Berakhot 39b (לט:) — the Talmud in English

Rather, Rava said: He recites the blessing

over the whole loaf while it is still whole,

and afterward,

after completing the blessing,

he breaks it.

It follows that at the time he completes the blessing, the bread is still whole.

The Nehardeans acted in accordance with Rabbi Hiyya,

so that when the blessing was completed, the slice was already separated from the loaf.

And

if

the Rabbis acted in accordance with Rava,

breaking the bread after completing the blessing.

Ravina said: My mother told me,

my mother:

Your father

acted in accordance with Rabbi Hiyya. For Rabbi Hiyya said: The blessing must conclude together with the bread. And the Rabbis acted in accordance with Rava.

And the halakha is in accordance with Rava, who said: He recites the blessing

and afterward breaks the bread.

b. The Tashbetz (section 322) offered another reason why on Shabbat one should not cut the loaf before the blessing. He wrote that when one cuts the loaf, a few crumbs fall from it, leaving the loaf deficient, so that he no longer has “leḥem mishne.” This means that it is not merely a concern that he might no longer have “leḥem mishne”; rather, it is a certainty that the cutting will cause those crumbs to be lost from the bread, and consequently the mitzva of “leḥem mishne” will be nullified. See the Eliya Rabba (168, subsection 5) for a practical difference between the explanation of the Tosafot and that of the Tashbetz.

It was stated: If pieces of bread

of bread

and

whole loaves of bread

were brought before them,

Rav Huna said:

When the pieces are equal in size to the whole loaves, if he wishes,

he recites the blessing

of HaMotzi

over the pieces and exempts

through his blessing

the whole loaves.

But when the pieces are larger than the whole loaves, he must specifically recite the blessing over the pieces and thereby exempt the whole loaves.

And Rabbi Yohanan said:

Whether the pieces are equal in size to the whole loaves or larger than the whole loaves,

a whole loaf

is the choicest mitzva

over which to recite the blessing, and through it to exempt the pieces.

However, if

two items were before him,

a slice of wheat bread and

bread

from barley that was whole—

everyone agrees that he recites the blessing over the slice

of wheat bread,

because it is superior to barley ,

and exempts

through it

the

bread

that is whole and made of barley.

Rabbi Yirmeya bar Abba said:

This halakha that we stated without dissent—that one should give preference to reciting the blessing over the superior slice of wheat rather than over the whole bread of barley—

is subject to a dispute among tanna’im;

it is stated as a dispute among tanna’im.

For so we learned in tractate Terumot: If one has the choice of separating teruma from a small whole onion or from half of a large onion,

one separates a small whole onion, but not half of a large onion,

even though the large half contains a greater quantity.

Rabbi Yehuda says: No, rather,

one should give preference and separate

half of a large onion

rather than separating a small whole onion.

Is that not the point of their dispute: One

Rabbi Yehuda

holds—

what is more important takes precedence

over what is whole, and therefore it is preferable to give the priest half of a large onion?

And the other

the first tanna

holds—

what is whole takes precedence

over what is more important, and therefore it is preferable to give the priest a whole onion.

The Gemara rejects this:

Where there is a priest

to whom one can give the teruma immediately,

everyone agrees that what is more important takes precedence.

Consequently, with regard to the blessing as well, everyone agrees that a slice of wheat is preferable to a whole loaf of barley because of its importance.

They disagree

the first tanna and Rabbi Yehuda in a place

where there is no

priest present

to

receive the teruma immediately, and there is concern that by the time a priest is found, the teruma will spoil. Only in this case does the first tanna maintain that what is “important” has no precedence, and that one should prefer a whole onion, which is preserved longer, to half an onion.

For we learned: “Every place where there is a priest—

one separates from the superior produce; and every place where there is no priest—

one separates from that which endures,

so that he will be able to give it to a priest when one becomes available.

Rabbi Yehuda says: One separates only from the superior produce,

even in a place where no priest is present.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: One who is God-fearing fulfills the obligation according to both opinions,

Rav Huna and Rabbi Yohanan, who disagreed concerning pieces and whole loaves, and recites the blessing over both the whole loaf and the slice together.

And who is

the one who is God-fearing?

Bar bar Ravina.

For Mar, the son of Ravina,

was

placing the slice inside

under

the whole loaf,

and reciting the blessing over them,

and breaking

from both of them or from the whole loaf.

A tanna taught before Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak: He places the slice inside

under

the whole loaf, breaks it, and recites the blessing.

He said to him,

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak:

What is your name?

He said to him: Shalman.

He said to him,

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak:

You are complete, and your learning is complete, for you have made peace among the students.

Rav Pappa said: Everyone agrees that on

the night of

Passover, one places

matza,

a slice inside

under a matza

that is whole,

and breaks

the whole one.

What is the reason?

“Bread of affliction” is written

[Deuteronomy 16:3], and it is the practice of a poor person to eat a slice; therefore, it must appear as though he also broke from the slice.

Rabbi Abba said: And on Shabbat, a person is obligated to break bread over two loaves,

What is the reason? -

Exodus 16:22

“A double portion of bread” is written .

Rav Ashi said: I saw Rav Kahana take

two

loaves of bread when he recited the blessing over bread

and break

only

one .

Rabbi Zeira would break

a large piece from the complete loaf on Shabbat—

for the entire meal,

enough to suffice for his eating throughout the entire meal.

Ravina said to Rav Ashi: But

by cutting such a large piece at the outset, he

appears gluttonous!

Like a hungry person who takes a large piece for himself immediately at the beginning of the meal in order to eat it at once; this is not proper conduct .

He said to him: Since every other day he does not do this,

cut large pieces,

and

only

today

on Shabbat

does he do

so—

he does not appear gluttonous.

When Rav Ami and Rav Asi happened to have before them a loaf

of the eruv,

when a loaf of bread over which they had performed an eruv of courtyards the previous day happened to come before them, they

would recite over it: “Who brings forth bread from the earth.” They said,

that they would say:

Since one mitzva has been performed with it—

the mitzva of an eruv—

let us perform with it

also

another mitzva—

the blessing over bread.