Rabbi Knopf's Blog

The Talmud teaches that 30 days before Passover, we should start learning about the festival and its meaning. In that spirit, I offer a brief message each day leading up to Passover, drawn from the wisdom of the holiday and the Exodus story. Feel free to share/forward.  -Rabbi Knopf

Day 25: The Breadwinner
The blessing over bread, which we recite over matzah at the Seder, claims that God “takes bread out of the earth.” Strange. Bread doesn’t come from the ground, and humans are the ones who do the “taking,” really an intricate process involving harvesting, milling, mixing, kneading, and baking. The blessing simplifies the system and gives God the credit, just as the Haggadah removes Moses from the Exodus story. Bread, like liberation, doesn’t get done solely by our own power. A vast, complex, and diverse network of creation, past and present, contributes. We have a role to play, we have agency. But we are not islands in creation, and we have limited power and control over outcomes. Liberation, too, requires recognizing our limitations, our reliance on other agencies, our relationship with all that is, and God’s presence in every little step.