From the Halachic Material
Note: The halachic discussions cited leaflet are only
intended to stimulate questions and thought and should not be
relied upon for psak halacha.
The following is an edited excerpt from this week's
edition of Meoros.
55b The Brocho on Potatoes
Our Daf teaches us about the brochos on all sorts of
foods that existed in the time of Chazal. Many questions have
arisen since then when a new fruit or vegetable or new
species is discovered. The poskim discuss at length to
which group of foods it belongs in order to decide what its
proper bracha is.
When Columbus discovered America more than five hundred years
ago he found a new species of vegetable that was until then
unknown to Europeans. This was the potato that is so popular
and has become a part of almost every meal.
Shehakol? Borei Pri HoAdomoh? Borei Minei Mezonos? We
find three opinions in halachic responsa about the proper
brocho for potatoes.
Flour produced from legumes: Some claim (cited in the
Responsa Mishneh Halachos Vol. VI:39,40) that the
correct brocho for potatoes is borei minei
mezonos. Since choice flour and superb pastries can be
produced from potatoes it naturally belongs to the group of
foods that nourish man. Therefore its brocho is
borei minei mezonos. The Mishneh Halochos
(ibid.) even presents a proof to this opinion from what
Rabbenu Yonah (Brochos 37b) writes regarding the brocho
on dochen (millet), which is another food whose
brocho is not mentioned by Chazal. Rabbenu Yonah
writes that since Chazal ruled that the brocho for
rice is borei minei mezonos, because it is nourishing
although it is not one of the five grains, millet, too, which
is nutritious and filling and also is eaten like mezonos,
should have the same brocho as rice -- mezonos.
We see from Rabbenu Yonah that the brocho on every
food that is filling is borei minei mezonos, even
though Chazal did not specifically set a brocho for
the food since it was not common in their days.
However, many gedolei Yisroel (cited in Tzohar
Vol IV:41) did not rely on this proof. Although the
Rishonim had the power to compare incidents and foods to
dinim of the gemara and reach halachic decisions, we
have only what Chazal taught us explicitly. Without clear and
authoritative knowledge we cannot add anything ourselves.
HaRav Y. Y. Kanievsky zt'l, the Steipler, (see Tzohar,
ibid.) also discusses the brocho for potatoes. He
adds an additional argument against the proof from the words
of Rabbenu Yonah. In his opinion, even in the time of Chazal
many foods existed such as corn flour that satisfied man's
hunger, and nevertheless Chazal did not set a brocho
of borei minei mezonos for them. Only on food that
is particularly filling did Chazal set a brocho of
borei minei mezonos.
Nipping off the tops of potato leaves. Another opinion in the
poskim (see Responsa Divrei Yatziv Vol. I:82)
is that the proper brocho for potatoes is shehakol nihiyeh
bidvoro. The reasoning for this opinion cites the unique
growth of the potato. Through scientific research on the
potato it was found that the potato is different from other
foods that grow from the ground. When the top of the plant is
nipped off the potato withers and dies. This apparently shows
that the potato absorbs moisture from the air just like
mushrooms, which are mentioned by Chazal and whose correct
brocho is shehakol nihiyeh bidvoro.
Many tzaddikim such as the Rebbe of Ropshitz zy'a and
afterwards the Tzanzer Rebbe and the Maharam Ash (cited in
"Zichron Yehudah", 5660 and 5714 pg. 23) ruled that
shehakol is the potato's brocho. . . .
In practice eminent Acharonim (Maharil, Orach Chaim
583:3, Pri Megadim ibid.) write that the brocho
for potatoes is borei pri ho'adomoh, as we are
accustomed today. Even if potatoes do absorb moisture from
the air, if they would not be attached to the earth and did
not give out roots they obviously would not be able to grow.
This fact differentiates them from mushrooms and makes them
like other vegetables.
