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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION

Siman קע״ו · That bread exempts the accompaniments (parperet)

שהפת פוטר הפרפרת — one who recited the blessing over bread (המוציא) exempts the parperet (the accompaniments of the meal) ; but the blessing over the parperet does not exempt bread, for bread is the principal food ; and the Rama adds that the parperet and the cooked dish exempt one another
סימן קע״ו · סעיף אחד
שהפת פוטר הפרפרת
🌱 Introductory Level · מתחילים
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This siman teaches a principle of the blessings of the meal: bread (הַפַּת) is the principal food, and its blessing (המוציא) exempts the parperet (הַפַּרְפֶּרֶת) that is secondary to it. Conversely, the blessing over the parperet does not exempt bread. Finally, the Rama adds that the parperet and the cooked dish (מַעֲשֵׂה קְדֵרָה) exempt one another. Hebrew text, translation and explanation of the seif, with a section of practical cases.

Topic: Bread exempts the parperet — bread, parperet, maaseh kedeira, ikkar and tafel
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן קע״ו · סעיף אחד

Compilation: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com

After the preceding laws of the blessing over wine and of the meal, the Choulhan Aroukh devotes this short siman to a principle of the blessings of enjoyment (ברכות הנהנין): the rule of the principal and secondary food (עיקר וטפל). Bread is the most important food of the meal ; its blessing covers everything subordinate to it — notably the parperet. This siman spells out in which direction the exemption works (bread exempts the parperet, but not the reverse), what the parperet is, and the Rama's addition about the cooked dish. We study here at the level of principle ; for personal conduct, one relies on custom and on the Rav's ruling.

📑 Study plan

A. בירך על הפת פוטר את הפרפרת — bread (principal) exempts the parperet (secondary)
B. מהו פרפרת — the definition: fine bread crumbs bound with soup or honey
C. בירך על הפרפרת לא פטר את הפת — the secondary does not exempt the principal (ikkar and tafel)
D. הגהת הרמ״א — parperet and maaseh kedeira exempt one another
1-3. Practical cases and comprehension questions

A. בירך על הפת פוטר את הפרפרת — bread exempts the parperet

עִיקָּר וְטָפֵל — "principal and secondary": when one food is important (the ikkar) and another is subordinate to it (the tafel), the blessing recited over the ikkar exempts the tafel, without needing to bless it separately. At a meal, bread is the ikkar par excellence: its blessing (המוציא) covers what accompanies it. The basis is the Mishnah: בירך על הפת פטר את הפרפרת (משנה ברכות ו׳:ה׳) — if he blessed over bread, he exempted the parperet.

Seif 1 (part 1) — בירך על הפת פוטר את הפרפרת

בירך על הפת פוטר את הפרפרת דהיינו פרורי פת דק דק שדיבקם עם מרק או דבש.
Seif 1 (part 1): one who recited the blessing over bread exempted the parperet — that is, very finely crumbled bread bound with soup or honey.
The principal exempts the secondary. At a meal, bread is the principal food (עיקר): once one has recited המוציא, one no longer needs to bless the parperet that is secondary to it. The Mechaber here restates the Mishnah of Berakhot. The parperet is an accompaniment ; its blessing is already covered by that of bread.

B. מהו פרפרת — the definition of parperet

Seif 1 (continued) — פרורי פת דק דק שדיבקם עם מרק או דבש

The Mechaber defines the parperet: דהיינו פרורי פת דק דק שדיבקם עם מרק או דבש — very finely crumbled bread bound with soup or honey.
A dish made of bread. The word parperet denotes the dishes that accompany the meal. The Mechaber specifies here what he means: fine bread crumbs stuck together with soup or honey. Since they come from bread and accompany it, they remain subordinate to it, and the blessing over bread exempts them. Thus we see what the word parperet concretely covers in our siman.

C. בירך על הפרפרת לא פטר את הפת — the secondary does not exempt the principal

Seif 1 (continued) — the exemption does not work in the other direction

בירך על הפרפרת לא פטר את הפת.
Seif 1 (continued): one who blessed over the parperet did not exempt the bread.
The exemption goes one way only. The principle of ikkar and tafel works from the principal to the secondary, not the reverse. If one blessed first over the parperet (the secondary), that blessing does not cover the bread (the principal): to eat bread one must recite המוציא. The blessing of the lesser food cannot dispense with the greater.

D. הגהת הרמ״א — parperet and the cooked dish

Gloss of the Rama — the parperet and the cooked dish

הגה: בירך על הפרפרת פוטר מעשה קדרה שהוא דייסא וכיוצא בו, וכן אם בירך על מעשה קדרה פוטר את הפרפרת (גמרא פרק כיצד מברכין ורמב״ם בפירוש המשנה).
Gloss of the Rama: one who blessed over the parperet exempts a cooked dish (maaseh kedeira) — that is, porridge (דייסא) and the like ; and likewise, if he blessed over a cooked dish, it exempts the parperet (Gemara, chapter Keitzad Mevarkhin, and Rambam in his commentary to the Mishnah).
Same blessing, mutual exemption. The parperet (bread crumbs) and the cooked dish (מעשה קדרה — grain porridge and the like) both receive the same blessing (בורא מיני מזונות). Since their blessing is identical and their importance comparable, one exempts the other in both directions: it does not matter over which one blessed. The Rama thus completes the picture of the siman.
The siman in one sentence: bread is the principal food — its blessing (המוציא) exempts the parperet (בירך על הפת פוטר את הפרפרת), but the blessing over the parperet does not exempt bread (בירך על הפרפרת לא פטר את הפת) ; and the Rama adds that the parperet and the cooked dish (מעשה קדרה), sharing one blessing, exempt one another.

Practical cases

Case 1 — I recited hamotzi, then a parperet is served

Situation: I recited the blessing over bread at the start of the meal, then an accompaniment (parperet) is brought to me. Must I make a blessing over it?
Conduct: no — the blessing over bread has already exempted the parperet (בירך על הפת פוטר את הפרפרת, seif 1), since bread is the principal food. For the precise practice (which foods are covered by hamotzi), one follows one's Rav.

Case 2 — I blessed over the parperet, then I want bread

Situation: I first blessed over a parperet, then I wish to eat bread. Am I exempt from blessing the bread?
Conduct: no — the blessing over the parperet does not exempt bread (בירך על הפרפרת לא פטר את הפת, seif 1): the secondary does not cover the principal. Over bread one must recite המוציא. For a specific case, one follows one's Rav.

Case 3 — Parperet and porridge (cooked dish)

Situation: I blessed over a parperet ; then I am brought a grain porridge (maaseh kedeira). Must I bless again?
Conduct: according to the Rama, no — the parperet exempts the cooked dish and vice versa (בירך על הפרפרת פוטר מעשה קדרה, seif 1), since they share the same blessing (מזונות). For a specific case, one follows one's Rav.

Comprehension questions

Check your understanding:
  1. What is the principle of ikkar and tafel, and why is bread the ikkar (seif 1)?
  2. Why does the blessing over bread exempt the parperet (seif 1)?
  3. What does parperet concretely mean according to the Mechaber's definition (seif 1)?
  4. Why does the blessing over the parperet not exempt bread (seif 1)?
  5. What does the Rama say about the parperet and the cooked dish, and why do they exempt one another (seif 1)?

Going further

If you wish to deepen this siman:
Continue to the next simanSiman 177 →
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סימן קע״ו · סעיף אחד · Level 1 — Introduction
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