Search results for: ""Hesech da'at""

Blessings: Scents: Hesech Da'at
If you say borei isvei vesamim or borei atzei vesamim, you should say the blessing again once you have had a lapse of thought (hesech da'at); that is, once you have stopped thinking about smelling fragrances at that time.
Cessation of Intention (Hesech Da'at)
“Cessation of intention” (hesech da'at) can occur when you get involved in a different action or activity than what you were doing. It is not time dependent.
Jewish Festivals: Kiddush: Borei Pri HaGafen after Drinking Kiddush Wine and Hesech Da'at
If you said or heard the blessing borei pri ha'gafen, finished drinking had hesech da'at, and then want to make a new blessing over the remaining wine in the cup, see Borei Pri HaGafen: Saying Again.
Note Although you may say a new borei pri ha'gafen on wine (or grape juice) that you left off drinking and returned to finish after hesech da'at, you may do so only as a simple blessing, not as kiddush (for how to make kiddush on same wine, see next halacha).
Tefilin: Activities While Wearing: Distractions
You may not do any activities while wearing tefilin that would distract you (hesech da'at) from remembering that you are wearing tefilin.
 
Saying Borei Pri HaGafen Again
You may say a new blessing on any remaining wine if:
  • You said, or heard someone saying, borei pri ha'gafen,
  • Drank some wine (or grape juice),
  • Decided to stop drinking (hesech da'at), and
  • Returned to drink from the same cup later.
Note If you are not sure you had hesech da'at, do not say a new blessing.
After-Blessings: Changing Location: Continuing To Eat Bread or Mezonot
Because bread or mezonot REQUIRES you to say an after-blessing at the place where you ate it, you are considered to NOT have had an interruption of thought (hesech da'at ) when you move and eat more bread or mezonot at the new place, and you may say the after-blessing at the new place.
 
Until When May You Eat without a New Fore-Blessing
You may continue eating without saying a new fore-blessing--without a time limit--as long as you are not involved in some other activity that distracts you from eating (hesech da'at). 
Example
Situation You are eating and take a break to do work for your business or read a magazine article that involves your concentration.  
What To Do You may not continue eating unless you say a new fore-blessing.
Note This is true whether you became full at any time or not.
How To Fulfill Eating Jewish Festival Second Meal
You must eat a second meal on Jewish festival (or Shabbat) day with 1.9 fl. oz., or 56 ml, of bread--even if you already said ha'motzi and ate bread at kiddush.
Note There is no essential time limit for eating the second meal, but it must be before you get distracted (hesech da'at). Otherwise, you must hear kiddush again and drink wine (or grape juice) or eat bread/mezonot before eating anything.
After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Falling Asleep for more than 30 Minutes
If you fell asleep for more than 30 minutes in the middle of a meal:
Step 1: Wash your hands the Three-Times Method to remove the tum'a of your sleep.
Step 2a: To Continue Eating
To continue eating in this case, since the previous blessings and food are no longer relevant (due to hesech da'at), you may:
  • Wash again and say ha'motzi again, and then say birkat ha'mazon, OR 
  • Eat other items with a fore-blessing and after-blessing (since your previous eating is finished).
Step 2b: If You Are Finished Eating
  • Say birkat ha'mazon if you are:
    • Finished eating, and
    • Not hungry again, after having been satiated at the meal.
  • Do not say birkat ha'mazon if you are
    • Finished eating, and
    • Hungry again (after having been satiated at the meal), as the original snack or meal is irrelevant to any after-blessing now.
After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Time Limits: Falling Asleep for more than 30 Minutes
If you fell asleep for more than 30 minutes in the middle of a meal:
Step 1: Wash your hands the Three-Times Method to remove the tum'a of your sleep.
Step 2a: To Continue Eating
To continue eating in this case, since the previous blessings and food are no longer relevant (due to hesech da'at), you may:
  • Wash again and say ha'motzi again, and then say birkat ha'mazon, OR 
  • Eat other items with a fore-blessing and after-blessing (since your previous eating is finished).
Step 2b: If You Are Finished Eating
  • Say birkat ha'mazon if you are:
    • Finished eating, and
    • Not hungry again, after having been satiated at the meal.
  • Do not say birkat ha'mazon if you are
    • Finished eating, and
    • Hungry again (after having been satiated at the meal), as the original snack or meal is irrelevant to any after-blessing now.
Fore-Blessing (Bracha Rishona): Changing Location
The fore-blessing (bracha rishona) must be said where you eat.  However, sometimes you may begin eating in one domain and continue eating in another domain. A domain may be any physically limited area (car, house, restaurant, office building) or the outdoors (highway, park, etc.). Once you left the first place, you are considered to have had an interruption of thought (hesech da'at) and are no longer eating that original snack or meal. 
Whether you say a new fore-blessing depends on your intention when you said the fore-blessing:
  • Do not say a new fore-blessing if you had intended to go to the second place, as long as the food at the second place is in the same food categories as what you already blessed on at the first place.
  • Say a new fore-blessing if you had not intended to continue eating in the second domain, even if you had planned to return to that first place and continue eating.
    Exception You do not need to make a new fore-blessing if:
    • You return to the first place and even one person who was eating with you is still there, OR
    • You had eaten bread or mezonot and then left but had not said the after-blessings of birkat ha'mazon or al ha'michya, even if no one is left from before.
      Reason Since you are required to say birkat ha'mazon or al ha'michya, you are still considered to be continuing your meal.
      Note As long as you are under the same roof, do not say new blessings on food at the new place (such as when switching seats or even rooms in a restaurant).
      Exception Even if you washed your hands and said ha'motzi at the first place, say a new blessing on food that would have required a new blessing at the first place, such as new wine or any dessert other than mezonot.

Tefilin: Replacing: Tefilin You Had To Take Off or That Fell Off
If you take off your tefilin because you have to, such as to go to the bathroom, or if one or both of the tefilin fall or slide off your arm or head, say: 
  • Both blessings again when you replace the head tefila (tefila shel rosh) on your head.
  • Only the first blessing when replacing the arm tefila (tefila shel yad) on your arm.
  • Each blessing in its correct place if you took off both.
Reason We say the blessing again for tefilin that fell off because there was discontinuity in thought (hesech da'at) when they fell off.
Note If you took the tefilin off between bar'chu and the end of amida and replaced them without saying the blessings:
  • Wait until after you have finished the amida, and then
  • Move each of the tefilin slightly, first the arm tefila and then the head tefila, and
  • Say the appropriate blessings.