זֶה הַכְּלָל: כׇּל שֶׁהוּא עִיקָּר וְעִמּוֹ טְפֵלָה — מְבָרֵךְ עַל הָעִיקָּר וּפוֹטֵר אֶת הַטְּפֵלָה.
This is the principle: Concerning anything that is the essential food and has a secondary food with it - one should make a blessing on the primary food and exempt the secondary food.
כללא דמלתא כל שאוכל למזון ולתבשיל כמעשה קדירה שקורין עפי"ל פלאדי"ן ופאויד"לי פלאדין תמיד מחמת הסעודה הם באים וא"צ לברך עליהם תוך הסעודה כי הפירי נעשה תבשיל תוך המולייתא וקימחא עיקר ואין להחמיר וליקח קצת תפוחים מבפנים ולברך עליה בפה"ע דהוי ברכה לבטלה
As a general rule, when one is eating a meal and some cooked dish, such as apple pie, is brought before him, the dish is considered part of the meal. He does not need to make a blessing on it during the meal, because the fruits are considered part of the overall dish and the wheat is the essential food. One should not be stringent to take a piece of apple from within the pie and make a blessing of borei pri ha'eitz on it, for it would be a blessing made in vain.
אָמַר רָבָא: הַאי רִיהֲטָא דְּחַקְלָאֵי דְּמַפְּשִׁי בֵּיהּ קִמְחָא, מְבָרֵךְ ״בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי מְזוֹנוֹת״. מַאי טַעְמָא? — דִּסְמִידָא עִיקָּר. דְּמָחוֹזָא, דְּלָא מַפְּשִׁי בֵּיהּ קִמְחָא, מְבָרֵךְ עָלָיו ״שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ״. מַאי טַעְמָא? — דּוּבְשָׁא עִיקָּר. וַהֲדַר אָמַר רָבָא: אִידֵּי וְאִידֵּי, ״בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי מְזוֹנוֹת״. דְּרַב וּשְׁמוּאֵל דְּאָמְרִי תַּרְוַיְיהוּ: כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ מֵחֲמֵשֶׁת הַמִּינִים מְבָרְכִין עָלָיו ״בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי מְזוֹנוֹת״.
Rava said: Over the farmer’s mixture of flour and honey to which they add extra flour, one recites: borei minei mezonos. What is the reason? Because the flour is the essential ingredient. In Mechoza, where they do not add extra flour, one recites: shehakol niyeh bidvaro. What is the reason? Because in that dish, the honey is the essential ingredient. And Rava reconsidered and said: Over both this and that one recites: borei minei mezonos. As Rav and Shmuel both said: Anything that is from the five species of grain, one recites over it: Who creates the various kinds of nourishment.
ויקוק מיני דגן שהן חטים ושעורין וכוסמין ושבולת שועל ושיפון שהן גם כן חשובין שנשתבחה בהן ארץ ישראל ... ועוד יש להם מעלה כי עליהם יחיה האדם
The 5 grains - wheat, barley, oat, spelt, and rye - are considered important, because through them the Land of Israel is praised. Moreover, they have a special distinction that a person lives on them.
וְכׇל הַנֶּהֱנֶה מִן הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה בְּלֹא בְּרָכָה מָעַל. מַאי תַּקַּנְתֵּיהּ? — יֵלֵךְ אֵצֶל חָכָם. יֵלֵךְ אֵצֶל חָכָם?! מַאי עָבֵיד לֵיהּ? הָא עֲבַד לֵיהּ אִיסּוּרָא! אֶלָּא אָמַר רָבָא: יֵלֵךְ אֵצֶל חָכָם מֵעִיקָּרָא וִילַמְּדֶנּוּ בְּרָכוֹת כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹא לִידֵי מְעִילָה.
And anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing, it is as if he is guilty of misuse of a consecrated object. What is his remedy? He should go to a Sage. He should go to a Sage? What will he do for him? He has already violated a prohibition? Rather, Rava said, He should go to a Sage initially, and the Sage will teach him blessings, so that he will not come to be guilty of this type of misuse of a consecrated object in the future.
(א) וּמִקְנֶה רַב. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: לֵב חָכָם לִימִינוֹ וְגוֹ' (קהלת י, ב). לֵב חָכָם לִימִינוֹ, זֶה מֹשֶׁה. וְלֵב כְּסִיל לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ, אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן וּבְנֵי גָד, שֶׁעָשׂוּ אֶת הָעִקָּר טָפֵל, וְהַטָּפֵל עִקָּר. לָמָּה, שֶׁחִבְּבוּ נִכְסֵיהֶם יוֹתֵר מִגּוּפָן, שֶׁאָמְרוּ לְמֹשֶׁה, גִּדְרוֹת צֹאן נִבְנֶה לְמִקְנֵינוּ פֹּה, פֹּה תְּחִלָּה, וְאַחַר כָּךְ, וְעָרִים לְטַפֵּנוּ. אָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה, לֹא תַּעֲשׂוּ כָּךְ. עֲשׂוּ אֶת הָעִקָּר תְּחִלָּה. בְּנוּ עָרִים לְטַפְּכֶם. וְאַחַר כָּךְ גְּדֵרוֹת לְצֹאנְכֶם. הֱוֵי, לֵב חָכָם לִימִינוֹ, זֶה מֹשֶׁה. וְלֵב כְּסִיל לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ, אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן וּבְנֵי גָּד. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אַתֶּם חִבַּבְתֶּם מָמוֹנְכֶם יוֹתֵר מִנַּפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם. חַיֵּיכֶם, אֵין בּוֹ בְּרָכָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: נַחֲלָה מְבֹהֶלֶת בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ לֹא תְּבֹרַךְ (משלי כ, כא). אֶל תִּיגַע לְהַעֲשִׁיר, מִבִּינָתְךָ חֲדָל (משלי כג, ד). וְאֵיזוֹ עָשִׁיר. הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹּאכֵל, אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ (תהלים קכח, ב).
(1) "And much cattle" (Numbers 32:1). This is [the meaning of] that which is stated by the verse (Ecclesiastes 10:2), "A wise man’s heart is to his right," that is Moshe; "but a fool’s heart is to his left," that is the Children of Reuven and the Children of Gad, who made the essential, secondary, and the secondary, essential. Why? Because they loved their possessions more than their selves. As they said to Moshe (Numbers 32:16), "'We will build here sheepfolds for our flocks,' first, and afterwards, 'and towns for our children.'" Moshe said to them, "Do not do like this, make the essential first; 'build towns for your children,' and afterwards 'sheepfolds for your flocks' (Numbers 32:24)." Hence, "A wise man’s heart is to his right," that is Moshe; "but a fool’s heart is to his left," that is the Children of Reuven and the Children of Gad. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "You loved your money more than your souls. By your lives, there is no blessing in this, as stated (Proverbs 20:21), 'An estate acquired in haste at the outset will not be blessed in the end.'" "Do not toil to gain wealth; have the sense to desist" (Proverbs 23:4). And who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot, as stated (in Psalms 128:2), "You shall eat the produce of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you."
(א) יסוד החסידות ושרש העבודה התמימה הוא שיתברר ויתאמת אצל האדם מה חובתו בעולמו ולמה צריך שישים מבטו ומגמתו בכל אשר הוא עמל כל ימי חייו.
The foundation of elite ethical achievement and the root of a perfect life mission for a person is to clarify and verify his unique obligation to his world and where he must place his outlook and vision in every toil he undergoes for every day of his life.
(19) I call heaven and earth as witnesses on you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. You should choose in life in order that you and your offspring will live.