Say borei pri ha'eitz or borei pri ha'adama for foods made of identifiable pieces of fruit or vegetables.

Your fore-blessing covers all other same-category foods that you will eat at the same time (same sitting), if:

1. They are in front of you when you say the blessing, OR
2. You intend your blessing to cover all other same-category foods that you own and will eat at the same sitting--even if they are not in front of you when you make the blessing.
   Note You do not need to state your intention out loud, just think it.  If you usually have this intention but you forgot on an occasion, you do not need to say new blessings on the subsequent foods of that type that you already own.

• You say she'hakol over two kinds of she'hakol foods on your table.  The blessing also covers a third she'hakol food in your refrigerator and a fourth in your pantry that you know you own.
• You say she'hakol and are eating an omelette when a visitor brings you a gift of chocolates: you must say a new she'hakol]blessing before eating the chocolates.
  Note Anytime your spouse is serving you food, it is assumed that your initial fore-blessings will cover all food that you will eat.

• Guest at Someone's Home
  Whenever you are a guest at someone else's house, it is assumed that whatever foods you will eat, will be covered by your initial fore-blessing as long as they are in the same category.
• Attendee at Kiddush or Wedding
  If you say she'hakol over fish at a kiddush or wedding, the blessing covers all she'hakol foods in the room.
• Diner in Restaurant
  If you have made an order in a restaurant, all ordered foods will be covered by your first fore-blessing(s). However, if you later order more food, even if the fore-blessings are the same, you must still say a new fore-blessing.

To say any after-blessing/bracha achrona (al ha'michya, al ha'gafen, al ha'eitz, borei nefashot, or birkat ha'mazon), you must:

• Eat at least the minimum volume (1.3 fl. oz.--39 ml, or 1/6 cup) of solid food within four minutes, or
• Drink at least 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml) of liquid within 30 seconds.

If Did Not Eat Minimum

Do not say bracha achrona if you did not eat 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml) within four minutes.

If Did Not Drink Minimum

Do not say bracha achrona if you did not drink 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml) of any potable liquid within 30 seconds. Note You may not combine the volume of solid food to liquid food or liquid food to solid food that you ate and drank in order to make the minimum volume for an after-blessing.

If Did Not Eat or Drink Minimum

Size: How To Calculate

Ounces: Weight or Volume

The minimum quantity for saying after-blessings is based on volume, not weight. If you eat a pack of pretzels whose volume is 1.3 fl. oz., even though the label says it only weighs 0.5 oz., you would say an after-blessing of al ha'michya.

Figuring Volume

Figuring Volume: Non-Mezonot Foods

You may not include the volume of fish or meat or other foods eaten together with bread or matza in order to reach a total volume of 1 fl. oz., which is required for saying the after-blessing of birkat ha'mazon. However, you may combine the volumes in order to say borei nefashot.

Figuring Volume: Unswallowed Pits/Seeds

When eating foods with seeds or pits (olives, pomegranates, etc.), do not include unswallowed seeds or pits to reach the 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) minimum volume needed to say an after-blessing. You may include only what you have swallowed.

D'Oraita Cases

For d'oraita cases (halachot from the Torah), such as eating matza at seder or drinking wine for kiddush, we use a more stringent minimum measure:

• Eat at least 1.9 fl. oz. (56 ml) of solid food within four minutes, or
• Drink at least 4 fl. oz. (119 ml) of liquid within 30 seconds.

Timing

When To Start Counting

You may start counting the period of four minutes (for eating at least 1.3 fl. oz.) or 30 seconds (for drinking at least 3.3 fl. oz.) any time after the fore-blessing as long as it is continuous from when you first swallow until you have swallowed the minimum amount.

Like fore-blessings, say the highest level of after-blessing (bracha achrona) that applies.

There are five Bracha Achrona blessings on food:

• Al HaMichya
• Al HaGefen
• Al Ha'Eitz
• Borei Nefashot
• Birkat HaMazon.

