[Avodah] After reciting Hamotzi, how much bread should be eaten before conversing?

[Prof. L. Levine]

>From today's OU Kosher Halacha Yomis


Q. After reciting Hamotzi, how much bread should be eaten before conversing?

A. Ordinarily, after reciting a brocha on food, one may not speak until the beracha takes affect by swallowing a small bite of food. If one spoke before eating, the beracha is invalidated because of the hefsek (interruption) and must be repeated. While this is true for all foods, bread has a unique status. The Mishnah Berurah (167:35) writes that lichatchila (preferably), one should not talk until a kezayis (half the size of an egg) of bread is swallowed. However, if there is a pressing matter, one may converse after swallowing any amount. The Mishnah Berurah writes that if one spoke while chewing on the bread before swallowing, he is uncertain whether it is a beracha livatala (a blessing recited in vain) and perhaps the beracha would need to be repeated. Therefore, this should be avoided. However, the Chayei Adam writes that if a person swallowed some of the taste of the bread while chewing (even if not the actual bread itself), a new beracha is not said. In all cases, one should make an effort to swallow a kezayis of bread before talking. In the next Halacha Yomis we will discuss why bread is different than other foods.

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