Berakhot 37a — the Talmud in English

This teaches us

that also

every

food

that contains

a mixture of the five species of grain, and in practice the grain does not serve as the principal component of the food, its blessing is “Who creates various kinds of nourishment,” because on account of its importance it is always considered the principal component of the food.

And had it taught us

only

“everything that contains

of the five species,”

I might have said

that specifically

everything that contains

of

the five species—

yes,

only over it does one recite “Who creates various kinds of nourishment,”

but

over food that contains a mixture of

rice and millet—

no,

one does not recite “Who creates various kinds of nourishment,” and one might err that the reason for this is

because it comes through a mixture,

and therefore, since it does not serve as the principal component of the food, it is subordinate to the other species in the mixture.

But

in a case in which

it is present

to rice and millet

in its own form,

and the entire food [or most of it] is made of rice and millet—

let us say

that

even

over

rice and millet as well

one recites over it “Who creates various kinds of nourishment.”

This teaches us: “Everything that is of the five species”—

it is over this that one recites “Who creates various kinds of nourishment,” to exclude rice

and millet, for even when it is present in its own form—

we do not recite

over it

“Who creates various kinds of nourishment.”

The Gemara raises an objection:

And

is it the case that over

rice [

and millet ]

we do not recite “Who creates various kinds of nourishment”?

But it was taught in a beraita: “They brought before him bread of rice and bread of millet”—

he recites over it first

the blessing before it

and afterward

the blessing after it

as

one recites over

a cooked dish

of grain.

And concerning a cooked dish

of grain

it was taught: “At first one recites over it ‘Who creates various kinds of nourishment,’ and at the end one recites over it one blessing resembling three,”

so it follows that over rice and millet one must recite “Who creates various kinds of nourishment,” and not in accordance with the words of Rav and Shmuel!?

The Gemara answers: The beraita that said that the blessing over rice and millet is

like a cooked dish,

intends to equate them in only one detail

and not

to equate them

with a cooked dish

completely.

That is,

like a cooked dish—

that one recites over it first and afterward .

And not like a cooked dish—

for whereas with a cooked dish, at first

one recites over it

“Who creates various kinds of nourishment,” and at the end one blessing resembling three.

But here,

with rice and millet,

at first one recites over it “Everything came to be through His word,” and at the end “Who creates many living beings

and their deficiencies, for everything that He created.”

The Gemara raises an objection:

And

is it the case that

rice is not

included in

a cooked dish

with regard to the blessing?

But it was taught: “These are

the cooked dishes considered

a cooked dish

whose blessing is ‘Who creates various kinds of nourishment’:

ḥilqa,”—

a cooked dish made from wheat divided into two parts.

“targis,”—

a cooked dish made from wheat divided into three parts.

“Solet,” —

a cooked dish made from coarse flour.

“zeriz,”—

a cooked dish made from wheat divided into four parts.

“and arsan,”—

a cooked dish made from wheat divided into five parts .

And

a cooked dish made from

rice.

It follows that rice too is included in “a cooked dish”; why should one not recite over it “Who creates various kinds of nourishment”?

The Gemara answers:

Who is this?

Which tannai taught this beraita that includes rice within the “cooked dish” of grain?

It is Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Nuri.

For it was taught: Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Nuri says: “Rice

is a species of grain, and

therefore

one is liable for

eating

its leaven

on Passover

with karet, and

likewise

a person fulfills his obligation through it on Passover

if he made matza from it in accordance with the law.

But the Rabbis

hold that rice is

not

a species of grain.

It therefore follows that Rav and Shmuel, who ruled that one should not recite over rice “Who creates various kinds of nourishment,” adopted the view of the Rabbis.

The Gemara returns and raises an objection: Even though rice is not considered a species of grain, there is still a difficulty:

And

according to the opinion of

the Rabbis, do we not

recite over it “Who creates various kinds of nourishment”?

But it was taught: “One who chews wheat”

while it is still raw, as it is —

recites over it ‘Who creates the fruit of the earth’ .

And if

he ground it, baked it, and

afterward

cooked it

into the baked loaf of bread, the law is as follows:

When the slices

of the loaf have not dissolved through the cooking and are

intact,

the name “bread” still applies to them,

and therefore

at first—

before eating it—

he recites over it “Who brings forth bread from the earth,”

and at the end—

after eating it—

he recites over it three blessings

of the Grace after Meals.

