עברית
Prayer and Blessings
When One Leaves the House, Must They Bless Again?
Question
Dear Rabbi, hello
A. When I bless food or drink and leave the house for a few minutes, knowing I will return shortly, can I eat or drink the same food or beverage without blessing again?
B. Regarding the final blessing - if I ate food or drink either at home or outside, and the final blessing is Boreh Nefashot or Al HaMichya, and I remember that I forgot to bless when I left the house or after some time or a few hours, can I bless in the place where I am at the time I remember?
C. The Birkat Hamazon must be blessed in the same place where I ate. Is there a difference if I bless, say, on the second floor, but I ate on the first floor?
Answer
Hello and blessings,
A. You must bless again for everything except for Mezonot and bread, for which you do not bless again even if you leave the house. For those of Sephardic descent, there is also no need to bless again on fruits of the seven species.
Furthermore, if a group is sitting together eating fruits, etc., and one of them leaves and returns to the gathering, they do not need to bless again.
B. Boreh Nefashot can be blessed anywhere, while Al HaMichya should be blessed in the place where one ate. If someone left, they are permitted to bless the final blessing in the place where they remembered, and they are not required to return to where they ate to bless there. Nevertheless, if they moved away deliberately, it is best to return to their place to bless. (Yalkut Yosef 175:1)
If more than 72 minutes have passed and you feel hungry again, you should not bless the final blessing. However, if you are not yet hungry or if less than 72 minutes have passed, you may bless again.
C. Ideally, one should bless in the same room where they ate, but in case of need, they may bless in the same house even if not in the same floor/room.
Best regards,
Benjamin Shmueli
