עברית
Prayer and Blessings
What is the blessing for Malawach and Jachnun?
Question
Dear Rabbi, hello!
A) What blessing do we say over Jachnun?
B) How should Jachnun be cooked according to halacha, without חלול (Chilul) Shabbat? Is it permissible to put it in the oven before Shabbat until it is half-cooked, and on Shabbat evening, after Shabbat has begun, to put it back in until the morning (of course, the oven is turned on before Shabbat and at Shabbat heat)? C) Is it true that food which has the blessing of Mezonot becomes Hamotzi once it is baked in the oven (for example, Malawach that is baked in the oven and not fried)? Thank you very much, I would really appreciate it if I could finally receive one correct answer... and of course if you could send it to my email, thanks in advance.
Answer
Hello and blessings,
A. Before eating: Mezonot "ברוך...בורא מיני מזונות"
After eating: Al Hamichya "ברוך...על המחיה"
B. It is forbidden to put Jachnun in the oven or anywhere else on Shabbat to complete its cooking if it has not been cooked properly. Only after the Jachnun has been fully cooked before Shabbat can it be heated in a place where it is not customary to cook during the week, like on a hot plate, etc. [Some are careful to heat it only atop another pot].
C. When eating Malawach for a light occasion, not for a fixed meal, the Halacha for Sephardim is to say the Mezonot blessing on Malawach in any scenario. For Ashkenazim, the blessing on Malawach is in doubt since the water is the dominant ingredient compared to the margarine, and on the other hand, the taste of the oil is very pronounced. Therefore, Ashkenazim should be stringent and eat it only in the middle of a meal with bread.
If one establishes a meal on Malawach, they say Hamotzi on it whether it is baked in the oven or fried in a pan; the margarine in the pan does not change the status of Malawach to be considered part of a cooking process. It is always regarded as baking, for which the blessing when establishing a meal is Hamotzi.
Wishing you success - Menashe Israel