Whether a food made of the Five Grains qualifies as bread (ha'motzi) or mezonot (borei minei mezonot) depends on whether the food was intended to be eaten as a meal or as a snack, as follows:

• Bread for a meal: Say ha'motzi.
• Mezonot (but you will eat a full meal): Say ha'motzi.
• A snack (including bread as a snack): Say borei minei mezonot.
  Note Some foods may qualify as either ha'motzi or mezonot (such as pizza).
  Note Whether the bread/mezonot was made with fruit juice instead of water may not affect its blessing, since the blessing is determined by the food's intended use. “Mezonot” rolls on airline flights may still require the blessing of ha'motzi if you eat them as part of a meal.
  Note Bread that has been cut into small pieces and fried may be reduced in status from bread to mezonot.

In a non-bread food containing a mixture of grains, at least 20\% of the main ingredients must be from one of the Five Grains in order to require the fore-blessing (bracha rishona) of borei minei mezonot (after-blessing:al ha'michya).
If at least 20\% of a bread's flour is from one of the Five Grains, say a fore-blessing of ha'motzi (and birkat ha'mazon afterward if you ate at least 1.3 fl. oz. within four minutes).
Normally, the fore-blessing for bread (ha'motzi), or for other cooked or baked foods made from flour (borei minei mezonot), will override the remaining foods in a food mixture.
Say borei minei mezonot over:

• Cholent whose main ingredient is barley;
• Ice cream cone (ice cream + cone)—see “ice cream cone” for further details;
• Pie; and
• Cheesecake with any kind of crust.
  Note Cheesecakes are sold in bakeries and not in cheese stores, indicating that the mezonot part is more important than the cheese part as regards fore- and after-blessings.

To avoid making a blessing in vain (bracha l'vatala), you may intend a fore-blessing to cover all other foods of that category that you will eat at the same time.

Always say one of the six fore-blessings (bracha rishona) before eating, as long as you expect to get enjoyment or benefit from whatever you ate, even when eating:

• Less than a minimal quantity (minimal shiur), or
• Eating a small (kolshehu) amount of food.

For time limits on birkat ha'mazon, see After-Blessings (Bracha Achrona): Time Limits.

If you finished eating (and saying birkat ha'mazon/bracha achrona for) a full meal or even a snack that you intended to constitute your se'uda shlishit, you may not eat any more once the sun has set on Saturday until after you have made or heard havdala.

1 Revi'it = Usually 3.3 fl. oz. (99 ml); but 4 fl. oz. (119 ml) for:

• Any food requiring bracha achrona.
• The four cups of wine at the seder.
• Kiddush for Shabbat and Jewish festival nights.

 
1 Log = Volume of 6 eggs = 4 Revi'ot (a revi'it is 1/4 of a log)  
1 Kab = 4 Login  
1 Se'ah = 6 Kabin
 
40 Se'ah = Volume equivalent to 3 cubes, 24 ½” (61 cm) on each side; minimum requirement for mikva = about 192 gallons/750 liters  

1 fl. oz. = 1.77 cu. inch (about the size of a golf ball)

If you forgot to say, or incorrectly said, a phrase in the amida, you must correct your errors in:

• Mashiv ha'ruach
• Ha'el ha'kadosh
• Tein bracha/Tein tal u'matar l'vracha
• Ya'ale v'yavo (except Rosh Chodesh night).

Do not correct errors in other additions/changes if you have already said the blessing for that paragraph, such as:

• Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Ten Days of Repentance changes (except ha'melech ha'kadosh)
• Al ha'nisim
• Aneinu
• Ya'ale v'yavo (if Rosh Chodesh night).

SITUATION
You have a fruit on which you would like to say she'hecheyanu, but you might not like it.
WHAT TO DO
To avoid saying a pointless blessing (bracha l'vatala), you may:

• Say the blessing borei pri ha'eitz on a different fruit.
• Eat from the fruit you just blessed over.
• Taste the new fruit. If you like it—and before you have eaten all of the new fruit—
• Swallow the small piece you tasted (if you do not like it, you do not need to swallow it).
• Say she'hecheyanu.
• Finish eating the new fruit.

NoteWhen saying she'hecheyanu on a new fruit, there is no preference for on which fruit to say borei pri ha'eitz--you may say it on the new fruit or on any other fruit.

You must pour at least 4 fl. oz. (119 ml--a revi'it) of wine or other beverage into the havdala cup--this is halacha.  However, to symbolize that we are blessed (siman bracha) with wealth, overfill the cup (non-binding custom).