Feel free to take this guide with you to help you out on your sukkah crawl! (If it is Shabbat and there is no eruv in your area then please don’t carry this – you could leave a copy in each sukkah you plan to visit before Shabbat.)
Hamotzi is said before eating bread made from the five grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye and spelt). Before making Hamotzi, we wash hands and say “Al Netilat Yadaim”. ארֶץ ָּ ָּמל ֶך ְהָּעול ָּם הַמּ וצִיא לֶחֶם מִן ה ֶ ּ בָּּרו ּך ְאַתּ ה ה' אֱלקינו Baruch ata Hashem, Elokeinu Melech Ha’Olam Hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth. •
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Mezonot is said before eating snack foods made from the five grains. This includes biscuits and cakes made with flour. מל ֶך ְהָּעול ָּם בּורֵא מִינ ֵי מְזונות ֶ ּ בָּּרו ּך ְאַתּ ה ה' אֱלקינו Baruch ata Hashem, Elokeinu Melech Ha’Olam borei minei mezonot. Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who creates various kinds of sustenance.
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Hagefen is said before drinking wine or grape juice.
פרִי הַגָּּפֶן ְ ּ מל ֶך ְהָּעול ָּם בּורֵא ֶ ּ בָּּרו ּך ְאַתּ ה ה' אֱלקינו
Baruch ata Hashem, Elokeinu Melech Ha’Olam borei pri hagefen. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine. •
Ha’etz is said over tree fruits. Included in this are the five fruits from the Shivat Haminim (grapes, figs, pomegranate, olives, dates). Other fruit with this bracha include blueberries, apples, peaches and kiwis. פרִי הָּעֵץ ְ ּ מל ֶך ְהָּעול ָּם בּורֵא ֶ ּ בָּּרו ּך ְאַתּ ה ה' אֱלקינו Baruch ata Hashem, Elokeinu Melech Ha’Olam borei pri ha-etz. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.
Ha’adama is said over fruit which is not covered by the bracha of Ha’etz. Examples include bananas, strawberries, melon and vegetables. דמָּה ָּ א ֲ ָּפרִי ה ְ ּ מל ֶך ְהָּעול ָּם בּורֵא ֶ ּ בָּּרו ּך ְאַתּ ה ה' אֱלקינו Baruch ata Hashem, Elokeinu Melech Ha’Olam borei pri ha’adama. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe who creates the fruit of the earth. •
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Shehakol is said over all food that doesn’t fit into one of the above categories. This includes meat, eggs, cheese, sweets, and drinks (apart from wine or grape juice). דבָּרו ְ ִּשהַכּל נִהְי ָּה ב ֶ מל ֶך ְהָּעול ָּם ֶ ּ בָּּרו ּך ְאַתּ ה ה' אֱלקינו ּ אֱלהֵינו Baruch ata Hashem, Elokeinu Melech Ha’Olam shehakol nihiyah bidvaro. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, by Whose word all things came to be.
Leishev Basukkah should be said sitting down in every sukkah over foods with a bracha of Hamotzi, Mezonot, or Hagefen. Say the bracha on the food, then say leishev, then eat the food. וְצִו ָּּנו ּ לישב בסוכה,מצְותָּיו ִ ְְּשנו ּ ב ָּ ֲּשר קִ ד ֶ א,מל ֶך ְהָּעול ָּם ֶ ּ בָּּרו ּך ְאַתּ ָּה י ְהו ָּה אֱלהֵינו Baruch Ata Hashem Elokeinu Melech Haolam Asher Kideshanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu Leishev Basukkah. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to sit in the Sukkah.