Siman - Berachos Daf 39

• Precedence in Berachos

Regarding the precedence in berachos, one should first make a berachah on food with a more specific berachah (e.g. ha’adamah) before making it on food with a less specific berachah (e.g. shehakol).

If both foods require the same berachah, then one should choose the one that he prefers (חביב).  

• Whole loaf vs. Large piece

There is a machlokes regarding which bread a person should say hamotzi on when faced with a choice between a small whole loaf and a larger broken piece of the same grain:

a)Rav Huna holds that size takes precedence over wholeness, so one says hamotzi on the larger, broken piece.

b)R’ Yochanan holds that completeness takes precedence over size, so one says hamotzi on the smaller, complete loaf.

c)Rav Nachman bar Yitzchok holds that a ירא שמים should adopt the practice of placing the broken piece under the whole loaf and then either break off a piece from the whole loaf or from both of them.

• Lechem Mishneh

On Shabbos, one makes hamotzi over two whole loaves of bread, commemorating the fact that on Fridays in the desert a double portion (לחם משנה) of manna would fall.

a)Rav Kahana would recite the berachah on two loaves but would only break one. 

b)R’ Zeira would break off a large piece for himself that would suffice for the whole meal.