We are beginning siman 5. We will discuss the concept of “outsourcing” daas to someone else.
The Chayei Adam writes that everything he has written until now regarding extending a bracha regards one eating in their own house, under their own purview. If one is eating as a guest, once they make a bracha, it exempts everything of that bracha (e.g., all haeitz), even if the original item upon which the bracha was made is no longer on the table. The Chayei Adam explains that a guest outsources their daas to their host, so when the guest makes a bracha, their intent is that their bracha should cover whatever the host serves. The only exception would be if the guest effects a nimlach, by truly deciding that they will no longer eat of a specific bracha.
The Chayei Adam addresses a question. If the guest outsources their daas to their host, if the host decides to serve something which they were not previously planning to serve, the host did not have daas for that item, and the host themselves would be required to make a new bracha on that item. If so, maybe the guest cannot include that new item under their outsourced daas to the host, and they should need to make a new bracha as well. However, the Chayei Adam writes that outsourcing daas works differently. It works by the guest placing a general daas in the host that the host will take care of them, regardless of the specific items which the host was planning to serve. Therefore, as long as the host is still in the process of hosting their guest, any foods brought out are included in the guest’s daas. We will discuss this concept further in upcoming shiurim, be’ezras Hashem/
Summary
- If one is a guest, they can outsource their daas to their host, and any items of the same bracha will be covered by their original bracha (e.g., all haeitz will be covered from the first item consumed).
