[Avodah] When one recites Hamotzi on a loaf of bread, is there a specific part that one should eat first?

[Prof. L. Levine]

>From today's OU Kosher Halacha Yomis


Q. When one recites Hamotzi on a loaf of bread, is there a specific part that one should eat first?

A. The answer to this question emerges from an unusual story in the Gemarah. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 102b) relates that Rav Ashi referred to the evil King Menashe in a dishonorable way. That night, King Menashe appeared to Rav Ashi in a dream and quizzed him about which part of the bread must one eat first. Rav Ashi did not know the answer and King Menashe taught him that we must begin eating from the area that was baked first. Rav Ashi accepted this ruling and taught this halacha the next morning “in the name of our teacher, King Menashe”. The Mishnah Berurah (167:1) explains that we honor the beracha by taking the first bite from the part of the bread that was most baked. This halacha is codified in Shulchan Aruch (OC 167:1). The Rema writes that since it is not clear which part of our bread bakes first, we should cut a piece from the crusty end of the loaf that contains both the top and the bottom and this piece should be eaten first. Many Kabalistic explanations are given as to the significance of this halacha, and why it was specifically taught by King Menashe. The Ben Ish Chai (Parshas Emor 1:1) writes that this is an absolute obligation. Only if one is elderly and unable to chew the crust may he begin eating the soft center.

YL
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