Great Laws (Halakhot gedolot): The Laws of the Blessings over Fruit

How does one recite blessings over fruits? Over the fruit of a tree, one recites: “Who creates the fruit of the tree,” except for wine, as over wine one recites: “Who creates the fruit of the vine.” Over fruit that grows from the ground, one recites: “Who creates the fruit of the earth,” except for bread, as over bread one recites: “Who brings forth bread from the ground.” Over vegetables one recites: “Who creates the fruit of the earth”; R. Judah says: “Who creates various kinds of herbs” [m. Berakhot 6:1].

The sages taught: [And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy,] for giving praise to the Lord (Leviticus 19:24). This teaches that they [i.e., the fruit] require a blessing before and after [eating them]. From here, R. Akiva said: It is prohibited for a person to taste anything before he recites a blessing. And whoever derives benefit from this world without a blessing has committed misuse. What is his remedy? He should go to a sage. What can a sage do for him? After all, he has already violated the prohibition. Rather, Rava said: He should go to a sage in advance, and he will teach him blessings, so that he will not come to commit sacrilege [b. Berakhot 35a].

One is obligated to recite the appropriate blessing over each and every type of food, as the master said: For each and every type, give Him its appropriate blessings [b. Berakhot 40a]. Anything which contains something of the five species of grain, namely, wheat, barley, spelt, oats [?]‌, and rye [?]. Spelt is called gulba [in Aramaic; b. Pesaḥim 35a] and is a type of wheat. Oats are shevile ta’ala. And rye is dishra [b. Pesaḥim 35a] and is a type of barley—one recites over it the blessing: “Who creates various types of nourishment,” as Rav and Samuel both said: Anything that contains something of the five species of grain, one recites over it: “Who creates the various kinds of nourishment” [b. Berakhot 36b].

Now this is the case only if it was actually prepared with this type [of grain], such as ḥavitsa [a cake formed by mashing together breadcrumbs with, e.g., honey], or burdaka [a cooked dish], which one kneads with flour. However, if one merely chews one of the five species, he certainly recites over it: “Who creates the fruit of the earth,” as it was taught: One who chews wheat recites: “Who creates the fruit of the earth.” If he ground it, baked it, [and subsequent to baking it into bread, broke it up,] and cooked it, then in a situation where the pieces are intact, one recites beforehand: “Who brings forth bread from the ground,” and afterward recites the three blessings of the Grace after Meals. If the pieces are not intact, then beforehand one recites: “Who creates the various types of nourishment,” and afterward, he recites one blessing that is abridged from the three blessings of the Grace after Meals [b. Berakhot 37a].

Regarding wheat flour, R. Judah said that its blessing is: “Who creates the fruit of the earth,” and R. Naḥman said: “By Whose word all things came to be” [b. Berakhot 36a]. And the law is in accordance with R. Naḥman.