Torah Riddles Test #18

  1. Question: Why does Rashi say that the oil is the main ingredient of anigron, a liquid type of throat lozenge, only because there is more oil than beet juice but when one eats an olive in order to subdue the harshness of a radish that is enough of a reason to say the blessing is on the radish?

Background:

 A. The Gemara in Brachos 36a says a mixture of oil and beet juice use to be taken to soothe sore throats and the blessing was on the oil (which has a special blessing).

B. Rashi says the reason the blessing is on the oil is because there is a lot more oil than beet juice. Rabbeinu Yonah says the reason why the blessing is on the oil is because that is the main ingredient and the beet juice is only mixed in because it is dangerous to drink oil by itself.

C. Rashi in Brachos 41a says if one eats an olive just to cool down his mouth after he ate a radish he does not need to say a blessing on the olive because the radish was the main food but the olive was just to cool down the sharpness of the radish.

D. Why isn’t Rashi consistent with his rule that if one eats one thing just so that he can eat another then the blessing is only needed on the main food he wants not the food that helps him eat it?

[Expand]

Answer: This rule only applies when eating two food separately one after the other but if they are mixed together like the beet juice and oil one would think that the beet juice is the main drink if there is little oil and the blessing is on the beet juice, only because there is more oil than beet juice is why we say a blessing on the oil. [/expand]

Leave a Reply