Mezonot: History and Halakhah

(6) [A person] that chews [raw] wheat kernels, blesses over them Borei Minei Zerayim.

[If] he [ground them into flour and] baked them [into bread] and [then] cooked them (i.e. the bread) [in water], as long as the pieces [of bread] remain [intact], he says on them Hamotzi Lechem Min Haaretz and he says [after eating these pieces] the Three Berachot (i.e. Birkat Hamazon.

[If] the pieces [of bread] do not remain [intact] he says on them Borei Minei Mezonot and he makes the Beracha after [eating] them is One out of Three.

[A person] that chews [raw] rice [kernels], says on them Borei Minei Zerayim.

[If] he [ground them into flour and] baked them [into rice bread] and [then] cooked them [in water], even though the pieces [of the rice bread] remain [intact], he says on them, Borei Minei Mezonot and he does not say any Beracha after them at all.

Rav and Shmuel both said: Anything that has of the five species of grain in it, one recites over it: Bore Mine Mezonot. And it was also stated that Rav and Shmuel both said: Anything that is from the five species of grain, one recites over it: Bore Mine Mezonot.

Both statements are necessary, as had he taught us only: "Anything that is" I would have said that is because the grain is in its pure form, but if one eats it in the context of a mixture, no, one does not recite: Bore Mine Mezonot. Therefore, he teaches us: Anything that has of the five species of grain in it

And had he taught us only: Anything that has of the five species of grain in it, I would have said that specifically over anything that has of the five species of grain in it, yes, one recites: Bore Mine Mezonot. However, over anything that has rice and millet in it, no, one does not recite: Bore Mine Mezonot, because one is eating it in the context of a mixture. However, if the rice or millet is in its pure, unadulterated form, say that even over rice and millet one recites: Bore Mine Mezonot.

Therefore, he teaches us specifically: Anything that is from the five species of grain, one recites over it: Bore Mine Mezonot, to the exclusion of rice and millet, over which, even in its pure, unadulterated form, one does not recite: Bore Mine Mezonot.

(12) If sweets are brought to them during the meal, he blesses the food and exempts the sweets.

(13) Rabbi Muna says in the name of Rebbi Yehudah, Pat Hab'aah bekisanin [that was served] after the [main] meal, requires a blessing before and after.

(4) [If] they brought in front of him [different] types of desserts, he bless bore mine kisanin

Rav Yehuda was engaged in preparations for his son’s wedding at the house of Rav Yehuda bar Ḥaviva when they brought before him pat haba'ah bekisanin.

When it arrived, he heard them reciting: Hamotzi.

He said to them: What is this tzitzi sound that I hear? Perhaps you are reciting: Hamotzi?

They said to him: Yes, indeed, as it was taught : Rabbi Mona said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda: Over bread that comes as dessert, one recites: Hamotzi. And Shmuel said: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Mona.

Rav Yehuda said to them: Actually, it was stated that Shmuel said: The halakha is not in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Mona.

They said to him: But aren’t you, Master, the one who said in the name of Shmuel with regard to wafers...one recites over them: Hamotzi.

He answered them: It is different there as he based his meal upon them, but here, where one did not base his meal upon them, no, he does not recite: Hamotzi.

Pat haba'ah bekisanin: One blesses over it bore mine mezonot, and after one blessing from three.

But if he eats enough of it that others would regularly eat a meal over it, even if he is not satiated from it, he blesses on it "hamotzi" and "birkat hamazon".

And if at first he thought that he was going to eat a little, and he said "bore mine mezonot" and then he ate an amount that others set a meal over, he should say birkat hamazon even though he did not say hamotzi in the beginning.

Pat Haba'ah Bekisanin: There are those who say that this is bread made into pockets that they fill with honey, sugar, nuts or spices.

And there are those who say that this is dough into which honey or oil or milk or spices were mixed and he baked it. And this is so only if the flavor of the fruit or spices is detectable. [There are those who say that this is bread unless there is a lot of spices or honey.]

And there are those who say that this is bread whether seasoned or not that they make into hard crackers and they chew them, and this is what they call biscuits.

And the halakhah follows all of these opinions.