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

Baruch ata adonai, eloheinu melech ha'olam hamotzi lechem min haaretz.

Blessed are You, Adonai, Sovereign of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the ground.

ברוּךְ אַתָּה ה,’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ

עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה.

Baruch ata adonai, eloheinu melech ha'olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al achilat matzah.

Blessed are You, Adonai, Sovereign of the Universe, who makes us holy through Your commandments, and commands us to eat matzah.

WHY? Would anyone here describe matzah as a fancy, indulgent food? Does it bear any resemblance to, say, a bagel, or warm challah fresh out of the oven? Nope. It is dry, it is brittle, and it kind of tastes like nothing. Eating matzah is a humbling experience. The Torah calls it lechem oni, which means "bread of affliction," or, in other words, "poor man's bread." Matzah reminds us of what it is like to live through hard times, when we don't get to eat special things.


haggadah Section: Motzi-Matzah