Q. Hello Rav, I wanted to double check what the bracha would be in making matza brei in the following way: water is boiled in a kettle and placed into a bowl (kli sheini), small broken pieces (less than a kzayis) are then placed into the hot water for a minutes. Water is drained, eggs are mixed in, then fried in very minimal oil.
It would seem from what I’m reading that it would retain its LECHEM status (hamotzeii/bentching) because the matza was cooked in a k’li sheini, but if I would have put the matza into a pot of boiling water (kli rishon) it would have become a mezonot food. Is that correct? What would be the bracha on it if I put the broken pieces of matzah into a bowl and then poured the boiling water from the kettle (kli rishon) right onto the matza in the bowl? Any differences for sephardim? Thanks so much!
A. Mishna Berura (168: 52) rules that if the bread was placed on a utensil on the fire when the temperature was over Yad Soledes or about 45 C, (K’li Rishon) it is considered as cooked and on that Shulchan Aruch rules that if it was bigger than a Kezais the brochos are Hamotzi and Bircha Hamazon. If less it would be Mezonos.
However, if it was placed on a K’li Sheini that was not on the fire it is not considered as having been cooked and even if it is smaller than a Kezais, if it still looks like bread (Tzuras Hapa’as) the brochos are Hamotzi and Bircha Hamazon.
Mishna Berura adds that this is only if the water did not turn whitish as is common when bread is placed on hot water, since the it would be considered as having lost its bread appearance and the brocho would be Mezonos.
He further adds that if small pieces were placed on a bowl and hot water from a K’li Rishon was poured on them, which is your case, Poskim consider it to be questionable and if the pieces are less than a Kezais and still maintain Tzuras Hapa’as, since it is a doubtful situation, one should eat a Kezais of proper bread or matza so the brochos are Hamotzi and Bircha Hamazon.
Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is similar.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller and Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit’a