Egyptians call bread aish, a word that in Arabic means “life.” It is only in Egypt that bread is alluded to in this way and where the more usual word of khobz is not so widely used despite its ...

HaMotzi, on the other hand, stresses the value these elements have acquired by leaving the earth and becoming life-sustaining bread. What does this have to do with the Exodus from Egypt?

Bread, which Egyptians call A’ish—Arabic for life—is part of a social contract in Egypt with the government providing affordable food, gasoline and electricity. “The government is very ...