בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ רוּח הָעוֹלָם
הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ
Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu ruach ha-olamha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Spirit of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.
*What are we expressing thanks for here?
*Why do you think we use this language for our bracha for bread?
(יז) רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ. אִם אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין חָכְמָה, אֵין יִרְאָה. אִם אֵין יִרְאָה, אֵין חָכְמָה. אִם אֵין בִּינָה, אֵין דַּעַת. אִם אֵין דַּעַת, אֵין בִּינָה. אִם אֵין קֶמַח, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין קֶמַח.
(17) Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: If there is no Torah, there is no worldly purpose; if there is no worldly purpose, there is no Torah.
If there is no wisdom, there is no fear; if there is no fear, there is no wisdom. If there is no understanding, there is no knowledge; if there is no knowledge, there is no understanding.
If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour.
*What do you think Rabbi Elazar is saying about Torah?
*What does the Torah have to do with food?
(ב) וילינו [וַיִּלּ֜וֹנוּ] כָּל־עֲדַ֧ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל עַל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְעַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ (ג) וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ אֲלֵהֶ֜ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל מִֽי־יִתֵּ֨ן מוּתֵ֤נוּ בְיַד־יְהוָה֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בְּשִׁבְתֵּ֙נוּ֙ עַל־סִ֣יר הַבָּשָׂ֔ר בְּאָכְלֵ֥נוּ לֶ֖חֶם לָשֹׂ֑בַע כִּֽי־הוֹצֵאתֶ֤ם אֹתָ֙נוּ֙ אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה לְהָמִ֛ית אֶת־כָּל־הַקָּהָ֥ל הַזֶּ֖ה בָּרָעָֽב׃ (ס) (ד) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה הִנְנִ֨י מַמְטִ֥יר לָכֶ֛ם לֶ֖חֶם מִן־הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְיָצָ֨א הָעָ֤ם וְלָֽקְטוּ֙ דְּבַר־י֣וֹם בְּיוֹמ֔וֹ...
...(יד) וַתַּ֖עַל שִׁכְבַ֣ת הַטָּ֑ל וְהִנֵּ֞ה עַל־פְּנֵ֤י הַמִּדְבָּר֙ דַּ֣ק מְחֻסְפָּ֔ס דַּ֥ק כַּכְּפֹ֖ר עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (טו) וַיִּרְא֣וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ אִ֤ישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו֙ מָ֣ן ה֔וּא כִּ֛י לֹ֥א יָדְע֖וּ מַה־ה֑וּא וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם ה֣וּא הַלֶּ֔חֶם אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֧ן יְהוָ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם לְאָכְלָֽה׃ (טז) זֶ֤ה הַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה לִקְט֣וּ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ אִ֖ישׁ לְפִ֣י אָכְל֑וֹ... (יז) וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֖ן בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיִּלְקְט֔וּ הַמַּרְבֶּ֖ה וְהַמַּמְעִֽיט׃ (יח) וַיָּמֹ֣דּוּ בָעֹ֔מֶר וְלֹ֤א הֶעְדִּיף֙ הַמַּרְבֶּ֔ה וְהַמַּמְעִ֖יט לֹ֣א הֶחְסִ֑יר אִ֥ישׁ לְפִֽי־אָכְל֖וֹ לָקָֽטוּ׃
(2) In the wilderness, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. (3) The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we ate our fill of bread! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to starve this whole congregation to death.” (4) And the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread for you from the sky, and the people shall go out and gather each day that day’s portion...
...(14) When the fall of dew lifted, there, over the surface of the wilderness, lay a fine and flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. (15) When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”—for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. (16) This is what the LORD has commanded: Gather as much of it as each of you requires to eat... (17) The Israelites did so, some gathering much, some little. (18) But when they measured it, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no deficiency: they had gathered as much as they needed to eat.
*What was so special about this kind of bread?
*How do you think this might affect what Rabbi Eleazar said?
*So what's the point of HaMotzi?
Let's see what one source has so say about this...
During the six days of the week we are involved with the physical world, and our physical work gives us a sense of future security. But Shabbat is a day detached from the physical. We are not working to physically provide for ourselves.
And just as we had to trust that God would provide for us in the desert at Sinai, today we have to learn to trust again. We have to know that God provides for us every day -- and our futures are also in God's hands.
And why do we cover the challah? Because, in the desert, the manna fell with a covering of dew, on top and below. The dew was a sort of preservative, as well as insurance that the freshness remains intact, keeping the taste new and stimulating.
When we make ha-motzi with the challah cover draped over the two loaves, we remind ourselves to instill into our consciousness a sense of wonder and freshness that the morning dew represents.
-Adapted from Aish, "Ha-Motzi Blessing for the Bread" http://www.aish.com/sh/ht/fn/48969636.html
בן זומא ראה אוכלוסין בהר הבית אמר ברוך חכם הרזים וברוך שברא כל אלו לשמשני כמה יגע אדם הראשון ולא טעם מלוגמא אחת עד שחרש וזרע וקצר ועמר ודש וזרה ובירר וטחן והרקיד ולש ואפה ואח"כ אכל ואני עומד שחרית ומוצא כל אלו לפני.
When Ben Zoma saw large crowds of people on the Temple Mount he said, “Blessed be the One who created all of these people to serve me. How much did the first man toiled before he tasted even one mouthful? He planted grain, plowed, reaped, bound sheaves, threshed, winnowed, selected, ground, sifted, kneaded, and baked, and only after that he ate bread. And I stand up in the morning and I find all these foods prepared for me!"