{"id":144,"date":"2012-07-02T14:48:34","date_gmt":"2012-07-02T12:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shaareihoraah.org\/wordpress\/?p=144"},"modified":"2012-08-21T23:21:18","modified_gmt":"2012-08-21T21:21:18","slug":"bracha-on-wraps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shaareihoraah.org\/?p=144","title":{"rendered":"Bracha on Wraps"},"content":{"rendered":"

QUESTION<\/strong>: I have frequently been asked the appropriate Bracha<\/em> to be recited before eating a wrap. For the uninitiated, a wrap is a thin piece of dough wrapped around a filler; which may be tuna, cheese, salad or anything else conceivable.<\/p>\n

ANSWER<\/strong>: As background, it must be clarified that there are three basic categories of grain based foods.<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bread. Bread products are designed to be eaten as a staple food and are always HaMotzi<\/em>.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The other extreme are products that are never HaMotzi<\/em>, always Mezonos<\/em>. This includes noodles, oatmeal and other items that have no similarity to bread.<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The most difficult category to define is called Pas HaBa\u2019ah b\u2019Kisnin<\/em>. The most accurate description of this category would be foods that bear a resemblance to bread, but are designated as something other than a staple food. This describes most cakes and pastries, as well as crackers and pretzels. Halacha<\/em> prescribes that these foods are generally Mezonos<\/em>, unless a significant enough quantity has been consumed that would generally constitute a meal. The big \u201cMezonos<\/em> roll debate\u201d revolves around the precise definition of this group, and may be the topic of a future discussion.<\/p>\n

At first glance, a wrap would seem to be very similar to a Lafa\/Eish Tanur, which is essentially a wide, pocket-less pita. Both are thin doughs that are designed to be filled for a sandwich-like meal. This would unquestionably render it a bread product, which is certainly HaMotzi<\/em>. This is the position of HaRav Belsky Shlita<\/em>.<\/p>\n

However, other Poskim<\/em> suggest that the extreme thinness of a wrap makes it more similar to a crepe or blintz shell, which are category #2 and Mezonos<\/em>. Besides the fact that the crepe and blintz are both made from a fluid batter, the Achronim<\/em> cite their lack of body as denying them \u201cTzuras HaPas<\/em>\u201d or \u201cTurisa d\u2019Nahama<\/em>,\u201d the Hebrew and Aramaic terms respectively for the \u201cappearance of bread.\u201d While the precise definition of this term is very elusive, it seems that it is a prerequisite to be considered a bread product. Therefore, if a wrap lacks this \u201cappearance,\u201d it may be ejected from the #1 classification. This is the position of HaRav Bodner and others.<\/p>\n

A problem with this viewpoint is that there are minimal sources for downgrading a pastry manufactured from a viscous dough based on its appearance. Almost all the authorities who discuss the topic are exclusively relating to a batter. \u00a0While a liquid batter that is baked becomes HaMotzi<\/em>, this upgrade requires \u201cTzuras HaPas<\/em>.\u201d It is questionable if we can downgrade a dough based solely on its thin look.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, no one can say with certainty what exactly defines the \u201cappearance of bread\u201d; however, it seems that Matza and Lafa have it. While it is true that the Poskim<\/em> do mention a degree of thickness as one of the factors, to say that a wrap has crossed the invisible line that divides them is a judgment call.<\/p>\n

Additionally, those who allow making Mezonos<\/em> on a wrap generally take into account these factors and rule it a category 3 rather than a 2. So if you are eating a wrap for lunch, it is likely that you would have to say HaMotzi<\/em> on it, even if it is not a pure bread. Since it is eaten as a meal, and together with the side dishes is a significant quantity, it is raised to the status of a HaMotzi<\/em> product.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, while it would be ideal to make HaMotzi<\/em> on a piece of regular bread first, in my opinion a wrap always requires a Bracha<\/em> of HaMotzi<\/em> and one should not say Mezonos<\/em> on it. However, if one did say Mezonos<\/em>, the Poskim<\/em> conclude that he has fulfilled his obligation ex post facto<\/em>, even if it was the incorrect Bracha<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

QUESTION: I have frequently been asked the appropriate Bracha to be recited before eating a wrap. For the uninitiated, a wrap is a thin piece of dough wrapped around a filler; which may be tuna, cheese, salad or anything else … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","hentry","category-halacha-berachos","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t