Halakha Mazmur 104:14: Shulchan Shel Arba, Mishneh Torah, Blessings & Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim

A second blessing “Ha-motzi’ lehem min ha-aretz” is from the words of the scribes, which they derived a fortiori: “If one who has satisfied his hunger says a blessing, how much the more so ought one when he is hungry say a blessing.”⁵⁸B. Berakhot 35a. The explanation is that when one has satisfied his hunger and has already enjoyed the holy things of Heaven, which until he has said a blessing are prohibited to him as if they were hekdesh, how much the more so when he is hungry and about to enjoy the holy things of Heaven ought he say a blessing before eating them, so as not to be penalized with having to make a sacrilege offering (korban me’ilah).⁵⁹That is, the offering required for someone who has “stolen” the sacred food set aside for the priests. You would think that one should say “min ha-adamah” – “from the ground” in this blessing, but it gets the expression from Scripture: “le-hotzi’ lehem min ha-‘aretz.”⁶⁰Ps. 104:14: “to get food out of the earth.” Though ‘adamah and ‘eretz can both mean “earth,” ‘adamah is the term more commonly used when speaking about harvesting food grown in a field. And if you take issue with the precise meaning of the expression “lehem” – “bread,” you will find that it means food in general, as in “he [King Belshazzar] gave a great banquet [lehem],⁶¹Daniel 5:1 (JSB) translating the Aramaic “’avad lehem rav.” since the bread itself is not what comes forth from the earth, but rather the produce from which they make bread. And so you will find with the manna: “I will rain down bread [lehem] for you from the sky.”⁶²Ex. 16:4. It is well known that bread did not come down from the sky, but the manna out of which they made bread,” as it is said, “they would make it into cakes.”⁶³Nu. 11:8.

The one who breaks the bread when he breaks it should grasp the loaf in his two hands with ten fingers because of his love for the blessing [over the bread]. And thus you will find ten words in the blessing “ha-motzi.” And likewise the verse [from which it is derived]: “You grow grass for cattle, herbage for man to work to bring forth bread from the earth.”⁶⁴Ps 104:14 in Hebrew is ten words: Matzmi’ah hatzir le-behemah va-esev le-avodat ha-adam le-hotzi’ lehem min ha-aretz. And we find ten mitzvot that were given regarding produce: (1) “You shall not plow [with and ox and ass together];” (2) “You shall not muzzle [an ox while it is threshing];” ⁶⁵Dt. 22:10; Dt 25:4. (3) terumah for the priest; (4) the first tithe for the Levite; (5) the tithe of the tithe that the Levite gives to the priest; (6) the second tithe; (7) the tithe for the poor; (8) gleaning; (9) “the forgotten sheaf;” and (10) leaving the corners of the field for the poor.

Whoever eats bread has to recite before the meal the blessing, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who bringest forth bread from the earth"; [and after the meal, the four blessings of the Grace after meals.^*Words in brackets are not in the manuscript but are in the printed text.] If one eats grain, plainly boiled, he recites before the meal the blessing; ^*All these blessings have the introductory formula “Blessed art Thou Lord, our God, King of the Universe”. "… Who createst the fruit of the earth", and after it, "Who createst many living beings with their wants etc.". If one eats meal, he first recites the blessing "by Whose word all things exist", and after he has eaten, "Who createst many living beings".