R' Fuerst, shlita, has so far this year given almost 20 shiurim on hilchos brachos. And, he told me today, still going strong. If you are wondering how much there is to say already, then I suggest you start listening. They are all available at psak.org. (You can also get to the same place via rabbifuerst.com; so use that, if it is easier for you to remember.) Here's a detail that wasn't (and likely won't be) covered.
One of the issues that causes confusion is the order of brachos. Just before the shiur a few weeks ago, a chaver of mine made a bracha on a something and I asked why he chose that over the other thing. He replied that he likes that one better. I said, "חביב/what one likes best always goes after שָׁלֵם/whole." (Using the verb "said" is being generous to myself; "blurted out" is probably more accurate.) "Even when one is האדמה and one is העץ?", pressed my chaver. At which point I should have said, "Oh... good point; I'll need to do more research." Instead, of course (and ever eager to fulfill the dictum that fools go where angels fear to tread), I said, "Yes."
I am very thankful that he did not take my word for it, but did some research. Which he sent to me. So I did more research... and discovered my error. Consider this TftD a partial fulfillment of my תשובה. (Yes, ma'am; I did make amends with my friend, as well as the other conditions of תשובה.)
In very broad strokes (as detailed here), the order of brachos is to proceed from the more specific to the less specific. Within a category (several loaves of bread, for example; eggs and deli and beer, for another example; apples and walnuts and oranges for yet another example; strawberries and peanuts and celery, for a final example), the order is שָׁלֵם/whole, size, and (finally!) חביב/favorite. There is, though, a bit of funny business when you play the seven species for which Eretz Yisrael is praised wild card. Follow links for more details and references.
So here's the thing: האדמה and העץ are pretty much, sorta/kinda, basically just one category. (How's that for hedging?) If you are down to a cranberry (האדמה) and blueberry (העץ) that are roughly the same size and both either whole or dried or smooshed, then חביב kicks in right away; we are outside the more/less specific rule. Which is why I said what I did. However, there is one sticking point: the bracha of האדמה will also work (after the fact) for apples, walnuts, and oranges. The bracha of העץ, however, will not work (not even after the fact) for strawberries and peanuts and celery. (The reason is pretty obvious; apples, walnuts, and oranges hang off trees that are nourished from the ground, but strawberries and peanuts and celery do not come from trees).
So.... buried in the Sha'ar haTzion 211:5 the Mishna Brura says that maybe האדמה and העץ are only considered one category when you want to use one bracha to go for both of them, but otherwise they are considered two categories of equal specialization. That being the case, חביב/favorite kicks in before שָׁלֵם/whole, which only kicks in once you are in a single category. Ditto for large.
Bottom line: I would make a bracha on a whole apricot (that I like) before a slice of watermelon (that I really like, but is not whole); that's because I don't have a great memory for facts and it's a whale of a lot easier for me to just remember a single rule. But there is certainly grounds for make the bracha on the watermelon first because of both size and favoritism.
Why all this fuss? No one is talking about skipping brachos or using one bracha to cover many because that works after the fact. When I get creamer for my wife, I get the pumpkin flavor before the caramel. When I get coffee for my daughter I get the French roast before the Italian roast. When I get candy for my grandson, I get him peanut M&Ms before plain. It's creamer! It's dark roast coffee! It's M&Ms! What difference does it make?
Love makes the difference. I make the difference and endeavor to get their favorite because I love them.
One of the issues that causes confusion is the order of brachos. Just before the shiur a few weeks ago, a chaver of mine made a bracha on a something and I asked why he chose that over the other thing. He replied that he likes that one better. I said, "חביב/what one likes best always goes after שָׁלֵם/whole." (Using the verb "said" is being generous to myself; "blurted out" is probably more accurate.) "Even when one is האדמה and one is העץ?", pressed my chaver. At which point I should have said, "Oh... good point; I'll need to do more research." Instead, of course (and ever eager to fulfill the dictum that fools go where angels fear to tread), I said, "Yes."
I am very thankful that he did not take my word for it, but did some research. Which he sent to me. So I did more research... and discovered my error. Consider this TftD a partial fulfillment of my תשובה. (Yes, ma'am; I did make amends with my friend, as well as the other conditions of תשובה.)
In very broad strokes (as detailed here), the order of brachos is to proceed from the more specific to the less specific. Within a category (several loaves of bread, for example; eggs and deli and beer, for another example; apples and walnuts and oranges for yet another example; strawberries and peanuts and celery, for a final example), the order is שָׁלֵם/whole, size, and (finally!) חביב/favorite. There is, though, a bit of funny business when you play the seven species for which Eretz Yisrael is praised wild card. Follow links for more details and references.
So here's the thing: האדמה and העץ are pretty much, sorta/kinda, basically just one category. (How's that for hedging?) If you are down to a cranberry (האדמה) and blueberry (העץ) that are roughly the same size and both either whole or dried or smooshed, then חביב kicks in right away; we are outside the more/less specific rule. Which is why I said what I did. However, there is one sticking point: the bracha of האדמה will also work (after the fact) for apples, walnuts, and oranges. The bracha of העץ, however, will not work (not even after the fact) for strawberries and peanuts and celery. (The reason is pretty obvious; apples, walnuts, and oranges hang off trees that are nourished from the ground, but strawberries and peanuts and celery do not come from trees).
So.... buried in the Sha'ar haTzion 211:5 the Mishna Brura says that maybe האדמה and העץ are only considered one category when you want to use one bracha to go for both of them, but otherwise they are considered two categories of equal specialization. That being the case, חביב/favorite kicks in before שָׁלֵם/whole, which only kicks in once you are in a single category. Ditto for large.
Bottom line: I would make a bracha on a whole apricot (that I like) before a slice of watermelon (that I really like, but is not whole); that's because I don't have a great memory for facts and it's a whale of a lot easier for me to just remember a single rule. But there is certainly grounds for make the bracha on the watermelon first because of both size and favoritism.
Why all this fuss? No one is talking about skipping brachos or using one bracha to cover many because that works after the fact. When I get creamer for my wife, I get the pumpkin flavor before the caramel. When I get coffee for my daughter I get the French roast before the Italian roast. When I get candy for my grandson, I get him peanut M&Ms before plain. It's creamer! It's dark roast coffee! It's M&Ms! What difference does it make?
Love makes the difference. I make the difference and endeavor to get their favorite because I love them.
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