Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel CongregationBulletin Board > Halacha of the Week
Halacha of the Week #14
Where does one draw the line between bread, which requires the bracha of Hamotzi, and crackers or other baked goods, which require a Mezonot? A product that was baked with the intention that it serve as bread, to be eaten as a meal, falls into the Halachic category of bread and it requires Hamotzi (ex. bagels). A product that was baked with the intention that it serve as a snack falls into the Halachic category called "Pat Haba'a b'kisnin" ("pocket bread") and requires a Mezonot (ex. bagel chips). This line is blurred when an item that was originally intended as bread is converted into a snack item. For example, when your local bakery uses yesterday's bagels to create bagel chips, these truly originated as bread and require a Hamotzi.
More on this topic next week...
Responses to Halacha of the Week #14:
What if a person intendss to eat one slice of pizza to tide him over till dinner, recites Baruch........mezonot, eats one slice, decides it's so good that he's going to eat 1/2 a pizza instead of dinner?