(ב) על הלחם מברך:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ‑יָ אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ:
(2) Praised are you, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
מַצְמִ֤יחַ חָצִ֨יר ׀ לַבְּהֵמָ֗ה וְ֭עֵשֶׂב לַעֲבֹדַ֣ת הָאָדָ֑ם לְה֥וֹצִיא לֶ֝֗חֶם מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
You make the grass grow for the cattle, and herbage for man’s labor that he may get food out of the earth—
“How do matzah, manna and bread differ?
While matzah is associated with slavery and manna with freedom, these two types of bread both represent dependence; in the former, the slave relied on a human master for food, and in the latter, the Israelites had to depend on God for their daily portion of manna.
Bread, on the other hand, is a symbol of the partnership between God and people. Although the blessing for bread (hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz) praises God for “bringing forth bread from the earth” the original phrase taken from Psalms stresses humans’ contribution.
The first part of the verse acknowledges God’s role, “You make the grass grow for the cattle, and herbage for human’s labour” but the second part recognizes “that humans may bring forth bread [food] from the earth” (Psalm 104:14).
In the midrashic imagination, fresh rolls and bagels may have indeed sprouted directly from the earth in the Garden of Eden, but in the world since then, a lot of human labor goes into the making of bread.
The Sage Ben Zoma recognizes how much work is required:
"What labors the first person had to carry out before obtaining bread to eat! One must plough, sow, reap, bind [the sheaves], thresh and winnow and select the ears, grind [them], and sift [the flour], knead and bake, and then at last eat." (B’rachot 58a)
When we take our first bite of bread at a meal, we should appreciate that partnership: remember all the labor that went into it, as well as acknowledge the blessing of having the wheat that can be turned into bread.
That partnership began when the Israelites entered the promised land ending their wandering in the wilderness. The fulfillment of the process of liberation that began so long ago with the exodus from Egypt ends 40 years later on Passover, the anniversary of the original redemption.”
This is an excerpt From
"The Natural Bible" by Baruch Sienna
- What is the difference between the meaning of the original verse from the psalm and the blessing created by the rabbis?
- How can you bring what you learned from the mindful eating practice to the way you eat bread?
- How can you bring what you learned from the mindful eating practices to the way, you eat matzah on Seder night?
Sources of the Hamotzi blessing
Explaining his custom, he would say: How much effort did Adam the first man exert before he found bread to eat:
He plowed, sowed, reaped, sheaved, threshed, winnowed in the wind, separated the grain from the chaff, ground the grain into flour, sifted, kneaded, and baked and only thereafter he ate.
And I, on the other hand, wake up and find all of these prepared for me. Human society employs a division of labor, and each individual benefits from the service of the entire world.
Similarly, how much effort did Adam the first man exert before he found a garment to wear?
He sheared, laundered, combed, spun and wove, and only thereafter he found a garment to wear.
And I, on the other hand, wake up and find all of these prepared for me. Members of all nations, merchants and craftsmen, diligently come to the entrance of my home, and I wake up and find all of these before me.
My Home made challah
Home made soft matzah
