DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 4.63 MB)
The Beracha of “She’ha’kol”

The Aruch Ha’shulhan (Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein of Nevarduk, 1829-1908) observes an intriguing difference between the Beracha of "She’ha’kol" and most of the other Berachot we recite before eating. Other Berachot use the verb "Bara" ("create") – "Boreh Peri Ha’adama," "Boreh Peri Ha’etz," "Boreh Mineh Mezonot." In the Beracha of "She’ha’kol," however, we use the verb "Niheya," which means "made," as opposed to "create."

To explain this difference, the Aruch Ha’shulhan writes that the verb "Bara" refers to a new creation, and we therefore use it in Berachot over food items that are produced anew each year – fruits, vegetables, grains, and so on. The Beracha of "She’ha’kol," by contrast, is recited over things like meat and fish, which come from animals – creatures that are not recreated anew. Therefore, the more appropriate verb is "Niheya," as opposed to "Bara."

There are different texts of the Beracha of "She’ha’kol," as some Ashkenazim recite, "She’ha’kol Niheyeh Bi’dbaro." The custom among Sepharadim, however, is to recite, "Niheya," not "Niheyeh," and everybody should follow his or her community’s custom.

Summary: In the text of the Beracha of "She’ha’kol," there are those who recite, "She’ha’kol Niheyeh Bi’dbaro," but Sephardic custom is to pronounce the word as "Niheya," and not "Niheyeh."

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Does One Recite a Beracha Aharona if He Ate a “Ke’ayit” in Two Sittings?
If One is Uncertain Whether He Recited Birkat Ha’mazon
If One Intended to Recite One Beracha But Recited a Different One
If One Mistakenly Recited Birkat Ha’mazon Instead of Me’en Shalosh
Does the Beracha Over the Wine at Habdala Cover Wine Drunk During Melaveh Malka?
If a Person Eats a Ke’zayit of “Mezonot” Food and a Lesser Amount of Fruit
If One Ate a Food Requiring “Me’en Shalosh” With Fruits or Vegetables Requiring “Boreh Nefashot”
Changes in the Text of “Me’en Shalosh” When One Eats Products Grown in Israel
The Beracha Over Products Made From Corn Flour and Other Unconventional Types of Flour
Berachot Over Rice and Rice Products
Does “Boreh Nefashot” Cover Foods Requiring “Me’en Shalosh”?
The Proper Text for the Conclusion of “Al Ha’mihya”
The Beracha Aharona After Eating Mezonot and Drinking Wine
The Beracha for Stuffed Chicken, Stuffed Artichoke and Stuffed Avocado
Which Beracha Does One Recite on an Ice Cream Sandwich?
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found