841. When a Brachah on Food May Not Count
I should have realized a free chocolate bar would make problems... Now I’m stuck: I recited the brachah of shehakol, but as I was about to take a bite, I glanced at the package and instead of the usual hechsher, I see the small “not for individual sale” warning. So what do I do? I know a brachah l’vatalah (a blessing said in vain) is a biggie. And the chocolate might actually be kosher, if only I could have verified the kosher symbol on the big box this complimentary snack came in. Hashem’s holy name versus a possible issur* of kashrus: which lapse trumps the other?
The best option in this case is to reject the food—even spit out any unswallowed morsel—and say “Baruch shem k’vod malchuso l’olam va’ed” (Blessed be His honored Majesty’s Name forever and ever—a statement that is a form of apology for having uttered the Holy Name in vain). There are several reasons why saying “baruch shem…” is preferable to consuming the food in this situation: according to many opinions, this statement can actually rectify the transgression of saying Hashem’s name in vain, while eating something that might be not kosher has no such immediate fix. Additionally, it can be argued that the brachah isn't considered l’vatalah, since at the time when the bracha was recited it was for a specific purpose—when the person recited it, they did not realize that the food might not be kosher.
Another facet of the dilemma rests on the food itself. If it is indeed non-kosher, we are actually forbidden—according to many opinions—to recite a brachah on it, so eating the food would not correct it in any case, and saying “baruch shem…” is the safer course. Finally, by making a decision to eat the food when its kosher status cannot be verified, the transgressor is actively committing a possible wrongdoing, while refraining from eating food on which a brachah was recited would at this point constitute—at most—a passive, unintended transgression.
*The rationale that holds true for the unmarked chocolate bar would equally apply to all levels of unconfirmed ma’acholos asuros (forbidden consumables) or any possible food contraventions, for example, making a brachah on a milchig (dairy) snack within six hours of eating fleishig (meat) or food or drink on a ta’anis tzibbur (public fast day).