פירוש על ברכות 73:11

ONE WHO CHEWS WHEAT RECITES: WHO CREATES FRUIT OF THE GROUND. Tosfos wants to demonstrate the logic of reciting בורא פרי האדמה on a kernel of raw wheat. For even for wheat flour we said earlier that we recite בורא פרי האדמה. If one recites בורא פרי האדמה on tasteless flour, he should certainly recite that b’rochoh on a kernel which is tastier and more edible.
And according to Rav Nachmon who does not hold like that, and says that on wheat flour we recite שהכל נהיה בדברו, that is because the wheat has been changed through the grinding process from its original form and it therefore loses the special b’rochoh of פרי בורא האדמה, but ehen we are dealing with the original kernel as it grows even Rav Nachmon agrees that the correct b’rochoh is בורא פרי האדמה.
Tosfos is quite sure about the b’rochoh recited before one eats the kernel of wheat, but he has some doubts about the b’rochoh to be recited after eating the kernel of wheat. However, as far as the b’rochoh to be recited after eating there is a doubt what the correct b’rochoh is. Should we perhaps recite על המחיה ועל הכלכלה at the beginning of the after-b’rochoh and then conclude with על האדמה ועל פרי האדמה?
Tosfos explains why he is a bit hesitant about this b’rochoh. For we do not find the b’rochoh על המחיה ועל הכלכלה only when we recite before eating the food בורא מיני מזונות and since when eating a kernel of wheat we do not say בורא מיני מזונות perhaps we should not say על המחיה ועל הכלכלה. And Rabainu Tam inserted in his Machzor על האדמה ועל פרי האדמה etc. And he retracted because we do not find this b’rochoh any place in Talmudic sources. For later (44a) the Gemara explains the b’rochoh that is similar to three b’rochos, which is על המחיה ועל הכלכלה that has within its text some of each of the three b’rochos of the b’rochoh recited after meals, and the Gemara says, for the five species of grain one says על הארץ ועל המחיה. And for the seven species that the Torah mentions to praise the goodness of Eretz Yisroel one says על הארץ ועל הפירות. And a b’rochoh for על האדמה ועל פרי האדמה is not mentioned. This indicates that there is no such b’rochoh.
Tosfos offers further proof that no such b’rochoh exists. And furthermore, since the Braiso says here about one who chews a kernel of wheat that he recites בורא פרי האדמה and in this sentence says nothing about reciting על המחיה after eating the kernel, and in the very next sentence the Braiso clearly says that when one ground the kernel and baked it into bread etc, till the sentence, if the pieces are not intact he recites בורא מיני מזונותand afterwards one b’rochoh that is similar to three, where he clearly does mention the obligation of saying על המחיה after eating. And since he does not teach us here in the first sentence about one who chews a kernel of wheat that he recites after eating the one b’rochoh that is similar to three b’rochos, we can see from this that when chewing a kernel of wheat there is no b’rochoh that is similar to three after chewing the kernel of wheat.
The analysis of the text of our Braiso shows that there is no b’rocho of על המחיה to be recited after chewing a wheat kernel. There is another Braiso at the top of 37b that might indicate otherwise. Tosfos wants to show us how Rabainu Tan will deal with that Braiso. And that which the Braiso says on 37b, that whatever is of the species of grain and one did not make it into bread etc. and the Rabanan say that one recites after eating them one b’rocho that is similar to three, and this might include chewing a wheat kernel, that is speaking of when he made the grains like a cereal because that is a important way of eating wheat, but one who chews a raw kernel of wheat which is not such a significant way of eating wheat even though it is of the five species he does not recite a b’rochoh that is similar to three afterwards. Rather one recites בורא נפשות רבות etc.
However, the R’I says that there is a doubt that perhaps the Rabanan did include chewing a wheat kernel in that Braiso that speaks about species of grain that he did not make into bread etc. and the Rabanan say that we must recite one b’rochoh that is similar to three. These words of the Braiso may hav intended to include one who chews a wheat kernel and may be saying that one is required to recite על המחיה after chewing a kernel of wheat. And it is proper to be stringent in this matter, that one should not eat toasted grain or cooked kernels of wheat only in the middle of a meal, for then the ברכת המזון that is recited after the meal will free them from reciting a special b’rochoh. This stringency is required only if they did not become very soft during the cooking, for then if they did become soft they are considered like cereal and one certainly recites על המחיה after cereal.
Although the Gemara ruled that kuva made in the ground, which is a pastry type dough one recites בורא מיני מזונות, when Mar Zutro established his meal around the kuva he recited המוציא לחם מן הארץ on the kuva and ברכת המזון afterwards. And the same is true of crackers. If one establishes his meal on crackers he recites המוציא לחם מן הארץ.¹The text of Tosfos clearly says that crackers has the same rule as kuva bread and if one establishes his meal on crackers that should be considered establishing a meal and he should definitely be required to say המוציא לחם מן הארץ. When Tosfos relates that Rabainu Maier ruled that one should not establish his Purim meal on crackers because he has a doubt about whether crackers has the same rule as kuva bread. Something is missing. At First Tosfos was quite sure that crackers have the same ruling and then he was in doubt. See Rosh simon 11, in the notes added. You will see that there initially was a doubt about the status of crackers. Some thought that the kuva bread may have been a thicker type of dough than crackers and therefore one cannot derive the rule of crackers from kuva bread. And so did Rabainu Maier command that on Purim when they establish the meal on crackers they should recite המוציא לחם מן הארץ on bread first so that the crackers will not require a b’rochoh, since they will be eaten in middle of the meal, for he was in doubt if establishing a meal on crackers is considered establishing a meal or not.²See previous note. The Kuva bread may have been made from a thicker dough than crackers and if so, even if one establishes his meal on crackers he may not be required to recite המוציא לחם מן הארץ.

M. inserts: Rab Huna said.

Who requires a special benediction for each species ; see fol. 40 a, p. 264.