The Mitzvah of Challah A L E S S O N F O R J E W I S H G I R L S C O U T S

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Loaves of Bread

Usually when we talk about challah, we’re talking about a loaf of braided bread. Each Shabbat and holiday meal begins with two loaves. The double loaves commemorate the manna that fell from heaven when the Israelites were wandering in the desert for 40 years after they left Egypt. The manna did not fall on Shabbat and holidays. Instead, a double portion would fall the day before.

A single loaf of bread is often braided with six strands. Taken together, the two loaves have 12 strands in total, which may represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Some people braid other numbers of strands, or they create shaped loaves for different occasions. Round challot (plural of challah) are typically eaten at Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) to symbolize the Jewish calendar, which is continuous, like a circle.

That said, it’s sort of incorrect to call the loaf of bread challah …

Challah is actually the portion set aside!

The term challah really refers to the mitzvah of separating a portion of the dough before braiding.

The portion of dough that we separate is symbolic of the contribution that we would have given to the Kohenim, the priests in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was destroyed and there are no more Kohenim to accept our offering, but we can still separate and contribute a portion to G-d. We say a blessing over the portion of dough, then burn it and throw it away.

In Hebrew, this mitzvah of separating the dough is called “hafrashat challah.”

P.S. You can still call the actual loaf of bread challah. Most people do!

Women and Challah

Challah is first mentioned in the Torah when the angels visited

Avraham. He personally prepared a meal in their honor. He did this with great love for the mitzvah of welcoming guests. The making of bread, however, was left to his wife, our matriarch Sarah, because that mitzvah belonged to her: “Avraham rushed to Sarah’s tent, and he said, ‘Quickly, get three se’ah of sifted flour, knead them and make loaves!” (Genesis 18:6).

Later, the Talmud tells us that as long as Sarah lived, there were miracles in her tent, including the fact that her dough was blessed. Her bread stayed fresh from Friday to Friday. The life force that she was able to identify -- the Shechinah presence of God -- did not depart her tent, and her Shabbat candles stayed lit.

More on the special role of women later. For now, let’s get ready to make our dough!

Creating a Spiritual Experience

The taking of challah is one of the special mitzvahs entrusted to the Jewish woman.

Turn off the phone and avoid interruptions. This mitzvah requires concentration!

Give tzedakah (charity), so that all of your prayers will be favorably accepted by G-d.

Some women say Psalms, to open up the gates of Heaven.

Some women sing, to express their joy.

When we make challah, we pour all our love for our family into the dough.

When we separate the challah portion to give to G-d, we elevate the physical experience of making bread to a spiritual experience that acknowledges G-d’s presence. We use more than our bodies to make the loaves and separate the challah – we use our hearts and minds – our very souls!

Tzedakah

Think about each ingredient as you add it: Flour, representing the energy needed to create a home where

G-d’s presence (shechinah) can dwell

Honey/sugar, for the sweetness you hope to see in your family’s life

Yeast so that each member of the family will grow in wisdom, grow in self-esteem, and rise to meet challenges

Water to represent Torah (we can’t live without it!)

Salt (a small amount) to remind us that criticism should come in small doses, with the goal of keeping us on the right path

Oil to anoint each member of the family by name, praying for his/her specific needs

Egg for fertility, that our people should be fruitful and multiply

Meaningful Ingredients

Adding Water

Full Recipe:

Add 4 cups of warm water (110-to-115 degrees F) to medium bowl

Half Recipe:

Add 2 cups of warm water (110-to-115 degrees F) to medium bowl

Love of learning Torah, the source of life

Adding Yeast

Full Recipe:

Pour 3 Tb of active dry yeast into the warm water (about 4 packets)

Half Recipe:

Pour 1 ½ Tb of active dry yeast into the warm water (about 2 packets)

Lifting the self esteem of our family

Adding Sugar

Full Recipe:

Add 2 Tb sugar to bowl and stir gently.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes until you start to see foamy bubbles.

Half Recipe:

Add 1 Tb sugar to bowl and stir gently.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes until you start to see foamy bubbles.

That our lives may be sweet!

Adding Egg

Full Recipe:

Crack one egg into cup and check to make sure that egg is free of blood spots (and shell fragments!).

Stir to break up egg and add to wet ingredients.

Half Recipe:

Egg is optional. If you want to add an egg, see instructions for full recipe.

Fertility – may the Jewish people be fruitful and multiply!

Adding More Sugar

Full Recipe:

Add 1 ½ cups sugar

Half Recipe:

Add ¾ cup sugar

May all of our words and deeds be sweet!

Adding Oil

Full Recipe:

Add 1 cup oil and mix

Half Recipe:

Add ½ cup oil and mix

“Anoint” each of your family members, as was the custom in Biblical times. As the oil passes through your fingers, think

about each person’s unique qualities.

