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What blessing does one make on olive oil? The Gemara (גמרא)'s discussion reveals a fundamental chakira: are blessings required for achilah (eating) or hana'ah (benefit)? Rashi (רש"י) holds blessings depend on achilah, explaining why harmful pure oil gets no blessing, while the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s position suggests blessings follow hana'ah.
This shiur examines Gemara (גמרא) Brachos 35b-36a regarding the proper blessing on olive oil (shemen zayis). The Gemara begins with the question of what blessing to make on olive oil, noting that drinking pure olive oil is harmful (mazik) and therefore shouldn't require a blessing. Rashi (רש"י) explains that harmful substances don't qualify as proper 'eating' (achilah) and thus don't require blessings, citing the principle 'v'achalta' from the Torah (תורה). The discussion then moves to cases where olive oil is mixed with other foods (anigrin - cooked vegetables). The Gemara presents a machloket between the Bahag (requiring both anigrin and a sore throat condition) and Rabbeinu Yosef (requiring only a majority of oil). The Tur challenges the Bahag's position, arguing that if oil mixed for medicinal purposes requires a blessing, then certainly non-medicinal consumption should require one.
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Brachos 35b-36a
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Should one learn Torah full-time trusting in Divine providence, or combine learning with work? The shiur distinguishes between Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai's approach of complete separation from worldly concerns versus Rabbi Shmuel's view that proper work itself becomes part of Torah. The key insight: true emunah means learning without demanding sustenance from either Hashem or community, unlike having a 'contract' expecting payment for learning.
