came to bentch, the Talmud Chacham skipped the Zimun and just started bentching. Is there… Read more »
Sheva Berachos on Pesach
Question: My chatan and I would like to marry before Pesach. But are there any restrictions about the sheva brachot overlapping with the Chag? Answer: It is permitted to get… Read more »
Amount of Water for Mayim Acharonim
What are the various shitot regarding the shiur of water for mayim acharonim. Answer: The rishonim do not give a shiur for mayim acharonim, and write that one needs to… Read more »
Carry on Eating
b’h’i 1- if one is unsure as to whether he had said bircat hamazon but did not eat to satiety and therefore doesn’t require to say it m’deorayta and only… Read more »
Responding to Zimun and Eating
b’h’i If 2 of 3 people in a zimun want to bentch can all 3 do zimmun and the 3rd continue eating without a safek of requiring to wash again… Read more »
Berachos in Meal
b’h’i If one eats vegetables during the meal does one need to say ha’adamah? Should one make a ha’adamah before the meal begins (less than c’zayit?) What about shehakol? are… Read more »
How Fast Must One Eat a Meal
In order to make the blessing of “al netilat yadayim” for bread we must eat a kabeiyah (an egg size). This is 2 zeisim( 2 olive sizes). Does one have… Read more »
Mayim Acharonim on Roof
Beneath my window is a path which leads up to a private dwelling. Part of this path is covered by a tiled roof. Would I be able to do mayim… Read more »
Benching from the Computer
Is there anything wrong with reading Birkhat HaMazon from a computer? E.g: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/birkat_hamazon.pdf I often use that link to make birkat hamazon after having a meal by the PC and… Read more »