Q. I feel I frequently need to drink water, but I find it difficult to drink much at a time or to drink it quickly, so I don't usually say a brocha acharona. To make matters complicated, I like to sit outside on my porch with a drink. Sometimes I go in and out of the house with a drink. Is this shinuy rishus? Am I supposed to keep making another brocha rishona on the drink every time I go in the house and out of the house? How do I deal with this? A small part of the porch has an overhang from the house. Does that make it the same rishus? And what if i sit on the part of the porch that doesnt have the overhang, which is most of the porch?
I'm sorry if this sounds like a crazy shaila but I feel like I constantly have to sip water.
Thank you for clarifying this matter.
A. In principle most Poskim rule that one could potentially recite a brocho on water and it would last for a whole day, (Rambam - Brochos 4: 7, Shulchan Aruch O.H, Mishna Berura 178,) excepting the Magen Avrohom (178: 9) who maintains that even the brocho rishono recited before eating expires after shiur ikul or the time it takes for digesting the comestibles; and in the case of water it is very short.
However, in practice , following most Poskim, four factors will limit the time the brocho of shehakol will last.
(1) reciting a brocho achrono (2) a mental decision that one is done eating or having chesech hadaas (O.H. 179), (3) shinuy mokom or changing locations (O.H. 178: 13), (4) falling asleep (O.H. 178: 7.)
There are other situations when a brocho on water will not be affected by changing location such as
when travelling, hiking or doing other outdoor activities. If one has in mind when he recites the brocho while already travelling, also has the water with him or knows that water will be available along the way, and also expects to be thirsty again later in the day and will want to drink water. This follows the fact that the brocho was recited without being kovea mokom or establishing a place for water consumption. (O.H. 178:4, Magen Avraham ibid. 11)
Igrois Moishe (O.H. 2: 57) maintains that if one sucks a candy and leaves home to travel to a different location, he does not have to repeat the blessing. However, Maharsham, and Chazon Ish disagree.
Following the above, some Rabbonim may permit reciting one shehakol for the whole day, regardless of one leaving home, as long as one had this in mind when the brocho was said.
However, Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit”a opinion is that, shinui mokom does matter. Therefore, since we assume that one usually plans to enter different rooms of the same house while eating or drinking, no further brocho is required within that location. This includes the porch or any other area of the outside of the house that could be seen from the place where the brocho was recited.
Leaving that location will demand a new brocho. This is also the opinion of most Poskim. (See Vesen Brocho ch. 9, for additional details.)
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a
Important Numbers