Flour

Full Recipe:

Put most of a 5 pound bag of bread flour in a large bowl (reserve about 2 ½ cups)

Half Recipe:

Put 8 ½ cups of bread flour in a large bowl

Energy for sustaining Jewish homes

Adding Salt

Full Recipe:

Add 2 Tb salt to flour and mix

Half Recipe:

Add 1 Tb salt to flour and mix

A dose of direction, toward a proper path

Combine ingredients

Full Recipe:

Create a “well” in the dry ingredients, and pour in the liquid. Knead, adding up to 2 ½ cups remaining flour as necessary, until dough is no longer sticky.

Half Recipe:

Create a “well” in the dry ingredients, and pour in the liquid. Knead, adding up to 1 cup more flour as necessary, until dough is no longer sticky.

Kneading – it’s time to pray!

Now We Pray

Kneading is the time to pray. We think of people to pray for by name: People who are sick, that they should be well

Victims of terror, that they should have recovery and peace

People struggling financially, that they should have livelihood

Married people, that they should have healthy babies

Single people, that they should find their soul mate

Students, that they should learn Torah and grow in wisdom

Friends and family, that they should have good things in life

We knead with spiritual focus and intensity, so that our prayers are lifted straight to heaven!

First Rise

Coat the bowl and dough with oil.

Cover with a damp dish towel and allow to rise in a warm (not hot) location for one hour. The towel should be just a little moist … not too wet … to keep the dough from drying out.

When the hour is up, punch the dough down, recover with the towel and allow to rise for another hour.

Now we are ready to separate or “take” challah!

Taking Challah

If you prepared the full recipe of dough (weighing more than 5 pounds), you must take an egg-sized portion of dough to set aside and burn, and recite the blessing. Why 5 pounds, you might ask? Because our Rabbis felt that this amount represents an “omer,” an amount of dough that we would have prepared during Temple times.

If you prepared half the recipe of dough (weighing less than 2 ½ pounds), you do not need to separate or “take” challah at all.

If you prepared something in between 2 ½ and 5 pounds of dough, you must separate and burn an egg-sized portion of dough, and you should ask a Rabbi for help determining the correct blessing.

Taking Challah

Now the dough is ready to take challah. Break off a small piece of dough – about the size of an egg- and recite the blessing over the mitzvah …

“And now, as I am fulfilling the mitzvah of challah with all my heart, so may the compassion of the Holy One Blessed be He, keep me from sorrow and pain always, Amen.”

In Hebrew English Translation

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, Asher kideshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu, l’hafrish Challah min ha’isa.

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, Who has made us Holy through His commandments, and has commanded us to separate challah from the dough.

Blessing

This is Challah!

With both hands, lift the piece of dough above your head and proclaim …

“This is challah!”

“Harei Zo Challah”

Burning the Challah

At this point, if you have prepared enough dough to “take” challah, you’ll burn it to the point that it is inedible. After

burning – in the oven or over a flame - throw it away.

Shaping the Challah

Roll strands on a lightly floured surface, then braid.

There are numerous ways to braid challah. Search the

internet and watch videos to learn different techniques!

Just make sure to form enough loaves to have two at each of your Shabbat meals. That’s two loaves for Friday

night dinner, two for Saturday lunch, and two for Saturday

late afternoon/ early evening. Instead of two large loaves, you might decide to make a

lot of small challah rolls!

Freezing the Dough

At this point, you could wrap the dough tightly in several layers of plastic wrap, and freeze

for future use. You’ll want to thaw the dough completely before moving on to the next step.

Second Rise

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place your braided loaves on the sheet. Oil the top of the loaves with a little oil. Cover them loosely with a kitchen towel and allow

to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Women and Challah – Part 2

The baking of bread is symbolic of the woman’s central role as a homemaker. When she performs the mitzvah of taking challah, she shows her recognition and awareness of G-d’s intervention in all of her daily activities and actions. When she bakes bread, she provides food for her family.

A woman is compared to a kohen working in the Holy Temple. This is especially so today, because our homes are symbolic of the Temple that was destroyed. Today, our dining tables are like the altar (we bless our food, we say thanks to G-d, we gather around our tables to have conversation and study together), and when we take challah, it’s as if we are offering a sacrifice to G-d.

In her home, while taking challah, the woman is graced with the special ability of speaking with her Creator. It’s her chance to add her personal touch of love and faith to the bread, the sustenance, that she serves to her family.

The Torah says: “You shall give the first yield of your dough to the kohen to make a blessing rest upon your home” (Ezekiel 44:30).

Baking the Loaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush loaves with egg, mixed with a little water.

Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired.

Bake 25-to-30 minutes until golden. If you tap the bottom of the loaf, it should sound a little hollow. Smaller loaves will take less time.

Cool on rack. Wrap tightly in foil until ready to use, or freeze.

Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Cindy Landesman

Phoenix Community Kollel

Bask in the wonderful aroma of Shabbat!