Motzi

Motzi, sometimes transliterated motzi or motzee, is a Jewish blessing recited over bread. The word comes from the Hebrew root motzi, meaning “to bring forth,” reflecting the blessing’s wording that bread is produced from the earth. The blessing is part of the broader Birkat Hamotzi, the standard blessing over bread.

In practice, Motzi is recited before eating bread at a meal, after ritual hand washing (netilat yadayim). It is customary at Shabbat and Jewish holidays, as well as at weekday meals, though the exact frequency depends on custom. The standard form in Hebrew is: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olam, hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz. In English: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

Bread-based meals constitute a central element of Jewish ritual meals, but Motzi applies only to bread made from grains that have reached the dough state; foods that are not bread use different blessings, such as borei minei mezonot for certain pastries, borei pri ha-eitz for fruit, or borei pri ha-gafen for wine. Some communities divide the blessing before and after more elaborate meals or have minor textual variations, but the essential structure remains consistent across traditions.