Dear Rabbi Simon
I have a question regarding bread/pita which I eat with most meals.
I understand that we generally say borei minei mezonos and Al Hamichyah for Mezonos, but that if we eat ‘a lot’ of mezonos we are then required to treat the grain product as bread, ie, ha-motzi and birkat ha-mazon (bensch).
My question is, when I sit for a meal (rather than a snack) and have just a modest amount of mezonos, despite it being eligible for a borei minei mezonot if eaten as a snack, am I required to treat this as bread since
- I am eating a meal (rather than just a snack) and
- I’m having at least a kezayit (size of an olive) of wheat flour—one of the 5 grains?
I guess this is relevant even if having a quick falafel /shwarma at a falafel stand where you may perch on a bar stool for 10-15 mins for a quick meal. Should I still wash and bench in that situation despite proprietor saying his pita is mezonot?
Many thanks,
Baruch
Dear Baruch,
Thank you for your practical question.
Sometimes the distinction between bread and pastry is clear—as in those two, or bagel vs. muffin. But sometimes it is vague or disputed, as in so-called mezonot pita or in DD’s sandwiches (or similar). In the latter cases, the difference is a subtle one, essentially switching water (=ha-motzi) for apple juice (=mezonot) in kneading the dough. Either way–ie when eating bridge rolls, quiche, apple pie, cream cake, cupcakes, or (endlessly disputed) pizza—one who eats an amount approximating 4 eggs’-volume of the grain product should regard the mezonot food as serving as the basis of a meal and treat the food accordingly. This means netilat yadayim, ha-motzi and birkat ha-mazon.
But if one is eating other foods in significant proportions (to the mezonot), eg protein, vegetables, legumes, rice, other carbohydrates (including pasta, macaroni, or similar), one can presume that the mezonot he consumes does not surpass the threshold requiring him to treat his mezonot as bread.
Therefor, in the first part of your question, you do not need to treat your mezonot product as bread (although there may be grounds to do so if you would like). In the felafel/shwarma scenario too, if the pita is mezonot, and you eat one (rather than two), you may regard it as such. This is partly because the flour-based part of your meal—even though you are eating a meal, not a snack–is not dominant, but only co-equal (or even a minority component). Of course if the pita is standard ha-motzi—bread is bread, even if you are eating lots of other food with it.
I hope this is helpful.
Best wishes
Rabbi Rashi Simon