This week we began the return to our routine. We still davened with the middle school minyan for Rosh Chodesh but for Monday, Thursday, and Friday, we were back to the basics.
On Monday we reviewed the origin of the words for some of the birchot hashachar: pokeach ivrim, malbish arumim, and matir asurim, have their origin in Psalms 146 which is recited after Ashrei in the psukei d’zimra. There is one phrase in this chapter of tehilim which does not merit its own blessing; notein lechem lare’eivim, who gives bread to the hungry. As we explored ideas as to why there mght not be a beracha for this phrase, we segued into the main passuk of Ashrei: Poteach et Yadecha, umasbia l’chol Chai Ratzon, open your hand and give food to satisfy to all living creatures according to their will.”
We then examined the reality that many people do not have enough food, a reality borne out by the real need our community has for Yad Ezra. Today as we looked at this passuk again the question arose why it is the focus of the Ashrei prayer. I told the students the explanation of the Pnei Yehoshua- Rabbi Jacob Joshua Falk who lived in the 1700’s. He explained that the passuk, poteach et yadecha is actually the introduction to the most important passuk of Ashrei- the following sentence-
Tzadik HaShem b’chol derachav, v’chasid b’chol ma’asav.

What that really means will be explored next week.