Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Skip to content

Breaking Bread

In which the Gemara dives deep to address the formulation of the blessing over bread — is it “Motzi” or the “HaMotzi” we all know? The big difference seems to be whether the blessing is to be uttered in past or present tense – and the prooftexts for each take us back to the Exodus from Egypt, or better: when God *took us out* of Egypt. A personal favorite segment of this discussion is the consultation with the “Berakhot Expert,” and his apparent diplomacy. But the more significant is the transformation implicit in the allusion to the Exodus — and the making of bread.

Also: Who’s Who – Ulla.

 

Click here for the Talking Talmud podcast on Daf 38.

 

Happy Tu Be’Shevat!

 

To listen: Click the link above. Or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Or join the Talking Talmud WhatsApp group, and receive the link as soon as it goes up.

Anne and Yardaena

Anne Gordon is the deputy editor of Ops & Blogs at The Times of Israel. She is a veteran educator, having taught in high school and post-high school institutions in Israel and America for several decades. Yardaena Osband is a pediatrician and teaches in her community and online. They both hail from Boston, proud alumna of Maimonides School, where they first learned Gemara. Talking Talmud is their conversation (via podcast) on the daf yomi. They say: "Learning the daf? We have something for you to think about. Not learning the daf? We have something for you to think about! (Along with a taste of the daf...) Join the conversation with us!"
Scroll To Top