Siman 205

The sages taught in the Mishnah (35a): "And over vegetables one says: 'Who creates the fruit of the ground'; Rabbi Yehuda says: 'Who creates species of herbs'." And they ruled in the Gemara that the halacha is not like Rabbi Yehuda, even though the reasoning of Rabbi Yehuda is explained in the Gemara, because [it is written: "Blessed be the Lord day by day"], meaning that on each and every day you should give Him from the nature of His blessings: on Shabbat from the nature of Shabbat, on Yom Tov from the nature of Yom Tov, and so too for each and every species give Him from the nature of its blessings. And in a similar manner Rabbi Yehuda and the sages disagree in Sukkah (46a): that if there were many mitzvot before him, the sages hold that he should bless: 'Who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us regarding the mitzvot', and Rabbi Yehuda holds that he should bless over each mitzvah by itself: over tzitzit by itself and over tefillin by themselves. And the reasoning of Rabbi Yehuda there is also from this verse, that for each and every mitzvah give Him from the nature of its blessings. And there we maintain like Rabbi Yehuda, and as the Rambam wrote in chapter 11 of Berakhot (and one of the greats in the generation before us shook the world with this difficulty).

However, in truth it is not comparable at all, for here even when we recite the blessing 'ha'adamah' it is also each type according to its blessings, namely the fruit of the tree on its own, the fruit of the ground on its own, and other things on their own. Furthermore, in what way do seeds differ from herbs regarding 'ha'adamah'? Whichever way you look at it, if we recite over herbs 'borei minei desha'im', let us recite over seeds 'borei minei zera'im'. And indeed in the Tosefta of Berakhot (Chapter 4) we learned thus: "Over seeds he says: 'borei minei zera'im', over herbs he says: 'borei minei desha'im', and over vegetables: 'borei peri ha'adamah'" see there. But in the Mishnah, where they only exclude herbs from the general category of 'ha'adamah', we rightly rule that the halacha is not like Rabbi Yehuda, and thus we maintain, and Heaven forbid to cast doubt on this. (And aside from this, there is no defined name for this, and in the Yerushalmi at the end of Chapter 5 of Kilayim it is taught: "Spelt and wheat and reeds and all others that grow in the meadow are a type of herbs" see there; behold, even wheat and spelt, which is a type of barley, are included in herbs) (And there is clear proof from the Ba'al HaHalachot Gedolot at the beginning of the chapter 'Keitzad Mevarkhin' who brought this exposition).

The general rule of vegetables is as follows: any species of vegetable that is typically eaten either raw, cooked, or pickled—one recites over it 'ha'adamah', whether one eats it when it is raw or whether one eats it when it is cooked or pickled. And such is the law regarding all types of fruit and all types of legumes: if they are good raw and cooked, their blessing is always after cooking as it was before cooking. And raw dry legumes like arbes and babes are not fit for eating, and their blessing is 'shehakol' (Magen Avraham, subsection 1). And any species of vegetable that is typically eaten raw and not cooked, like ogurkes when they are raw—one recites: 'borei pri ha'adamah', and when they are cooked: 'shehakol', but pickled—one recites 'borei pri ha'adamah', for they are primarily for pickling as is known. And if they are typically eaten cooked and not raw, like kroit and burikes: when they are raw—one recites 'shehakol', and cooked—'ha'adamah'. And pickled kroit, one recites 'ha'adamah', for most of it goes toward pickling and they are very good in their pickling. But burikes are not fit without cooking even in their pickling, and from this you shall judge regarding all the species of vegetables that are not found among us.

This is the wording of our teachers, the authors of the Shulchan Aruch, in section 1: "But gourd, and beet, and cabbage, and their like, which are better cooked than raw: when they are raw—one recites 'shehakol', and when they are cooked—'borei peri ha'adamah'. And garlic (knobel) and leeks: when they are raw—'borei peri ha'adamah', and after one has cooked them—'shehakol', for they are considered to have changed for the worse; even if one cooked them with meat and they improved, the improvement is not from their own essence but from the meat that is in them." Thus far their words. And even though regarding a nut fried in honey the improvement is also from the honey, and nevertheless one recites 'ha'etz' as is written in siman 202, this is because the nut is the primary element and the honey comes to improve the nut, but garlic and leeks are not the primary elements in the cooked dish, and the meat is the primary element (ibid. subsection 5), and in truth when one fries vegetables in fat and meat, where the vegetables are the primary element of the cooked dish—one recites 'borei peri ha'adamah' (ibid.). And there is one who says that over garlic and leeks—even when they are raw one recites 'shehakol' (Bach) because they are not so fit for eating, but over onions one certainly recites 'ha'adamah', for they are good for eating. And over pickled cabbage one recites 'ha'adamah' (Magen Avraham subsection 2), and likewise when it is salted, as it is good in its saltiness (ibid.), and to us these species are not known.

