Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

Food Blessings
In the words of the Talmud, whoever enjoys this world’s pleasures without reciting a
blessing is tantamount to one who steals from God. (Berachot 35a).
We eat every day, many times a day. When we pause before eating to say a brachah
(blessing), we invite God into the simple act of eating. We transform that first bite, and
all that follow it, from an ordinary rote action to a holy action, a moment infused with the
presence of God. Teaching and using food brachot (blessings) is a straightforward way to
teach about God’s presence in the world around us.* When teaching brachot to children,
it is best to introduce each brachah with concrete symbols. Merely saying the brachah
before eating will not teach young children what they are saying. Introduce each new
brachah in circle time, show the children the food that they are blessing God for creating.
For example, what does it mean to “bring forth bread from the earth”? Show the children
pictures of wheat in the field, then show them what wheat looks like after it has been
harvested. Show children flour and yeast, and then show them how yeast makes dough
rise. Give them a context for what they are saying. When teaching the brachot for things
that grow on an eitz (tree) and in the adama (ground), show children pictures of fruit trees
and produce that grows from the ground. If we teach through concrete symbols and give
children a context, they will truly understand what they are saying and can appreciate
more fully how saying the brachah invites God to the snack table.
Each food has a blessing. Following are all the food blessings. With children of all ages,
it is important to say the correct blessing with each snack and at each meal time. Saying
ha’motzi with every snack and meal robs children of the opportunity to learn something
new about God with each different food they eat.
Bread - Ha’motzi –When a meal contains bread, it is customary to say only ha’motzi,
which then covers all the other foods consumed at that meal.
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Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam, ha’motzi lechem min ha’aretz.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the
earth.
Why is bread so important to the Jewish people? The rabbis regarded bread as the staple
of their diet and a meal was not considered complete without it. They instituted a special
blessing to be recited before eating bread. On Shabbat, two loaves of challah are placed
on the table in remembrance of the double portion of manna that the Israelites received in
the wilderness every Friday (Exodus 16:5). When the motzi or any other food brachah is
recited before eating, you should eat immediately, without talking or pausing for too long
(Klein, p. 43).
*For more about why God’s presence is so essential in early childhood, see the God and Spirituality
section in this Vision.
Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide
USCJ Department of Education
Maxine Handelman
Handelman@uscj.org
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