Blessing for Eating Bread: Challah

BLESSING FOR EATING BREAD: CHALLAH

הוהי הָּתאַ ךוּרָבּ ,םָלוֹעָה ךֶלֶמ וּניֵהֹלֱא .ץֶראָָה ןִמ םֶחֶל איִצוֹמַה Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, Majesty of the world, who brings forth bread from the earth.

Baruch Atah, Adonai, Eloheinu, Melech ha’olam, hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz.

THINK

To help us connect to the ultimate Source of the world, the sages taught that when we derive benefit from the world, we should do it with the recitation of a blessing.15 The Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, expanded on this teaching, saying that when we take food in our hands and recite a blessing, our mention of the divine name awakens the spark of the divine within the food itself. Blessings aren’t just words; they’re a language of connection that gives us a profound opportunity to transform our relationship to the world and our role in it.

CONNECT

This blessing thanks God who “brings forth bread from the earth.” What about all the human steps required over many months to transform nature and its elements into a finished product? Wheat must be planted, harvested, and ground into flour before we even begin the myriad steps to turn that flour into bread. The blessing is once again inviting us to live in gratitude for the miracles of our daily life.

REFLECT

What simple pleasures do you enjoy daily? What helps you express gratitude and not take daily pleasures for granted?

PERSONAL PRAYER

Dear God, Thank You for the bounty You have given me today and for the opportunity to share with those who are in need. Bless my soul and my hands, and grant me the clarity to share my gifts with others. Continue to inspire me to believe in Your wisdom and to receive strength from Your teachings. Guide me, God, so I can always lead with gratitude and faith.

— Gisele Pintchuck, Sarasota, Florida