Hamotzi-Money Grows on Trees

 

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ

Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the ground.

The issue with this blessing is bread does not grow from the ground. Wheat grows from the ground and is processed into bread by the work of one’s hands. Imagine it is pay-day and you are anticipating your check. You get an envelope from your boss, and there it is! You feel a sense of satisfaction that you are getting something for what you are doing. But before you start spending you make a blessing: “Blessed are you Hashem…who makes money grow on trees.” But your money grew out of your hard work! I learned from Rabbi Tatz that while we do make the effort of buying/making our bread[1], it would be impossible to obtain without all the other things Hashem blessed us with-our intellect, creativity, ingenuity, wheat, etc. While reciting this blessing, one can have in mind to be protected from the yetzer hara of וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ כֹּחִי֙ וְעֹ֣צֶם יָדִ֔י עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֶת־הַחַ֥יִל הַזֶּֽה “and you say in your hearts, ‘My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.’”[2] May Hashem bless us with the mindset of כִּ֣י ה֗וּא הַנֹּתֵ֥ן לְךָ֛ כֹּ֖חַ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת חָ֑יִל “it is your God יהוה who gives you the power to get wealth.”[3]

 

 

[1] Bread is also referred to as money

[2] Devarim 8:17

[3] Devrarim 8:18

Image from https://natureofhome.com