Q&A: Foods That Come Because of the Meal
Foods That Come Because of the Meal
Question
The Talmud and the halakhic authorities rule that “foods that come because of the meal, during the meal, do not require a blessing either before or after.”
In explaining the Talmud’s words, most of the medieval authorities (Rishonim), followed by the Shulchan Arukh, wrote that foods such as meat and fish, etc., which are normally eaten together with bread as an accompaniment, are covered by the blessing of “Who brings forth bread from the earth,” even if one eats them without bread.
My question is: nowadays, is there room to recite a blessing over meat and fish (or at least to avoid the doubt) during the meal, since today it is not customary to eat meat and fish together with bread? And even though sometimes people do eat them with bread, surely that is not their primary mode of consumption!?
Answer
That is בהחלט reasonable. Rabbi Yoel Bin-Nun argues that nowadays one should recite Grace after Meals over meat and fish. People do not generally follow this practice, apparently only out of conservatism. But after the fact, perhaps this can be justified by saying that the blessing over the bread establishes the meal for everything and covers whatever constitutes the main part of the meal. Nowadays, the main part of the meal is the meat and fish. But that is indeed somewhat forced.