Berakhot 50
“The basis for these laws is the need to treat bread with respect.”
The Rabbis of 2,000 years ago have tough standards; editing one word in a blessing can result in the title of “ignoramus.” If one includes “by whose goodness” in a blessing, he is a scholar, but if he edits the blessing to say “from whose goodness” he is branded an idiot because he is limiting the degree of goodness that is bestowed upon him. Each and every word – no matter how seemingly inconsequential – carries a great deal of significance in the blessings. If one is making a request of God, then it is appropriate to use “from your blessing” because to ask for more would be presumptuous.
More attention and parsing of words continue: Those who say “by his goodness we live” are scholars while those who say “by his goodness they live” is a fool for excluding himself from the community. There are so many rules on how to say these blessings that it is not surprising that we have read prolonged sections on who is qualified to lead (the most senior, the guest, the head of the household.) Maybe it is not a bad thing to just keep quiet rather than slipping up and proving oneself to be an “ignoramus”. My father used to say when I was growing up that “even a fish doesn’t get caught if he doesn’t open his mouth.” In other words, it is better to stand back and listen rather than to blather away about nonsense. He lived his life this way, as he was the strong silent type. But when he had something to say, it was with authority and people listened.
The use of the word ignoramus was more common when I was growing up; I don’t hear it used very often these days. I remember loving tossing it around as a kid at my annoying little brother (who grew to be the smartest person I know and one who is very careful with his speech). It appears quite often in the Koren Talmud. Does anyone know if there are other translations from the Hebrew?
Those of us who love bread will find that this statement resonates with meaning: “The basis for these laws is the need to treat bread with respect.” The laws refer to the prohibition against placing raw meat on bread, passing a cup of over bread (lest it should drip), propping up a dish with bread, or throwing bread. We have found out previously that bread is considered a meal (preferably with salt). And bread appears to be in its own category because throwing other types of food is entirely acceptable.
This respect for bread resonates with the role challah plays on the Sabbath where one service that I attended recently ended with the passing of the bread throughout the congregation. Everyone pulled a piece off the loaf in a demonstration of community.
For those who feel like baking bread this weekend, here is a recipe from My Jewish Learning:
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher/how-to-make-challah/