Jewish Law
Which Fruit Comes First for a Blessing? Plus: A Practice for Having Your Prayers Answered
Learn the halachic rules for choosing which fruit to bless first when different fruits are before you, discover how "favorite" foods affect the order of blessings, and explore a powerful segulah for having your prayers accepted
- Hidabroot
- | Updated
From the book Halachah Lema'aseh by Rabbi Yaron Ashkenazi, based on the rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.
If You Have One of the Seven Species and Another Favorite Fruit, Which Should You Bless First?
If a person has two foods before them that require the same blessing, the blessing should be recited first over one of the Seven Species for which the Land of Israel is praised.
However, if the two foods require different blessings, there are differing opinions. Some authorities maintain that one may recite the blessing over whichever food they prefer, although it is preferable to bless a fruit of the tree (borei pri ha'etz) first, unless the fruit of the ground (borei pri ha'adamah) is the person's favorite, in which case it should take precedence. Others rule that the blessing should always be recited first over the food that is personally preferred.
What Defines a "Favorite" Food for the Order of Blessings?
When determining which food is considered "favorite," should it be the one a person generally prefers throughout the year, or the one they want to eat at that particular moment?
Ideally, the blessing should be recited first over the food that is usually the person's favorite, even if they currently feel like eating the other one. A practical solution is to eat a small amount of the food that is normally preferred first, and then continue with the food they presently wish to eat.
Nevertheless, someone who recites the blessing first over the food they currently want to eat has halachic authorities upon whom to rely.
Daily Segulah – A Special Merit for Having Your Prayers Answered
Which Mitzvah Is Considered a Segulah for the Acceptance of Prayer?
Lending money to a poor person even when you yourself are experiencing financial hardship is considered a powerful merit for having one's prayers accepted.
Regarding this, the prophet Isaiah declares: "Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer." (Isaiah 58:9)
(From the book Harimu Michshol, p. 121, quoting the Rebbe of Berditchev. Cited in Me'ever LaMefursam.)
