Kids Daf Quest

Daf Yomi for kids · Talmud Bavli · Masechet Berakhot

Berakhot 38 for kids: What Blessing Do I Say?

ברכות ל״ח

🍞 This daf asks which blessing fits different foods: thick dough, date honey, a barley mix, bread, and boiled vegetables. The sages look closely at how food is made and eaten to decide the right words to thank God.

Daf Yomi day:

📖 Open Berakhot 38a in Daf QuestOpen Berakhot 38b in Daf Quest

In the app: the Gemara with Rashi and Tosafot, the printed page, games made from this daf, play coins and treasure chests.

Stories from Berakhot 38

Words to know

Rashi and Tosafot on Berakhot 38 in simple English

Rashi on Berakhot 38a, in English Tab translation (28)
  1. Thick [ke'avin] — kneaded and shaped nicely like fine loaves of bread; this shows his intention was to make it into bread.
  2. Like boards [kelimmudin] — merely like planks, meaning he was not particular about their shape. A similar usage is found in Moed Katan (12a): "he makes for it lemudin," meaning boards to cover a pit of wine.
  3. It is merely moisture — it is not considered fruit, so one does not recite over it "Who creates fruit of the tree."
  4. And vinegar of sefoniyot — these are end-of-season grapes that never fully ripen, from which vinegar is made.
  5. He obligates payment of the principal and an added fifth — for one who drinks from it unwittingly [from teruma].
  6. And Rabbi Yehoshua exempts him — because it is merely moisture, and the status of teruma does not apply to it; for there is no fruit that becomes a liquid [in this sense] except olives and grapes. This is consistent with the view of Mar bar Rav Ashi.
  7. What is the halakha of terima? — meaning: what blessing is recited over it? Terima refers to anything somewhat crushed but not fully mashed.
  8. Rava did not understand — he did not grasp what he was being asked.
  9. He said to him — Ravina said to that Sage: Which type of terima are you asking about?
  10. Of safflower — safflower that is crushed, into which wine is put and then drunk.
  11. Or of sesame — to extract its oil.
  12. Or of grape pits — grapes that are crushed, into whose pits water is put to make diluted wine [tamad].
  13. Rava said to him: You mean a crushed item — from Ravina's words, Rava understood the question and said: You are asking me about something mashed, like "crushed eggs" [beitzei chashilta] mentioned in tractate Chullin (93a).
  14. It is permitted to make terima from them — since this does not spoil them, which shows that the dates remain in their original [fruit] state; therefore one blesses over it "Who creates fruit of the tree."
  15. And the halakha is — this word should not be read here; it is a later addition from Halachot Gedolot.
  16. Shetita — a food made from flour of roasted grains that were dried in an oven while the stalks were still moist.
  17. When thick it is made for eating — meaning it remains in the state of a [proper] food.
  18. That they stir — mixing it well with a spoon together with its liquid.
  19. Egyptian beer [zitom haMitzri] — explained in tractate Pesachim (42b).
  20. And he drinks all kinds of drinks — this shows that his intent is to eat, and the healing comes about on its own; here too, his intent is to eat [and the cure follows naturally], etc.
  21. The correct reading is: "And the statement of Rav and Shmuel is necessary" — even though it was taught regarding Shabbat that it is a food and permitted to eat it on Shabbat, it was still necessary to teach that it requires a blessing.
  22. The correct reading is: "You might have thought..." — that since his intent is for healing, he should not need to recite a blessing; therefore it teaches us that since he derives benefit from it — for it is indeed a food — it requires a blessing.
  23. And the halakha is — this word should not be read here; it is a later addition from Halachot Gedolot.
  24. "Motzi" implies past tense — meaning he has already brought it forth; this is certainly the fitting wording for the blessing, since we require it to refer to something already done, for he has already brought this bread forth from the ground, from which he is now about to derive benefit.
  25. As it is written, "God Who brought them out of Egypt" — for when the portion of Balaam was stated, they had already gone out.
  26. Who brings forth [hamotzi] water for you — meaning He has already brought it forth (past tense).
  27. And Rabbi Nehemya holds that 'mafik' implies future tense — that He is destined to bring forth, as it is written 'who brought you out [hamotzi etchem]'; and when this verse was said to Moses, they had not yet gone out, so 'Who brings forth water for you' meant He was continually bringing it forth all the days they were in the wilderness.
  28. That I brought you out — meaning: it is I who brought you out, [emphasizing that it was He Himself who did so].
Tosafot on Berakhot 38a, in English Tab translation (5)
  1. Mar Zutra based his meal on this dough — So too it seems that if one bases his meal on something, one recites the blessing 'who brings forth bread' over it. And so Rabbi Meir instructed on Purim, that when people base their meal on these [pastries], they should recite 'who brings forth bread' over bread first, in order to exempt them from the uncertainty of a blessing, since he was uncertain whether their being 'based upon' counted as a real basis for a meal or not.