But

if

they dissolved during the cooking and once again

the slices are not intact,

the name “bread” is nullified from them, and they are considered “a cooked dish,”

Therefore,

at first—

before eating it—

he recites over it “Who creates various kinds of nourishment,”

and at the end—

after eating it—

he recites over it one blessing resembling three,

as one recites over every cooked dish made from the five species of grain.

One who chews rice

while it is still raw, as it is—

recites over it “Who creates the fruit of the earth,”

and if

he ground it, baked it, and

afterward

cooked it

into this loaf of bread,

even though the slices are intact

and the name “bread” still applies to them—

at first he recites over it “Who creates various kinds of nourishment,” and at the end he recites over it one blessing resembling three.

Who is it?

Who is the tannai who taught this beraita?

If you say that it is Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Nuri, who says that rice is a species of grain,

then, if so,

“Who brings forth bread from the earth”

before it

and three blessings

after it

he must recite

as is the law for every bread made from the five species of grain!

Rather, is it not—

it is the Rabbis,

who hold that rice is not among the species of grain and therefore one should not recite over it “Who brings forth” or “Grace after Meals”—

and

if so, this should be

a refutation of Rav and Shmuel,

who said that one should not recite over rice “Who creates various kinds of nourishment” but rather “Everything came to be through His word,” for the beraita clearly states that one recites over it “Who creates various kinds of nourishment”!?

The Gemara concludes that indeed the words of Rav and Shmuel are

refuted,

and one should recite over rice “Who creates various kinds of nourishment” .

The Master said: “One who chews wheat recites over it ‘Who creates the fruit of the earth.’”

But it was taught:

one who chews wheat recites over it

“Who creates various kinds of seeds”!

It is not difficult.

This

beraita, which said that one should recite over it “Who creates various kinds of seeds,” is the opinion of

Rabbi Yehuda,

who explains below that one must designate a blessing for each species and species; therefore, over seeds he recites “Who creates various kinds of seeds,” and over vegetables, “Who creates various kinds of herbs.”

And this

beraita, which said that one should recite over it “Who creates the fruit of the earth,” was taught according to the opinion of

the Rabbis,

who hold that over everything that grows from the earth one recites “Who creates the fruit of the earth,” and they did not designate a particular blessing for each species and species.

For we learned: “And over vegetables

he

says: ‘Who creates the fruit of the earth,’

as he recites over everything that grows from the earth.

Rabbi Yehuda says:

Since they designated a blessing for each species and species, one must recite over them

“Who creates various kinds of herbs.”

The Master said: “One who chews rice”—

recites over it ‘Who creates the fruit of the earth.’

“He ground it, baked it, and cooked it; even though the slices are

intact—

at first he recites over it ‘Who creates various kinds of nourishment,’ and at the end one blessing resembling three.”

The Gemara raises an objection:

But it was taught:

one does not recite

at the end

over bread or a cooked dish made from rice

anything at all—that is, neither the Grace after Meals nor one blessing resembling three, but the blessing “Who creates many living beings” .

The Gemara answers:

Rav Sheshet said: “It is not difficult.”

This

beraita, which said that one must recite “for the sustenance,” is the opinion of

Rabban Gamliel

.

And this,

the beraita that said that one must recite “Who creates many living beings,” was taught according to the opinion of

the Rabbis.

For it was taught: “This is the general rule: Whatever is of the seven species,”

Rabban Gamliel says:

one recites after it

three blessings

of the Grace after Meals, as after eating bread.

And the Sages say:

one recites after it

one blessing resembling three.

And there was an incident involving Rabban Gamliel and the elders who were reclining in an upper room in Jericho, and they brought before them date-cakes

made of dates, which are among the seven species,

and they ate.

And Rabban Gamliel gave Rabbi Akiva permission

to recite the invitation to the blessing , and

to recite

the three blessings of the Grace after Meals, as one recites over bread, and to discharge everyone of their obligation.

Rabbi Akiva abruptly recited one blessing resembling three,

in accordance with the opinion of the Sages .

Rabban Gamliel said to him: “Akiva, how long will you thrust your head between the dispute

between me and the Sages”!?

He said to him, namely

Rabbi Akiva:

Rabbi, even though you say so and your colleagues say so,

behold,

you have taught us, our teacher,

that in a dispute between

an individual and the many,

the

halakha follows the many.

Rabbi Judah

would recite the dispute between Rabban Gamaliel and the Sages in a different manner, and thus he would

say in his name

of Rabban Gamaliel: