Are breakfast cereals subject to the rules of Pas Yisroel?
• ANSWER: The determining factor as to whether a food is a tavshil (and subject to the halachos of bishul yisroel) or pas (bread and therefore and exempt) is whether one would recite the brachah hamotzi upon being koveah seudah (designated as one’s meal) on the food. In this context, breakfast cereals are considered tavshilim because they lack tzuras hapas (the shape of bread) and one would never recite the brachah hamotzi regardless of how much cereal they ate. [In addition, some cereals aren’t pas because they don’t contain any of the 5 grains]. However, breakfast cereals do not require bishul yisroel because they aren’t fit to be served at shulchan melachim (a formal dinner).
