Thank you for your excellent summaries which I am seeing for the first time today. Please explain (with mekorot if possible) why it matters that the beracha for bread should be in the past tense - the machloket about Hamotzi lechem vs motzi lechem.
Gideon Sylvester, Jerusalem, Israel
1) Rashi writes that clearly we require the past tense because Hash-m has already taken the bread out from the earth when we enjoy it.
2) However the Shitah Mekubetzet, [whose source is the Ra'ah and the Ritva] at the top of 38b, adds an insight into the fact that the Gemara found it necessary to state that the Halacha follows Rabanan. This is because if one said "Motzi"; in accordance with Rabbi Nechemiah's opinion; everyone agrees that one has said a valid beracha since Motzi is the past tense. However, even though Motzi is acceptable bedieved, the Gemara wishes to tell us that Hamotzi is still preferable. This is because Hamotzi can mean either past, present or future.
3) In this way, the blessing of Hamotzi has a special connection with wheat, which is one of the species of seeds which grows quickly. Wheat is different from fruits of the tree, which only are ripe at fixed times of the year. This is why we say "Borei" [Borei Pri Ha'Eitz] on fruits of the tree, and not "HaBorei", since we wish to use a word which is clearly only a past tense, to indicate that fruits of the tree are not available all the time.
4) We learn that Hamotzi is a very special beracha; of 3 dimensions in time. Hash-m is continually providing us with bread from the ground. He has always done this for us, He continues constantly to do this for us, and He always will do it for us. Hash-m made wheat for us, which grows very quickly and is frequently ready when we need it. The fruits of the tree are less essential for our day-to-day needs, so Hash-m gave them to us in a less frequent, and more fixed way.
The difference in the nature of the foods that we eat, is reflected in the blessings we say on them.
Shabbat Shalom
Dovid Bloom