525. Brachos on Various Foods

Brachos 7:15

Bentching does not require wine but one should bentch over wine as was discussed. The cup should be washed inside and out, then filled with undiluted wine. When he reaches the bracha for Israel, he should add a little water to make the wine more palatable. (In former times, wine was concentrated and too strong to drink undiluted.) Conversation should not be held over the cup used for bentching; everyone should be quiet until bentching and the bracha over the wine are finished, at which point they drink.

Brachos 8:1

For all fruit that grows on trees, the bracha is Borei pri ho’eitz before and Borei nefashos after, except for the five species of fruit singled out by the Torah, i.e., grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. The one bracha that includes the themes of the three brachos of bentching (i.e., “al ho’eitz”) is recited after them. For fruit that grows from the ground and vegetables, the bracha Borei pri ho’adomah is recited before and Borei nefashos after. For foods that do not grow from the earth, such as meat, cheese, fish, eggs, water, milk, honey, etc., the bracha of shehakol is recited before and Borei nefashos after. If one drinks water for any reason other than to satisfy his thirst, he need not recite a bracha, neither before nor after.