תהלים, פרק ק״ד, פסוק י״ד

The natural cycle of rain and vegetation sustains all living creatures, continuing the process that began on the third day of creation when the earth first sprouted plant life [מלבי״ם]. Within this system, there is a clear distinction between how animals and humans obtain their food. For animals, grass and fodder grow entirely on their own, requiring no outside intervention [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Interestingly, rain sometimes falls not because of human merit, but entirely for the sake of the animals. In these instances, humans find sustenance merely as a byproduct of the animals' merit [חומת אנך]. Yet, while the ultimate purpose of the natural order is to produce food for humanity, all other creatures are fed along the way, and medicinal herbs grow naturally for human benefit without the need to be planted [אלשיך].

When it comes to human sustenance, the process demands significant effort. The primary approach among commentators is that the vegetation intended for humanity refers to crops, specifically the five types of grain. Unlike the wild grass eaten by animals, grain requires humans to work the land, thresh, grind, knead, and bake. A broader perspective suggests that this vegetation also includes the pasture used to feed the work animals that assist humans in their agricultural labor [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, some understand these plants as entirely non-edible, serving instead in human industry, such as crops cultivated to produce dyes [מצודת דוד].

At the end of this strenuous process, human labor brings forth bread from the earth. While this certainly refers to familiar baked bread made from grain [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ], the commentators agree that bread acts as a broader concept here, representing all the basic, essential food that constantly sustains human life [רד״ק, מאירי].