Question:
What is the proper bracha to make on the common wheat wrap?
Answer:
To answer this question, we first need to understand some basic concepts regarding foods made from the five primary grains: wheat, rye, spelt, oats, and barley. These foods are generally classified into three categories: non-pas, pas haba’ah b’kisnin, and pas. Non-pas foods are made from the five grains but lack the form of bread, or "tzuras hapas" (literally "the form of bread"). It's hard to define tzuras hapas but it generally refers to foods that have a certain thickness, size, and consistency resembling bread. They include foods such as pasta and oatmeal. The appropriate bracha on non-pas foods is mezonos, regardless of the amount consumed.
Pas HaBa B’Kisnin is the subject of a well-known three-way halachic debate. Rabbeinu Chananel defines it as bread in the shape of a pocket, typically filled with sweet fillings like chocolate, nuts, or fruit. Rambam and Rashi, on the other hand, view it as bread that is sweetened with ingredients like fruit juice, oil, sugar, or honey. Rav Hai Gaon sees it as a cracker-like food that is typically chewy and breaks easily, such as a hard pretzel or cracker. The Shulchan Aruch (168:7) rules according to all three opinions, meaning one recites mezonos on dough that is filled, sweetened, or hard and chewy.
The Gemara in Brachos (42a) explains that if Pas HaBa B’Kisnin is not made into a meal, the bracha is mezonos, but if it is a meal, Hamotzi is recited. The category of pas refers to regular bread, and on such bread, one always recites Hamotzi, regardless of the amount eaten.
Now, regarding wraps, which are typically made from regular bread dough but rolled very thinly, the question arises as to which category they fall into: Pas, Pas HaBa B’Kisnin, or non-pas. There is a significant amount of debate on this issue, with different authorities holding different opinions.
Rav Belsky (OU Kosher website) and R' Dovid Feinstein (in an online video) both rule that wraps are considered pas, and thus the bracha would be Hamotzi.
On the other hand, Rabbi Rubin (Moriah Journal, Year 34,1-3 p. 290) holds that wraps should be classified as Pas HaBa B'Kisnin, and if one eats enough to establish a meal, Hamotzi is recited; otherwise, the bracha is mezonos.
R' Elyashiv (in an online video) maintained that wraps do not have tzuras hapas and are therefore considered non-pas, with the appropriate bracha being mezonos, regardless of the quantity consumed. Similarly, Sefer Yosef Chein (Jacobovits, Brachos 18) says that R' Shmuel Kamenetsky leaned toward the view that wraps do not have tzuras hapas.
In short:
There is a three-way debate regarding the bracha for wraps. Some authorities maintain it’s always mezonos, while others say it’s always Hamotzi, and still others suggest that the bracha depends on the amount consumed, with a larger amount being Hamotzi and a smaller amount requiring mezonos. Given the complexity of this halachic question, it is recommended to consult a halachic authority for a final ruling.