Halacha Date: 25 Tammuz 5784 July 31 2024
In the previous Halachot we have explained that one who leaves one’s house while eating something, upon returning home, one may not continue eating until one recites another blessing on the food, for one has left the location where he began eating and this constitutes a conclusion of one’s meal. Thus, the original blessing does not exempt the food one is eating presently. We have discussed this in detail.
We have also written that the laws of changing location during a meal only apply to one eating fruits and the like which do not require their after-blessing to be recited in the place they were originally eaten; thus, if one leaves the place one has eaten, one’s meal has ended and one wishes to continue eating, one must recite another blessing. However, if one was eating a food whose after-blessing must be recited in the place it was eaten, such as bread for which Birkat Hamazon must be recited in the place it was originally eaten, if one moves from the place one was eating to another house and now wishes to continue eating, one is not obligated to recite another blessing for what one is about to eat since as long as one is obligated to return to the original location where one began eating in order to recite an after-blessing, leaving that original place is not considered a conclusion of the meal, for he will have to return to that place eventually in any case in order to recite the blessing.
Which Foods Require an After-Blessing in the Original Place They Were Eaten
We must now discuss the foods which require their after-blessing to be recited in the place they were eaten and which foods do not. As a result, we will understand the laws of changing location during a meal as they apply to the various foods, for if the food requires the after-blessing to be recited where it was eaten, then the laws of changing location during a meal do not apply to it as much. However, if a food does not require the after-blessing to be recited in the place it was eaten, the laws of changing location during a meal do apply to it.
Foods Which Require the “Me’en Shalosh” Blessing
Cakes, cookies, and anything else which requires the Mezonot blessing require the “Al Ha’Michya” after-blessing to be recited in the place they were eaten and one may not leave the place one has eaten and recite this blessing somewhere else, similar to Birkat Hamazon on bread which must be recited in the place the bread was eaten. Nevertheless, regarding fruits belonging to the Seven Species, such as pomegranates and dates, although they require the “Me’en Shalosh” after-blessing (“Al Ha’etz”), this blessing need not be recited in the place these fruits were eaten and the laws of changing location during a meal therefore apply to them, for if one leaves the original place where one has eaten these fruits, one need not return and one’s meal is thus considered concluded.
According to the Ashkenazi custom that the “Al Ha’Michya” and “Al Ha’etz” after-blessings are equal and both must be recited in the original place the foods were eaten, therefore, whether one eats cakes or fruits of the Seven Species, the laws of changing one’s location during a meal do not apply, for regarding both of them, if one leaves one’s original place of eating, one must return to recite the after-blessing. However, according to the Sephardic custom that there is no obligation to recite the after-blessing for fruits of the Seven Species in the original place they were eaten, the laws of changing location during a meal would apply to fruits of the Seven Species.
Foods Whose Blessing is Ha’adama or Shehakol
Any vegetables requiring the Ha’adama blessing or any beverages requiring the Shehakol blessing do not require one to recite their after-blessing in the place one ate or drank. Thus, if one drank a certain beverage in one’s house and then leaves the house to visit his friend in a neighboring building and now wishes to drink again over there, one must first recite the Shehakol blessing again and only then may one drink.
When we have written that regarding any food which one is required to recite its after-blessing in the original place one has eaten and therefore if one leaves one’s original location and then wishes to continue eating, one need not recite a new blessing before eating, this only applies if one’s concentration was not interrupted from eating. However, if one’s concentration was interrupted, for instance, if one decides not to continue eating, if one later decides to continue eating, one must recite another blessing regardless. (For more detailed laws regarding interrupting one’s concentration from eating, see Halacha Berura, Chapter 179.)
