One night during dinner my eldest son asked one of his favorite questions, "why do we say 'Hamotzei Lechem min Haaretz' when we all know that bread doesnt come from the earth"?

We always go back to the discussion of Rabbi Akiva regarding the bris mila and man's role in perfecting the world that Hashem created.  So I ask him if he would rather eat wheat or cookies, he giggles and always answers "cookies!"

I believe that our lechem mishna teaches us this same idea.  When we hold the two challot together we are saying that there must be a relationship between us and Hashem.  Hashem provided all the ingredients for the challot we are about to enjoy, but it took our effort to combine the ingredients in the best way to make a beautiful Challah.  Both challot have to be held together and each challa (the top and bottom) has its time to be the focus of the bracha, but they are always connected!  It is only through the attaching of ourselves to Hashem that we are able to elevate ourselves and the whole world.

Shabbat is when that magnetic pull is strongest and lechem mishna can be a major tool in our striving for the closest personal relationship with our God.

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