Hello Everyone,
Today is our second and final discussion on the subject of the על המחיה blessing. Last week we spoke what sort of baked goods require the blessings “Hamotzi” and afterwards “Birkhat Hamazon” as opposed to “Borei Minei Mezonot and afterwards “Al Hamichya.”
Today we will talk about another question. If I eat cookies then I will say “Al Hamichya” when I am done eating. But lest’s say I eat an ice cream sandwich. The ice cream sandwich has a cookie ( whose blessings are Borei Minei Mezonot and afterwards “Al Hamichya”). But there is also ice cream in the ice cream sandwich. Do I need to say the blessings of ice cream (“Shehakol” and “Borei Nefashot”) in addition ( or even instead of) the blessings that I said over the cookies?
These questions are related to a principle known in Hebrew as “Ikar v’tafel” which can be translated into English as “principle and secondary.” The Gemara in masechet Berachot (44a) states a rule:
כל שהוא עיקר ועמו טפלה מברך על העיקר ופוטר את הטפלה
“When there is a principle and a secondary one says the blesing over the principle and this exempts the secondary.”
This simple rule requires clarification. In an ice cream sandwich which is the primary and which is the secondary? This is what we will discuss today.