Translation:Mishnah/Seder Zeraim/Tractate Berakhot/Chapter 6/8

Hebrew Text

אכל תאנים וענבים ורמונים – מברך אחריהן שלש ברכות;

דברי רבן גמליאל.

וחכמים אומרים:

ברכה אחת מעין שלש.

רבי עקיבא אומר:

אפילו אכל שלק, והוא מזונו – מברך אחריו שלש ברכות.

השותה מים לצמאו – אומר "שהכל נהיה בדברו".

רבי טרפון אומר:

"בורא נפשות רבות".

English Translation

One who ate figs, grapes, or pomegranates, blesses three blessings after them -- words of Rabban Gamliel.
The Sages say, One blessing, with the essence of three.
Rabbi Akiva says, even one who ate vegetables, if that was his food, blesses three blessings after it.

Drinking water for thirst, bless “For everything exists by His word.” Rabbi Tarphon says, "Creating many lives."

Explanation

figs, grapes, or pomegranates -- examples of the seven species which Scripture associates with the land of Israel in Deut. 8:8.

blesses three blessings -- The full form of the post-meal blessing.

One blessing, with the essence of three -- the shorter form of the post-meal blessing, an abridgement of the full form.

The commandment to bless after meals appears in Deuteronomy, ch 8:
7 For YHVH your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. 10 You will eat and be satisfied, and bless YHVH your God for the good land given you.
Rabban Gamliel considers the commandment to bless, in verse 10, to refer to the entire passage, including the seven species listed in verse 8; therefore, eating any of them requires the full blessing.
The Sages consider the commandment in 10 to refer to the previous verse, 9, which mentions only bread. Therefore, as there is no biblical requirement to bless after the seven species, a rabbinically-ordained condensed version is sufficent for them.
Rabbi Akiva reads verse 10 on its own, and therefore asserts that anything that is eaten and provides satisfaction calls for the full blessing.