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| Praised are you O Lord
our God king of the Universe Who brings forth bread from
the earth.
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Barukh ata adonai eloheinu
meleh ha'olam HaMotzi Lechem min Ha'aretz |
This blessing can be found on page 714 of Siddur
Sim Shalom.
This
may very be the most basic bracha and possibly the most famous.
It is this bracha that defines a meal, and it the bracha with
which the most people are familiar. This is the bracha that recited
before eating bread. The strength o the HaMotzi is that one person
can say it on behalf of others and that once a person has recited
it before a meal there is no need to recite any other brachot.
There are a few interesting customs on Shabbat that
are the result of the overachieving nature of this bracha. Since
HaMotzi covers all other brachot that would normally be recited
during a meal. For example, if one were to eat a piece of fruit
then one should recite Borei Pri HaEtz (see bracha #11). However,
if one has already recited HaMotzi there is no need to then recite
the bracha over the piece of fruit as that person has already
fulfilled their obligation is saying the bracha HaMotzi Lechem
Min HaAretz. In the hierarchy of brachot HaMotzi is one of the
most significant. That is why on Shabbat we cover the bread and
make believe it is not there, so that we can first say the bracha
over the wine and then we uncover the bread and recite HaMotzi.
If we were to see the bread we would be compelled to say that
bracha first and therefore, we cover it thereby pretending it
is not there.
The Rabbis of the Talmud (Brachot 50b) teach us
that we must treat bread with even greater respect and care than
other foodstuffs. They say there are four things one must not
do with bread, place raw meat on it, a full cup should not be
passed over it, it should not be thrown and nothing should be
propped up by it. All of these prevention insure the bread does
not become soiled rendering inedible. The value placed on bread
in that sugya (section of the Talmud) is then extending to other
foods reminding us of the value of all food and the importance
of not wasting anything that can provide sustenance.
But the question remains, why is bread so important
and does God actually "bring forth bread from the earth?" The
answer to both of these questions are similar and point to process
by which bread makes it to our tables. Bread is the result of
a unique partnership between humanity and God. It is the first
thing we attempted to make as we left Egypt showing that the relationship
between God and the Jewish people at that point need a little
mote time to develop. Bread is only possible if we have wheat
or other types of flour. And in order for us to grow those substances
we need rain and good soil. That is God's part. Then those raw
materials need to be combined and worked n order to yield bread.
It s not an easy process and one that takes skill and time to
complete properly. Sometimes it comes out great and sometimes
not. But the more one works at it the better and the more consistent
the outcome.
The same is true of our relationship with God. It
takes time and we must work at it. In order for us to have bread
we must understand the unique partnership we are in with God.
Bread therefore comes to represent God and humanity working together
and that is a foundational idea in our tradition. Even if you
are the type who enjoys snack foods, you will have a need for
a substantive meal. HaMotzi defines that meal. Even if you are
one who enjoys a periodic interaction with God, know it is the
substantive connection with the Almighty that will sustain your
life. Bread is the paradigm for a relationship with God. It can
nourish the body as its example can feed the soul.
Copyright © 2001 Rabbi
Yohanan Stein. All rights reserved.
New Jersey Region United Synagogue
of Conservative Judaism
PO Box 390; 1025 St. Georges
Ave
Linden, NJ 07036-0390
Phone: 908-925-USCJ (8725)
/ Fax: 908-486-USCJ (8725)
E-mail: njersey@uscj.org
Copyright © 2000 -
2003 New Jersey USCJ. All rights reserved.
Last Updated: July 2003
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