There is no distinction regarding vegetables between whether one cut them into large pieces or whether one cut them into small pieces, and even if one mashed them extensively, for as long as the form of food is visible upon them—they do not change from their blessing, as was written in siman 202 regarding fruit, and so too is the law regarding legumes. However, vegetables from which one squeezed liquid—their blessing is 'shehakol' because they have changed for the worse; so ruled the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch in section 3. And the Tur brought in the name of his brother, our teacher Yechiel, that one blesses 'ha'adamah', and he contested him, see there, and he brought proof from liquids that emerge from fruit, upon which one blesses 'shehakol'. And in truth, one could say that they are not comparable, for in fruit the taste of the liquids changed from the taste of the fruit, but in vegetables they did not change. Nevertheless, since the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch ruled so—one must not transgress their words, for with 'shehakol' one certainly fulfilled the obligation (see Taz subsection 6).

Our teacher, the Beit Yosef, wrote in section 2: "Over the water in which vegetables were cooked—one recites the same blessing that one recites over the vegetables themselves, even though it contains only the flavor of the vegetable. And these words apply when one cooked them without meat, but if one cooked them with meat—one recites over it 'shehakol'." Thus far his words. And we have already elaborated on this in siman 202 from section 32 until section 42, see there, for we brought three opinions regarding this. And for the halacha, one should not recite 'ha-adamah' over any broth unless it was cooked for the purpose of the liquid, for this is the opinion of the Rambam, of blessed memory, and when it was cooked without meat as is explained here. And we have, according to our foods, only the cooking of beet-brine, see there. (See Magen Avraham subsection 6 who elaborated on this and brings different opinions and it is difficult to pinpoint his intention; however, for the halacha, it is as I wrote from the perspective of the words of the Rambam, and also the Rema in Darkei Moshe grasped this in the words of the Rambam as the Magen Avraham brought, see there. And what the Taz wrote in subsection 5, that when one cooks vegetables with borscht or in vinegar one should not recite over the liquid as one does over the vegetables, see there, and certainly it is so, for it is like meat, and we have already written this there).

He further wrote in section 5: "Turnip when it is raw—one recites over it 'she-hakol', and if it is cooked or pickled in vinegar or in mustard—'borei peri ha-adamah'." Thus far his words. And even if one cooked it with meat, one recites 'ha-adamah' since the turnip is the primary element, and it is not similar to garlic and leeks mentioned in section 4, and it is like the nut mentioned in siman 202. And know that they wrote that over radishes and carrots, when eating them raw, one recites 'she-hakol' (Taz, subsection 1), but according to what is known to us, over radishes one must recite 'ha-adamah', for their primary consumption is raw and they are very good for eating (and so it appears in Magen Avraham, subsection 9). And over sesame seeds one recites 'borei peri ha-adamah' even if one ground them, since that is the way of their enjoyment (Sha'arei Teshuvah, subsection 7 in the name of Eliyah Rabbah). And there is one who says that if one ground them, one recites 'she-hakol' (Magen Avraham ibid.), but the first opinion appears primary. And so too over buckwheat groats, even if one crushed them—one recites 'ha-adamah' for their primary consumption is such, and there are those who err to recite 'she-hakol', and it is an error (Sha'arei Teshuvah ibid.). And even when they cook them in water, which they call krupnik or soup, if there is much buckwheat in them—one also recites 'borei peri ha-adamah', but if the water is the majority and the buckwheat is a minority—one recites 'she-hakol'. But regarding groats from the five species, such as barley, oats, or pearl-barley—their blessing is always 'borei minei mezonot', and it will be explained in siman 208 with the help of Heaven.