CHAPTER 6 MISHNAH 2
If one recited “Who creates the fruit of the soil” over fruit of the tree: he has fulfilled his obligation. If over fruit of the soil, he recited “Who creates the fruit of the tree”, he has not fulfilled his obligation. If over all of these one said: “. . . By Whose word all things exist” – he has fulfilled his obligation.

CHAPTER 6 MISHNAH 3
Over such things as do not grow from the soil, one says “By whose word.. .” Over vinegar, over unripe fallen fruits and over locusts, one recites “By Whose word.. .” Over milk, eggs and cheese, one recites “By Whose word. . .” Rabbi Yehudah says: No blessing is recited over whatever is of the nature of a curse.

CHAPTER 6 MISHNAH 2
If one recited “Who creates the fruit of the soil” over fruit of the tree: he has fulfilled his obligation. If over fruit of the soil, he recited “Who creates the fruit of the tree”, he has not fulfilled his obligation. If over all of these one said: “. . . By Whose word all things exist” – he has fulfilled his obligation.

KEHATI
In the previous Mishnah it was taught that the fruits “of the tree” were assigned a separate blessing. Even though essentially they, too, grow from the ground, the blessing “Who creates the fruit of the soil” was not assigned to them. They were excluded from the general category because of their importance, and were assigned a separate blessing. The Gemara (Berakhot 40a) defines the distinction between the two species: “Where the stem or branch remains, after the fruit has been picked, and produces new fruit next season, the plant is considered a tree. Where the same stem will not remain and produce new fruit next season, then the Berakhah is ‘Who creates the fruit of the soil.”

If one has made a mistake, and recited “Who creates the fruit of the soil” over fruit of the tree, or believed mistakenly that the fruit belonged to the latter category, he has fulfilled his obligation, for fruits of the tree are essentially fruit of the soil – they do draw their nourishment from the soil. It follows, then, that if one is in doubt as to whether a particular fruit belongs to the category of “the soil” or “of the tree” he should recite the blessing for the “fruit of the soil” (R. Asher b. Ye/tie! [ Tur).

If over fruit of the soil, he recited “Who creates the fruit of the tree”, he has not fulfilled his obligation. Produce growing directly from the ground soil does not belong to the category of fruit of the tree.

If over all of these that are mentioned in the first mishnah: “Fruit of the tree, of the soil, herbs,” and even over wine and bread, one said: “. . . By Whose wd all things exist” – i.e., he mistakenly recited this Berakhah, he has fulfilled obligation, after the fact. At the outset, however, one is required to recite the correct blessing.

The Yerushalmi quotes the view of Rabbi Yose. He differs with the Tannaim of our mishnah, and holds that whoever deviates from the forms prescribed by the Sages for the Berakhot has not fulfilled his obligation. According to the Babyloaian Talmud, R. Yohanan regards the words, “If over all of these, he recited ‘By whose word…’ he fulfilled his obligation” as applying to bread and wine as well (as we have stated above) and this is the law.

Furthermore R. Yohanan regards R. Yose’s assertion, that whoever deviates born the formulas prescribed by the Sages does not fulfill his obligation, to refer only to the case where one used completely different wording such as “How pleasant is this bread. Blessed be the Allpresent Who created it.” Since such a blessing was not authorized by the Sages, one does not fulfill his obligation by reciting it. If, however, one recited “By whose word all things exist”, a formula which was prescribed by the Sages, even R. Yose would concur that he had fulfilled his obligation. In a baraita, however, R. Meir differs with R. Yose and holds that even by reciting such deviant Berakhot as “How pleasant is this bread…”, one fulfills one’s obligation.

CHAPTER 6 MISHNAH 3
Over such things as do not grow from the soil, one says “By whose word.. .” Over vinegar, over unripe fallen fruits and over locusts, one recites “By Whose word.. .” Over milk, eggs and cheese, one recites “By Whose word. . .” Rabbi Yehudah says: No blessing is recited over whatever is of the nature of a curse.

KEHATI
After having designated cases over which Shehakol, “By Whose word.. .”, is recited mistakenly, the mishnah now enumerates those foods for which it is prescribed.

Over such things as do not grow from the soil, for instance meat, fish, etc., one says “By whose word.. .” This is the Berakhah one recites before eating. Over vinegar, i.e., wine that has soured and over unripe fallen fruits and over locusts – the kosher varieties (See Lev. 11:21-22), one recites “By Whose word…” – i.e., over each of these types.

Over milk, eggs and cheese, one recites “By Whose word.. .” In the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmudim, this sentence does not appear as part of the text of the mishnah, since the information is already implicit in the first sentence.

R. Yehudah says: No blessing is recited over whatever is of the nature of a curse. Vinegar is wine turned sour; novelot, spoiled fruit. Locusts destroy crops. All these foods, then, came into existence, as it were, through a curse. R. Yehudah’s view is not accepted as the halakhic ruling.