The Beracha on Raw Grain

Q. What beracha is recited on raw grain?

A. Shulchan Aruch (OC 208:4) writes that the beracha on the five grains (wheat, barley, spelt, oats and rye) if eaten raw or toasted is Borei Pri Ha’adama. The Rema disagrees with respect to barley. The Rema rules that raw or even toasted grains of barley are not considered fully edible, and therefore their beracha is Shehakol. The Aruch Hashulchan (208:10) notes that raw and toasted grains appear in the Torah as edible foods. Nonetheless, the Aruch Hashulchan writes that in his time, even wheat grains were not considered fully edible, whether raw or even toasted. What about oats? Although halacha recognizes oats as being a subset of barley, it is not the same as barley with regard to berachos. The Tzlach (Berachos 36a) points out that it is common to eat oats, especially when toasted. Therefore, even though the Rema writes that the beracha on toasted barley is Shehakol, the beracha on toasted oats is clearly Ha’adama. Presumably, even the Aruch Hashulchan would agree with the Tzlach as well.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.