Eating For Hashem

Sometimes when you are not sure what bracha to make you eat other foods in order to cover the doubtful food. For example - Corn Flakes. If it is made out of ground corn flour then it gets a shehakol. If it is made out of pieces of corn then it gets a ha-adama. If you don't know how it is made then you take a piece of melon [or any ha-adama] make a bracha and then eat it. Then you take a she-hakol such as cheese, make a bracha and then eat it. Now you may have your corn flakes [provided that it isn't a fast day which means that you shouldn't have made the first two brachos either:)]. Or take granola bars as an example. The question as to what bracha to make on a granola bar is more hotly contested than many important gemara questions. So many possiblities. [GIRLS! Ask boys on a date what bracha to make on granola bars. If he honestly says that he doesn't know you may marry him. Honesty is a tremendous virute!] Someone may soon publish a book entitled "Birkas Granola Bars Ki-hilchaso". So take a mezonos, ha-adama and shehakol, make brachos on those and then granola-cise.

One time the Heilige Beis Yisrael gave someone something to eat to cover a doubtful bracha situation [known in the beis medrash as a "safek bracha"]. He noted that it is very special to eat in order to make a bracha instead of what we usually do which is make a bracha in order to eat. The Rebbe suggested that a pasuk in this weeks parsha reflects this idea. והיה באכלכם מלחם הארץ תרימו תרומה לשם - When you eat from the bread of the land separate a portion for Hashem. Meaning, whenever you eat it should be a gift to Hashem.