Chapter 53: 4-6
Laws of Fruit and Vegetable Juices
4. When vegetables or fruit is pickled in brine, even if it is customary to
do so - e.g., cucumbers, beets, lucks, and cabbage - the blessing shehakol
is recited for the brine in which they were pickled. Even though the liquid
contains the flavor of the vegetables or fruit, nevertheless - since the
produce was pickled for its own sake, and not in order to flavor the brine
- the blessing shehakol is appropriate for it.
Nevertheless, if one first ate the pickled fruit, reciting the blessing
borey pri hadomoh, and then decided to drink the brine, there is a doubt
whether or not one should recite a blessing over the liquid, for perhaps it
was included in the blessing borey pri hadomoh. Hence, a separate blessing
should not be recited.
5. Similarly, if fruit, vegetables, or legumes are cooked in a liquid which
has a flavor of its own - e.g., vinegar, borscht,* or milk - the blessing
shehakol is recited over the resulting liquid. However, if one partakes of
the food first [and recites a blessing], there is a question whether or not
the liquid is covered by this blessing.
* {This refers to borscht that requires the blessing shehakol. Borscht can
also be prepared in a manner that requires the blessing borey pri hadomoh.}
6. [The following rules apply to wine produced from] raisins. If the
raisins: a) posses sufficient moisture that were they to be pressed, a
concentrated liquid would be expressed, b) are crushed and soaked in water
for the purpose of producing a liquid and not for the sake of the raisins
themselves, c) are soaked in water for three days and ferment, and d) after
three days, the resulting liquid is poured into a different container,* the
resulting liquid is considered to be wine, the blessing borey pri hagofen
is recited before partaking of it, and the "threefold blessing" is recited
afterwards. Whenever wine is required [for a blessing], this may be used.
* {The Shulchon Oruch HoRav 272:7, Misgeres Hashulchon 8, and other
authorities do not require the wine to be poured into a different container.}
However, the volume of the raisins must be more than one sixth of that of
the water. The volume of the raisins should be measured while they contain
moisture, before they are dried out.
Such a mixture is considered wine only when the raisins are allowed to soak
in water as described. However, if the raisins are cooked in water, the
resulting liquid is not considered wine. If one soaked or cooked the
raisins with the intention of also eating the raisins, there are a number
of doubts regarding the blessing to be recited over the resulting liquid.
