The parasha opens at the low point in Moses' mission. Pharaoh responded to the request to free the Hebrew slaves by increasing oppressive measures. The Jews began to wish that Moses had never come. Even Moses had his doubts. In response, God told Moses to relay the following message to the Israelites: "You will know that I am God your Lord, the One who brings you out [hamotzi] from under the Egyptian subjugation." (Exodus 6:7)
The tense of the verb used here - hamotzi - is awkward. The Israelites have not yet been freed. Why say "who brings you out..."? The future tense - "who will bring you out" would make more sense.
The word "hamotzi" is also the name of the blessing made before eating bread. The Talmud (Berachot 36) records a debate regarding this blessing. Rabbi Nehemiah felt the blessing should read: "Blessed are You... Who brought forth [motzi] bread from the earth." But the other sages argued that the blessing should be: "...the One Who brings forth [ha-motzi] bread from the earth." Just as in our verse.
The Talmud explains that this disagreement is connected to the interpretation of the verse in Exodus. According to Rabbi Nehemiah, the word "hamotzi" implies the future. The Jews were still slaves in Egypt, and God assured them that He would take them out in the future. The future tense, however, is not appropriate for the blessing over bread. This blessing is in recognition for the wheat that has already come out of the earth. The word "motzi" refers to the past, and is therefore more suitable.
The other sages felt that the word "hamotzi" implies both the past and the future. They understood the verse as follows: The Jews will be freed (in the future), after which they will recognize God as their Liberator (in the past). Therefore, "hamotzi" is also appropriate for the blessing over bread.
What is the essence of this disagreement? Is it simply an argument over Hebrew grammar? What is the significance of the blessing being in the past or the future?
Rabbi Kook explained that there are two basic approaches to attaining love and fear of Heaven. The first approach is to carefully contemplate God's greatness, by studying His actions and creations. This analysis allows us to appreciate God's infinite wisdom and justice.
The second opinion states that intellectual study by itself is insufficient. There must also be an emotional element. We need to awaken within ourselves a reverence and love for the Essence that creates these spectacular works.
Rabbi Nehemiah, by preferring the word "motzi", concurred with the first approach. Before eating bread, we need to raise our intellectual awareness of the event that occurred - this bread was baked from wheat that God brought forth from the earth. The word "motzi" is a verb, referring to an event that has taken place. Rabbi Nehemiah stresses the importance of the past tense, since appreciation of God's greatness is achieved by analyzing God's hand in history and past events.
The other sages disagreed. The blessing should be "hamotzi" - "the One Who brings forth". This is not a verb, but a descriptive phrase. We do not only observe the event itself, but we attempt to look beyond it to the Cause of the action. This is a supra-scientific, intuitive approach to relate to God according to His actions. According to the sages, when we make a blessing over bread, it is not enough to contemplate the process of wheat coming out of the earth. We must concentrate on the Source of this process, and form a mental image of God that reflects this activity.
For the sages, the time frame is not relevant. What matters is to concentrate on a vision of the Cause of the event, and not just analyze the historical facts.
When God promised the Israelites, "You will know that I am God your Lord, the One who brings you out from under the Egyptian subjugation," the present tense is just as accurate as the past and the future. For all time, we will recognize God's attribute as Hamotzi, the One who liberated us from slavery.