The Various Brocha Achrona 's

Summary Chart

	Bircas Hamozon	Al Hamichya	Al Hagefen	Al Ha’etz	Borei Nefashot
When is it Required?	Eat a kazayit of bread in 4 minutes	Eat a kazayit of mezonot five grains in 4 minutes	Drink a reviit of either wine or grape juice without pause	Eats a kazyit of "7 specifies" fruits within 4 minutes	Eat a kaziyit of any other food or drink a reviit of any drink besides wine and grape juice
What does it Cover?	Everything eaten during a meal	Only the mezonot foods	All drinks	All fruits	Other borei nefashot items

Bircas Hamazon – Is required when one eats a kazayit of bread within “Kdei Achilat Pras,” which is 4 minutes. Alternatively, if one eats a shiur kviat seudah of pas haba bikisnin, then he would also need to bentch.
Birkat Hamazon covers all the brocha achrona for all foods eaten during a meal, and thus one would only need to say one beracha achrona for everything he ate. (Everything includes deserts; however regarding the bracha rishona, deserts wouldn’t be covered in the initial hamotzei beracha.)

 

Al Hamichya – is required when one eats a kazayis of mezonot foods. Mezonot foods only come from the five grains (wheat, barley, spelt, oats and rye) and rice, but for Al Hamichya they can only be from the five grains, because rice receives a borei nefashot as its brocha achrona.

There is a big question concerning whether one counts only the flour in determining the volume of the kzayis or whether the other ingredients can combine. See the whole thing.

Al Hagefen – is required when one drinks a reviit of wine or grape juice without pause. The Al Hagefen covers the beracha achrona for all other drinks.

Al Ha’etz – is required when on eats a kazyit of 7 specifies fruits (olives, dates, grapes, figs, and pomegranates) within 4 minutes. Any other fruits would receive a borei nefashot. However if one ate a kazayit of 7 species fruits and also ate some other fruits – only one beracha achrona would be required – the Ha’etz, because it covers all fruits.

For example: If one ate a kzayit of raisins (dried grapes, so they are also considered Al Ha'etz) and some oranges - he would only need to make an Al Ha'etz which would cover BOTH the raisins and the oranges. If he also ate some carrots (which grow fom the ground) he would need to make a seperate borei nefashot on the carrots becuase the Al Ha'etz can only cover fruits that grow from trees, but not Ha'adoma items.

May'an Shalosh - consists of Al Hamichya, Al Hagefen and Al Ha'etz. The three of them share the body of the bracha yet have unique introductions and conclusions. In a situation where one eats a full kazayit each of cake and grapes and thus would need to say both the Al Hamichya and the Al Ha'etz - he could group them together in one. The order among the different introductions and conclusions is: Al Hamichya > Al Hagefen > Al Ha'etz (just like its commonly printed) and this way he would only say the body of bracha one time.

Borei Nefashot – is required when one eatns a kazayit of any other food. Or drinks a revi’it of any drink besides for grape juice and wine. The borei nefashot covers all other borei nefashot items.

Water – one makes a shehakol and borei nefashot when the water is drunk to quench thirst. Therefore, if one drink water in order to swallow a pill – he cannot make either the shehakol or borei nefashot. Additionally, if one is not sure whether he ate enough food to make a borei nefashot and he wants to just drink 3oz of water now in order that he’ll have a definite obligation to make the borei nefashot – he cannot do so, since this water wasn’t drunk for the sake of thirst but rather to avoid safek.

Combining Amounts for Bracha Achrona

That was all when you ate a kazayit of the particular item, but what about when you have half a kaziyit of two different items:

• If they have the same bracha then you can combine their amounts for one bracha achrona. For example, if one eats a half kzayit of pretzels and another half kzayis of cake – then he could make an Al Hamichya. Alternatively, if one ate a half kazayis of dates and then another half kzayit of a pomegranate – then he could make Al Ha’etz.
  
  
• If the two items are of different Berachot achronot – like a half kzayis of pomegranate (Al Ha’etz) and half kzayis of an apple (Borei Nefashot), then you would make a borei nefashot. Even if you ate half of a kzayit of bread and half of a kazayit of some borei nefashot item – one would still make only a borei nefashot.
  
  
• Half Al Hamichya and Half Al Ha’etz – there is a dispute concerning this specific case whether the guy should say borei nefashot (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch) like in the previous cases or should make an Al Hamichya and Al Ha’etz together in one (Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach).

 

 

---