Marisa Kaiser
Last week, I had the honor of making challah with more than 80 people of all ages. There was flour on tables, dough sticking to our fingers, laughter filling the room, and the unmistakable smell of bread baking in the oven. Together we mixed, kneaded, braided, and baked our own loaves. As each person carefully measured ingredients into their mixing bowls, I was reminded that every ingredient matters. Without flour, there is no dough. Without yeast, the challah won’t rise. Without water, it remains too dry.
As I reflected on the day (and my sore feet), I couldn’t help but think about this week’s Torah portion, Eikev. Moses gives one of his final messages to the Israelites as they stand on the edge of the Promised Land. He reminds them of the forty years they wandered in the desert, where they depended each day on the manna God provided. Soon they will enter the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, where they will enjoy abundance after years of depending on God to provide. But Moses warns them not to forget the source of those blessings. He reminds them of the manna, the bread-like food that appeared each morning as a gift from God, providing exactly what they needed each day.
In Deuteronomy 8:3, Moses says, “One does not live by bread alone, but by everything that comes from the mouth of God.”
Moses isn’t dismissing bread. He is reminding them that nourishing our bodies physically is never enough. Bread matters. We need daily sustenance and we should never ignore our physical needs. Bread can sustain our bodies, but it cannot, by itself, sustain our lives. We also need purpose, community gratitude, and the values that give our lives meaning.
A few verses later, Moses teaches, “When you have eaten your fill, give thanks.” This verse becomes the basis for Birkat HaMazon, the blessing we recite after meals. Bread itself is a blessing, but so is remembering that God made it possible.
People didn’t come to make challah because they couldn’t buy a loaf at Publix. They came to learn an ancient tradition, to share stories across the table, to laugh over sticky dough, to create something with their own hands, and to connect with one another. The bread nourished our bodies, but the experience nourished our souls. Perhaps that is exactly what Moses wanted the Israelites to remember: even with abundance, they should never lose sight of the deeper nourishment that comes from gratitude, connection and sharing our lives with one another.
This Shabbat, let us remember that none of us lives on bread alone. May we nourish not only our bodies, but also our hearts, our communities, and our souls, grateful for the blessings that sustain us each day.
