Measures of a kezayit and a kebeitza
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Question
Shalom, Rabbi. I am confused about the size of a kezayit. What is a kezayit in practice? For example, when eating bread or challah (pat) at Kiddush – is one slice already considered more than a kebeitza, so that it is regarded from the outset as a meal? And what about other foods such as cookies, wafers, and the like – how can one estimate in them the amount of a kezayit or a kebeitza? The question is according to Ashkenazi custom.
Answer
Shalom u’vracha
The measure of a kezayit is approximately 28 cc for all rabbinic laws (derabbanan), and 55 cc is the measure of a kebeitza.
The size of a kezayit is slightly more than the size of a modern matchbox.
Regarding Torah‑level obligations (de’oraita), these amounts should be doubled: 50 cc for a kezayit and 100 cc for a kebeitza.
Therefore, with regard to the blessing, half a slice of standard sliced bread is comfortably a kezayit, and one slice is a kebeitza.
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