Berakhot 117

14:
Before we discuss the next point we must preface an explanation of some Biblical verses and their most exact implications – often lost in translation. Firstly let us consider Numbers 23:22. The part of this verse relevant to our discussion reads: El motzi'am mi-mitzrayim, whose exact contextual meaning is different from that suggested by its exact grammatical form: The Deity that brought them out from Egypt". Another verse to consider is Deuteronomy 8:15. The part of this verse relevant to our discussion reads: Ha-motzi lekha mayim mi-tzur chalamish, whose exact contextual meaning meaning, too, is different from that suggested by its exact grammatical form: "Who produced water for you from a flint rock". Yet a third verse to be considered is Exodus 6:7. The part of this verse relevant to our discussion reads: "Who brings you out from under the the burdens of Egypt". In this verse, even though the grammatical form of the Hebrew word "ha-motzi" is the same as in the two previous instances – a verbal noun with a relative prefix – the contextual meaning should be present tense and not past tense, since the speaker is God and the reference is to the process of redemption now under way. Thus it transpires that the exact time-reference of a verbal noun can only be truly ascertained from its immediate context.

15:
One of the most well-known of all berakhot must surely be ha-Motzi leĥem min ha-aretz ["…Who produces bread from the earth"]. So it must be surprising that the actual text of this berakhah should be the subject of a maĥloket [difference of opinion] among the sages. The Tanna of our mishnah determines that the exact wording of this berakhah should be (as any informed Jewish child knows to this day!) ha-Motzi leĥem min ha-aretz – a verbal noun with a relative prefix. This, of course, reflects the majority opinion of the sages (and this is the reason that the name of the actual sage propounding this stance is not given in the mishnah). The Gemara [Berakhot 38a] reports that this wording is not accepted by none other than Rabbi Neĥemyah – who was (together with Rabbi Yehudah) the subject of our discussion concerning Creation [Berakhot 110] – which opinion was rejected by David Sieradzki's preference expressed in the shiur previous to this one. Rabbi Neĥemyah says that the berakhah should be Motzi leĥem min ha-aretz, that is a verbal noun without the relative prefix.

16:
The Gemara then goes on to discuss the implications of this maĥloket. The Babylonian Amora, Rava, says that all the sages agree that the meaning implied by the format espoused by Rabbi Neĥemyah is the appropriate meaning of the berakhah: God brought forth bread from the earth; past tense. Numbers 23:22 is quoted here as a proof-text: El motzi'am mi-mitzrayim [The Deity that brought them out from Egypt]. The sages differ as regards the format espoused by our mishnah. Can HA-motzi also indicate past tense? – as championed by the sages, quoting Deuteronomy 8:15 as their proof-text: Ha-motzi lekha mayim mi-tzur ĥalamish [Who produced water for you from a flint rock]. Rabbi Neĥemyah thinks that this format cannot have the meaning the sages attribute to it, quoting Exodus 6:7 as his proof-text: "Who brings you out from under the the burdens of Egypt".

17:
The sages reject Rabbi Neĥemyah's exegesis, not his halakhic assumption (that the berakhah should refer to events past), with which they agree. They interpret the verse from Exodus 6:7 as follows: "God is saying to Israel, 'When I bring you out of Egypt I shall do it in such a manner as you will then understand that it was I who brought you out of Egypt'". We must note that the sages and Rabbi Neĥemyah all agree that the real meaning of the berakhah is not – as we all so erroneously translate – "…Who brings forth bread from the earth", but "…Who brought forth bread from the earth" – by determining at the moment of creation the natural process that the sown seed shall germinate under ground, sprout, and then ripen ready for harvesting. (Thus, it seems to me, that the sages of the Talmud do not espouse the view of David Sieradzki.)

18:
The last clause of our mishnah reports another maĥloket, this time between Tanna Kamma and Rabbi Yehudah concerning the formula for the berakhah over vegetables. The formula put forward by Rabbi Yehudah is not accepted.