Ikar v'tafel
Encyclopedia
The Hebrew term 'ikar v'tafel ( עיקר וטפל, "primary and secondary") is a principle in Jewish law that governs the proper blessing that is assigned to any particular food prior to consumption (B.Berachot
44a).
to express his or her gratitude to God for providing sustenance; additionally, because the entire world is believed to be in the possession of the Almighty, specific praise must be offered to God prior to deriving benefit (B.Berachot 35a).
There are different blessings for each of the different halachic food groups:
When an individual eats two foods together, one of which is primary and the other of which is subsidiary to it, only one blessing is recited, as stated in B.Mishna Berachot 6:7:
While the laws governing this principle are complex, some of its basic rules are straightforward. It pertains only to foods eaten in a combined form. One who has a cookie
and tea
must make two blessings, one on each of the items. It is when one is eating something akin to apple pie
, beef stew or stuffed cabbage, which are foods consisting of multiple parts (crust and pie, beef and potatoes or meat and cabbage, respectively) that the principle of ikar v'tafel is applied (Aruch Hashulchan
212:1, 2).
Berakhot (Talmud)
Berachot is the first tractate of Seder Zeraim, a collection of the Mishnah that primarily deals with laws relating to plants and farming...
44a).
Overview
Prior to consuming any food or beverage, a Jew must recite a blessingBerakhah
In Judaism, a berakhah, bracha, brokhe is a blessing, usually recited at a specific moment during a ceremony or other activity. The function of a berakhah is to acknowledge God as the source of all blessing...
to express his or her gratitude to God for providing sustenance; additionally, because the entire world is believed to be in the possession of the Almighty, specific praise must be offered to God prior to deriving benefit (B.Berachot 35a).
There are different blessings for each of the different halachic food groups:
- bread
- other grain products
- wine and grape juice
- fruit and nuts
- vegetables
- all other foods and drinks
When an individual eats two foods together, one of which is primary and the other of which is subsidiary to it, only one blessing is recited, as stated in B.Mishna Berachot 6:7:
While the laws governing this principle are complex, some of its basic rules are straightforward. It pertains only to foods eaten in a combined form. One who has a cookie
Cookie
In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have...
and tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
must make two blessings, one on each of the items. It is when one is eating something akin to apple pie
Apple pie
An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apples. It is sometimes served with whipped cream or ice cream on top...
, beef stew or stuffed cabbage, which are foods consisting of multiple parts (crust and pie, beef and potatoes or meat and cabbage, respectively) that the principle of ikar v'tafel is applied (Aruch Hashulchan
Aruch HaShulchan
Aruch HaShulchan is a chapter-by-chapter restatement of the Shulchan Arukh...
212:1, 2).