There are five Bracha Achrona blessings on food:

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

When you have said a fore-blessing on one type of food, such as borei pri ha'adama on vegetables, you do not need to say she'hakol on the liquid that remains after having eaten the solid vegetables.

If rolled oats are eaten without cooking (such as in raw muesli), say borei pri ha'adama (after-blessing, borei nefashot).

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

There is no essential connection between fore-blessings and after-blessings.

To fulfill the two requirements for Shabbat evening kiddush:

1. Say, or hear, the Shabbat evening kiddush blessings/segments:
   • Borei pri ha'gafen (on wine or grape juice only), OR
     Ha'motzi (on two challot if you have no wine or grape juice, as chamar medina is not permitted for Shabbat evening kiddush. See Challot for Evening Kiddush) AND
   • Mekadeish HaShabbat.
2. Establish a halachic “meal” (kovei'a se'uda) by either:
   • Drinking 4 fl. oz. (119 ml) of wine (or grape juice) within 30 seconds, OR
   • Eating at least 1.9 fl. oz. (56 ml) of bread or mezonot of any type (within 4 minutes) shortly after saying or hearing kiddush.

For corn tortillas (most tortillas are corn tortillas), say the fore-blessing she'hakol (after-blessing: borei nefashot).
For wheat tortillas, say the fore-blessing borei minei mezonot (after-blessing: al ha'michya).

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.

There is no separate blessing on eating olives with a meal. If you eat olives by themselves (without other food), say borei pri ha'eitz.

Say she'hakol, the most general blessing, over any food or drink that does not fall into a higher category (HaMotzi, Borei Minei Mezonot, Borei Pri Ha'Eitz, Borei Pri HaGafen, and Borei Pri HaAdama).

The order of blessings is the same every time sheva brachot are said--except under the chuppa, when the first blessing is borei pri ha'gafen.
Note At all other times, borei pri ha'gafen is the final blessing.

Note If the blessings are said out of order, it is OK.

To fulfill the two requirements for Jewish festival evening kiddush:

1. Make Kiddush
   Say, or hear, the three Jewish festival evening kiddush blessings/segments:
   1. Borei pri ha'gafen (if on wine or grape juice—preferred option), OR
      Ha'motzi (on two challot if you have no wine or grape juice, since no chamar medina is allowed for Jewish festival evening kiddush; see Jewish Festivals: Kiddush: Challot for Kiddush) AND
   2. Asher bachar banu mi kol am.... mekadeish Yisrael v'hazmanim, AND
   3. She'hecheyanu on all Jewish festival nights, except the last two nights of Passover.  So say she'hecheyanu on:
      • Both nights of Rosh Hashana (in or outside of Eretz Yisrael),
      • First two nights of Passover (1 night in Eretz Yisrael),
      • Both nights of Shavuot (1 night in Eretz Yisrael),
      • First two nights of Sukkot (1 night in Eretz Yisrael), and
      • Nights of Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah (same day in Eretz Yisrael).
      Note There is never any requirement on an indvidual to drink kiddush wine (except at the Passover seder), but the kiddush wine must be drunk by one or more persons.
      Note A woman who had said she'hecheyanu when she lit the Jewish festival candles does NOT say she'hecheyanu again if she makes kiddush for herself, even when making kiddush at the Passover seder.
      Note There is no need to eat a new fruit after saying she'hecheyanu on the second night of  Shavuot, Passover, or Sukkot. This is not comparable to Rosh Hashana, since the second festival night was instituted due to uncertainty of the actual date of the holiday, while Rosh Hashana is considered to be one single, long day.
2. Establish a halachic “meal” (kovei'a se'uda).
   For how to establish a halachic meal, see Introduction to Jewish Festival “Eating a Meal” Requirements.

If you drank any amount of kiddush wine (or grape juice), you do not say borei pri ha'gafen over wine or grape juice later in the meal (but you may have to say ha'tov v'ha'meitiv if the wine is better than the kiddush wine).

To use two challot for kiddush instead of wine:

• Wash hands and say blessing al netilat yadayim.
• Say kiddush but substitute ha'motzi for borei pri ha'gafen.
• As soon as you finish saying kiddush, eat the bread as normal.

 

To use two challot for kiddush instead of wine:

• Wash hands and say al netilat yadayim,
• Say kiddush but substitute ha'motzi for borei pri ha'gafen; and, as soon as you finish saying kiddush,
• Eat the bread as normal.