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The order of berachot before eating foods are as follows (Mishna Berurah 211:35): HaMotzei, Mezonot, Hagafen, HaEtz, HaAdama, and Shehakol.

I seems as though the more חשוב the food is, the greater precedence it has and the more significant the after-beracha is.

Meat is considered a delicacy, a facilitator of (non-subjective) simcha (according to the Rambam, see here), is used in important korbanot, has many halachot regarding its preparation, has a higher level of 'soul' in comparison to inanimate vegetables (Ramchal), etc.

Quote from the Rambam (Hilchot Yom Tov 6:18), talking about simchat Yom Tov:

והאנשים, אוכלין בשר ושותין יין, שאין שמחה אלא בבשר, ואין שמחה אלא ביין.

Why then does meat not have a greater significance in terms of berachot?

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    Since at creation animals were not intended to be eaten we have to make a bracha about how Hashem creates everything,but we cannot call it it a food item intrinsically. – sam Jun 13 '14 at 0:18
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    @sam Interesting. Do you have a source, or is this your own chiddush? – Ypnypn Jun 13 '14 at 3:00
  • sam is qouting the gemara (or possibly rav kook who promulgated this idea) – Shoel U'Meishiv Jun 13 '14 at 12:14
  • Its a thought I have heard before,not my chiddush – sam Jun 15 '14 at 2:28
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1) The fact that meat comes at the cost of killing an animal, we don't make a special Beracha. Similar to why we don't say Shehecheyanu by a Bris Milah because the child is in pain.

2) The animal itself gets its nourishment from vegetation, so in that sense it can't get a greater Beracha than its life source.

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    Very interesting. Do you have any sources for what you are suggesting? – AKayser Jun 18 '14 at 4:43
  • plants get nourishment from the earth, yet plants have a greater bracha than earth (salt) – ertert3terte Jun 18 '14 at 5:13
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    You could argue the opposite for point 1. That one Should say a more significant beracha to fulfil several obligations, which overrides the 'cost of killing'. Is this a term borrowed from somewhere? – bondonk Jun 18 '14 at 9:53

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