Separating the Challah

SEPARATING THE CHALLAH

If baking a significant amount of challah2 from one of the following five grains: wheat, rye, barley, oats, or spelt, then after mixing the dough and before dividing it for shaping into loaves, remove a piece of dough (the size of a ping-pong ball) and say the following blessing after adding your own personal prayers for yourself, your family, and community:

הוהי הָתּאַ ךוּרָבּ ,םָלוֹעָה ךֶלֶמ וּניֵהֹלֱא ,ויָתוְֹצִמְבּ וּנָֽשׁדִּק רֶשֲׁא .הָלַח שׁיִרְפַהְל וּנָֽוִּצְו Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, Majesty of the world, who has made us holy with Your commandments, and instructed us to separate challah.

Baruch Atah, Adonai, Eloheinu, Melech ha’olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav, vetzivanu lehafrish challah.

After the blessing, either burn the piece of dough that you removed or wrap it in two layers and discard it.

May we earn our daily bread with dignity and without dread. May we eat of our bread such that it brings us blessing, prosperity, health, and strength. May we rejoice in life and its grace. With a joyful heart and good spirit, may we praise You, the Source of goodness. Please send blessing and success to our endeavors.3

— Fanny Neuda (1819–1894)

2 Meaning more than 1.66 kg (59 oz) of flour. 3 Excerpt, translated from the German.

THINK

We use the word challah today to refer to the delicious, braided loaves of bread we enjoy on Shabbat. But the word challah actually comes to us from a directive in the Torah to set aside a small handful of dough when baking a large amount. What was set aside used to be given to the kohanim (priests), the descendants of Moses’ brother Aaron, who worked in the Temple and did not have their own agricultural land. The practice reminds us to give back to those who are in need, and to acknowledge the divine gift in all that we produce.

CONNECT

This blessing reinforces the Jewish value that everything comes from a Source greater than ourselves.Judaism is about meaning-making, about reaching beyond the everyday to connect to a deeper purpose. Baking bread is a personal effort, and– let’s be honest– a lot of work. It is precisely at this moment of hard work that we remember the divine gift of the ability to work, and express our gratitude.

REFLECT

We are all created in the image of God, yet you are unique, with qualities, abilities, and interests that make you you. What are your gifts? What are your talents? To what or to whom do you owe your skills?

PERSONAL PRAYER

Thank You for giving me and my loved ones the strength to live. I see Your hand in everything: in a grain of wheat growing, and in dough rising before my eyes. Thank You for allowing me to participate along with You in this process of making bread. Thank You for answering the prayers that I say while separating challah.

Благодарю тебя за то, что ты наделяешь меня и моих близких силами, чтобы жить. Ты позволяешь увидеть преобразование природы в продукт, показывая связь между всем в этом Мире. Твою руку я вижу во всём: в том, как прорастает зерно, как крепнет колос, как на глазах поднимается тесто. Благодарю тебя за то, что ты позволяешь мне участвовать вместе с тобой в этом процессе создания хлеба. Спасибо, что отвечаешь на мои молитвы, которые я произношу, отделяя халу.

— Naomi-Lea Elena Stroganov,

Samara, Russia