The Hebrew phrase ''tokh k'dei dibur'' (תוך כדי דיבור, "within
imesufficient for speech") is a principle in
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
that governs the immediacy with which one must speak words for them to be considered a continuation of what has been stated just prior.
The period of ''toch k'dei dibur'' is equivalent to the time necessary to say the words ''Shalom alecha rebbi'' (שלום עליך רבי, "Peace unto you, my teacher"), which is somewhat less than three seconds.
Mishnah Brurah
The ''Mishnah Berurah'' ( he, משנה ברורה "Clear Teaching") is a work of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (Poland, 1838–1933, also known as ''Chofetz Chaim''). It is a commentary on ''Orach Chayim'', the first section ...
206:12, although the ''
Taz'' adds the word ''u'mori'' (ומורי, "and my master"), which would lengthen the permitted window of opportunity.
Practical example
Prior to consuming any food or beverage, a
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
must recite a
blessing
In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will.
Etymology and Germanic paganism
The modern English language term ''bless'' likely ...
to express his or her gratitude to
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
for providing sustenance, (
B.
Berachot 35a) and there are different blessings for different types of food.
If for instance, an individual was just about to take a bite from a carrot, for which the blessing ends ''borei pri ha'adamah'' (בורא פרי האדמה, "...the creator of fruits of ground") but instead, erroneously concluded the blessing that applies to fruit, ''bore pri ha'etz'' (בורא פרי העץ, "...the creator of fruits of the tree"), correcting the final part of the blessing to the appropriate conclusion ''toch k'dei dibur'' (i.e. within the allotted 3-second window of time), the error would thus be resolved.
['' Be'er Heitev'' 209:2 ''v'toch'']
References
Jewish law principles
Jewish blessings
Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law
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