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...
Changing Places Within the Same Room During a Meal
Does One Recite a Beracha Before Eating Forbidden Food
The Beracha Over Sweet Bread
Does One Recite “Modeh Ani” in the Morning if He Was Awake Throughout the Night?
The Beracha Aharona if One Ate Cake and Rice
A Child's Obligation with Respect to Birkat Hamazon
A Beracha Recited by an Ashkenazi Which Sepharadim Do Not Recite
Determining the Quantity of "Ke'zayit" in Some Common Snack Foods
The Berachot Before and After Eating Cake and Coffee
Using a Microphone for Zimun
Does One Recite a Beracha Before Eating Ice Cream or Ices for Dessert?
The Minimum Quantity Requiring a Beracha Aharona in Some Common Foods
If There Is No Wine Available for Havdallah
If One Ate as He Drove, Must He Recite a New Beracha at His Destination?
Talking and Answering Amen Before Eating But After Making A Beracha Rishona
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found