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Beracha Aharona for Fruit

One who partakes of fruits from the special species of Israel (olives, grapes, figs, pomegranates and dates), and eats an amount of at least a Kezayit, must recite afterward the Beracha of Al Ha'etz.  If one partakes of other fruits, such as apples, he recites the Beracha of Borei Nefashot.

The Shulchan Aruch writes (208:13) that if a person ate both fruits from the special species – such as grapes – and a fruit normally requiring Borei Nefashot, such as apples, he recites only the Beracha of Al Ha'etz, which covers the apples, as well.  (For more on this issue, see the Daily Halacha entitled "The Berachot One Recites Before and After Eating Apples and Grapes" dated 1/15/06.)  If, however, one partook of grapes and other foods requiring Borei Nefashot, such as meat, fish or vegetables, then he must recite both Al Ha'etz and Borei Nefashot, since Al Ha'etz does not cover foods other than fruits.

Chacham Ovadia Yosef extended the Shulchan Aruch's ruling to a case of a person who partook of grapes, a half-Kezayit of apples, and a half-Kezayit of cucumbers or another vegetable.  In this case, too, he writes, one recites only the Beracha of Al Ha'etz.  Even though generally Al Ha'etz covers only fruits, and not vegetables, since in this case the half-Kezayit of cucumber requires a Borei Nefashot only by virtue of its combination with the half-Kezayit of fruit, it, too, is included under the recitation of Al Ha'etz.

It should be noted that this Halacha does not apply to the Beracha Acharona of Al Ha'gefen that one recites after drinking a Revi'it of wine.  If one drank wine and also ate apples or other foods requiring Borei Nefashot, he must recite both Al Ha'gefen and Borei Nefashot.

Summary: One who ate a Kezayit of fruit from the special species, such as grapes, and also other fruits, such as apples, recites only Al Ha'etz.  If he ate with the grapes other foods that normally require Borei Nefashot, besides fruits, then he recites both Borei Nefashot and Al Ha'etz.  If one ate grapes with a half-Kezayit of apples and a half-Kezayit of another food requiring Borei Nefashot, he recites only Al Ha'etz.  If one drank wine and ate foods requiring Borei Nefashot, he recites both Al Ha'gefen and Borei Nefashot.

 


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