  2. This date honey — one recites 'Shehakol' over it — and so too with drinks from any kind of fruit except for wine and oil, as we say regarding orlah. This comes to exclude the explanation of the Ba'al HaMaor, who explained that this is referring to a case where water was added to them, and [to exclude] our beer — even though perhaps it contains a olive's bulk within the time it takes to eat a half-loaf, one does not recite 'who creates the various kinds of nourishment' over it, but rather 'Shehakol.' And even according to Rav and Shmuel, who say that anything containing one of the five species of grain requires the blessing 'who creates the various kinds of nourishment' — here there isn't really barley in it, and the beer is not more than a mere flavor; and furthermore, because it has another elevated status in bread itself; and furthermore, with regard to drinking, one says 'Shehakol.'
  3. And they agree that one may stir — Rabbi and Rabbi Yosei disagree about one who puts water into bran, and this discussion concerns a thin mixture, since it says 'stir' and not a term implying kneading into a solid mass — and so we infer there [in that passage].
  4. And if it enters your mind that it is prepared for medicinal purposes, is medicine permitted on Shabbat? — [Rav Yosef] holds that since anything whose primary purpose is medicinal, and which is not commonly made for the purpose of eating, is forbidden on Shabbat, etc.
  5. But did we not learn: All foods, etc. — This implies, since it states 'all foods,' that even something whose primary purpose is medicinal is permitted, since it is fit to be eaten, as the word 'all' indicates. The Gemara concludes that it is necessary to state the rulings of Rav and Shmuel, for it is obvious that the mishna permits it even though it is intended for medicinal use; rather, the rulings of Rav and Shmuel teach us that we should not say that, since it was prepared for medicinal purposes, no blessing at all should be recited over it. Therefore it teaches us that since one derives benefit from it, a blessing must be recited — though nevertheless one recites only 'Shehakol,' since it is not meant for a proper meal but only for drinking. And so too, anything containing one of the five species of grain that is not meant for a proper meal but only for drinking, such as beer and the like, one recites 'Shehakol' over it. And the Ba'al Halachot Gedolot ruled similarly in this matter: the halakha is that thick shetita requires the blessing 'who creates the various kinds of nourishment,' while thin shetita requires 'Shehakol' — and even though it was made for medicinal purposes, wherever one derives enjoyment from it, a blessing is required.
Rashi on Berakhot 38b, in English Tab translation (27)
  1. We are taught the reason — This is the interpretation of the verse, as we have explained it; we have now learned its meaning.
  2. We are taught that the halakha follows the Rabbis — Since 'hamotzi' means 'who brought forth.'
  3. What does it teach us? — Everyone agrees in this case [that one fulfills the obligation with 'motzi'].
  4. Even vegetables that have been transformed, etc. — Nevertheless, they retain their legal status, and one recites over them: Who creates fruits of the ground.
  5. Boiled vegetables — Refers to any vegetable that has been boiled.
  6. Rav Chisda taught — thus.
  7. In the name of Rabbeinu — Meaning Rav.
  8. Over boiled vegetables one recites 'Who creates fruit of the ground,' and our teachers [who descended from Eretz Yisrael, etc.] — who is this? Ulla said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: 'By whose word' — This shows that the matter is disputed.
  9. And I say — [Rav Chisda said this] to reconcile their views, so that they are not actually in dispute: some vegetables warrant 'Who creates fruit of the ground' and others warrant 'By whose word.'
  10. Any — A vegetable that, when eaten raw, one blesses 'Who creates fruit of the ground' from the start — when he boils it, this removes it from its state for the worse, and he blesses 'By whose word.' Further on, the Gemara establishes this with regard to garlic and leeks.
  11. And any — A vegetable not typically eaten raw, for which, if eaten raw, one would bless 'By whose word' from the start.
  12. When he boiled it — and brought it to its typical manner of consumption, that boiled state is its primary form, and one blesses 'Who creates fruit of the ground.'
  13. Rav Nachman taught — thus.
  14. In the name of Rabbeinu — Meaning Shmuel.
  15. Over boiled vegetables one blesses 'Who creates fruit of the ground,' and our colleagues, etc. — Rav Nachman, being of stature, did not refer to Ulla as 'Rabbeinu' [only as 'our colleagues'].
  16. He said: Over boiled vegetables, 'By whose word'; and I say — that their views are divided in accordance with the dispute between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yosei, and that the statements of Shmuel and Rabbi Yochanan apply to all types of vegetables and are in disagreement: Shmuel holds like Rabbi Meir, who says that a boiled item retains its original status; and Rabbi Yochanan holds like Rabbi Yosei.
  17. One fulfills the obligation with a soaked wafer — soaked in water, for the mitzva of eating matza, since it is still called 'bread of affliction.'
  18. But not with a boiled one — since it is no longer called 'bread.'
  19. Even Rabbi Yosei agrees — that with regard to the blessing, it retains its original status.
  20. Rav Nachman said: Ulla fixed his error in accordance with Rabbi Binyamin — Ulla, who cited Rabbi Yochanan above as saying 'By whose word,' had absorbed and fixed his mistake following Rabbi Binyamin until it became ingrained in his mind, and now states it in the study hall in Rabbi Yochanan's name.
