Berachot 41 – Hierarchy of the Meal

Over which item in a meal is the blessing said? Some organize by what is considered the “main item” some - as the Rabbis prefer - by what is the individual’s favorite. 

R. Judah declares that those which fall on the Torah’s list of foods in the land of Israel take precedence:

 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil, and [date] honey. (Deut. 8:8)

But what if you have two foods from the list? R. Joseph (some say. R. Isaac) the order of the verse matters – those earlier on the list takes precedence.(R. Hamnuna says that they are actually two lists of equal value, both starting with “a land.” Thus wheat & olives would be equal, barley and dates second, but equal to each other).

R. Hiyya said: [A blessing said over] bread suffices for all kinds of food [at the meal] and a blessing said over wine for all kinds of drink.

“Rock-Paper-Scissors” for food? Bread wins every time.