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Are donuts a bread, a cookie, or something in between?
By Rabbi Moshe Pinchasi
The month of Kislev is upon us, and the age-old tradition of eating donuts (Sufganiyot) on Hanukkah is already is enjoying the usual pre-season. This brings to mind a number of questions that are discussed in the Poskim, revolving around the issue of how we classify a donut regarding the laws of Berachot and Bishul Yisrael. The following article is based on the Kislev edition of our upcoming publication “D’var Hashem” – the Sephardic Halacha Journal.
The Rishonim debate whether the Beracha on a thick batter (as opposed to a runny batter) that is cooked or deep-fried is HaMotzi or Mezonot. Rabbenu Shimshon[1] writes that only dough that is baked is considered merits the Beracha of HaMotzi, whereas, Rabbenu Tam maintains[2] that since the batter starts off as a bread batter would, it is considered to be bread for the purposes of HaMotzi as well.
It is important to note, that for the purposes of separating Hallah, both agree that it has a status of bread.
L’Halacha, Maran in the Shulhan Aruch rules like Rabbenu Shimshon, that one should recite a Mezonot. Nevertheless, he adds that there are those who disagree (Rabbenu Tam), and therefore a Yere Shamayim should only eat such pastries during a bread meal.
Accordingly, the appropriate Beracha on donuts, which are deep-fried, should be Mezonot. While the Magen Avragam[4] and others write that one should still recite HaMotzi and Birkat HaMazon when eating more than a Keviut Se’udah – to satisfy the opinon of Rabbenu Tam – the consensus of the Poskim is that we consider a cooked batter as Mezonot in all cases, as per Rabbenu Shimshon’s opinion. Therefore, one who eats a large number of donuts (not an unlikely scenario…) would only recite Mezonot and Al HaMihya.
This brings us to a discussion about Bishul Yisrael. Being classified as a Mezonot food may be a leniency in the arena of Hilchot Berachot, but in the arena of Bishul Yisrael it would be a stringency. While, according to Maran[5], Bishul Yisrael (food cooked by a Jew) requires that a Jew not only lights the fire but also aids in the process of cooking, Pat Yisrael (bread baked by a Jew) only requires that the Jew lights the fire. If we were to consider donuts as a full-fledged bread it would suffice if a Jew would just light the fire.
The Ben Ish Hai writes in Teshuvot Rav Pe’alim[6] that being that we recite Mezonot on donuts we also must treated as a cooked food with regards to Bishul Yisrael and require a Jew to aid in the cooking process. However, Hacham Ovadia Yosef זצ”ל in Teshuvot Yehave Da’at[7] argues that Maran maintains[8] the general rule is that we follow the lenient opinion with regards to Bishul Yisrael. Here too, while we follow Rabbenu Shimshon with regards to the laws of Berachot, we would follow Rabbenu Tam with regards to Bishul Yisrael, considering it a full-fledged bread and requiring that the Jew only lights the fire.
One can also rely on the opinion of Ribbi Yehoshua Shabbabo Zein, cited by the Hida in Shiurei Beracha[9] that a cooked food that does not come as a side with a bread meal, is not subject to the laws of Bishul Yisrael.
Sources:
[1] מס’ חלה פ”א מ”ה [2] פסחים דף לז: ד”ה דכולי [3] או”ח סי’ קסח סי”ג [4] שם [5] יו”ד סי’ קיג [6] יו”ד ח”ג ס”ט [7] ח”ה סי’ נג [8] שם סי”א [9] יו”ד סי’ קיב ס”ק יא