  21. Rabbi Zeira was puzzled by this — regarding the dispute mentioned in the study hall: What relevance does Rabbi Binyamin's statement have alongside that of Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba in this scholarly dispute? Indeed, he is not of sufficient stature to disagree with him.
  22. Aside from this, and aside from this — Beyond these two reasons I gave showing that Rabbi Binyamin is of no standing compared to Rabbi Chiyya, there is a further proof that Rabbi Yochanan never in his life said that boiled vegetables require the blessing 'By whose word.'
  23. And he said to him: 'Who creates fruit of the ground' — This shows that even though it was boiled, it retains its original status.
  24. That he ate a salted olive — one that had been salted for several days; and we hold (Pesachim 76a) that a salted item is considered like a cooked one.
  25. But not pickled ones — This is taught with regard to the bitter herbs, in the chapter 'Kol Sha'ah' (Pesachim 39a), to teach that one does not fulfill the obligation of bitter herbs with cooked ones — proving that they do not retain their original status.
  26. Shaluk — [the term 'scalded/thoroughly boiled'] refers to produce that has become more dissolved and mushy than that which is merely cooked [mevushal].
  27. Deba'inan ta'am maror ve-leika — Because for the mitzvah we require the taste [of the item, e.g., maror or matzah] and it is lacking once boiled, the mitzvah is not fulfilled. However, regarding which blessing to recite, since it still has the legal status of 'fruit,' the blessing 'Who creates fruit of the ground' still applies to it.
Tosafot on Berakhot 38b, in English Tab translation (5)
  1. Vehilcheta hamotzi, etc. — Even though everyone agrees that 'motzi' means 'brought forth' (past tense), the Jerusalem Talmud explains that the reason for the wording 'hamotzi' is so as not to blend the letters awkwardly, such as [if one said] 'ha'olam motzi.' And although with 'lechem min ha'aretz' there is likewise a blending of letters, that case is different, for the verse (Psalms 104) states: 'Who causes grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man, to bring forth bread from the earth.' Therefore one should break the bread with both hands, using ten fingers, corresponding to the ten words of this verse.
  2. From the fact that the mishna taught vegetables similar to bread — This does not mean that vegetables are truly similar to bread, for bread is improved by being baked, while there are vegetables that are not improved by cooking. Rather, the meaning is: just as with bread, cooking does not diminish the blessing, so too with vegetables — they remain in their original status, and cooking does not diminish them.
  3. You can find it in the case of garlic and leeks — One might object that it is visibly apparent that cooking improves them. The answer is that this improvement comes from the meat and salt mixed in with them, not from the cooking itself. It seems that the rule is: anything that tastes equally good whether cooked or raw — such as legumes, and also apples — retains its original (raw-state) blessing even when cooked, since cooked and raw are equivalent. For this reason we also recite 'Who creates the fruit of the vine' over cooked wine, since it is just as good after cooking as before. But squash, chard, cabbage, and similar items, which are better cooked than raw, receive 'Shehakol' when raw and 'Who creates fruit of the ground' when cooked. Likewise, chestnuts and quinces, which are not fit to eat raw the way they are when cooked, receive 'Shehakol' when raw and 'Who creates fruit of the tree' when cooked — except for the sweet chestnuts called 'lombards,' over which one recites 'Who creates fruit of the tree' even raw. And anything that is spoiled by cooking, such as garlic and leeks and the like, receives 'Who creates fruit of the ground' when raw and 'Shehakol' when cooked. This is how it appears to Rabbeinu Yehuda. However, Rav Alfas ruled that for cooked vegetables that are changed for the worse by cooking, one still says 'Who creates fruit of the ground,' following Rav Nachman, who said that over cooked vegetables one recites 'Who creates fruit of the ground' — and Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba agrees with this view as well, speaking of all cooked vegetables, even those changed for the worse, since the Gemara sets his opinion in dispute with that of Rabbi Binyamin bar Yefet. And over a nut fried in honey, one recites 'Who creates fruit of the tree,' since the nut remains the primary component.
  4. Every thirty days he would review his studies — This does not mean literally all of his learning ever, but rather whatever he had studied during those thirty days he would review in full on the thirty-first day.
  5. A pickled olive — a pickled item is treated like a cooked one [for the purposes of this law].

Sources

Kid summary and story cards written by Tab from the William Davidson Edition English (Sefaria, CC BY-NC 4.0).

Tab translation (machine-assisted) of Rashi and Tosafot, from the Vilna Edition Hebrew (public domain) on Sefaria. May contain mistakes.

In the app, the Gemara text comes from Sefaria (William Davidson Edition, CC BY-NC 4.0; Hebrew/Aramaic Vilna Edition). Rashi and Tosafot Hebrew: Vilna Edition (public domain) via Sefaria.

Also spelled: Berachot, Brachos, Berachos, Brachot 38.