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aloft and say:

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  Ha-rei zu challah.

  Behold, this is challah.

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  S E P A R A T I N G T H E C H A L L A H

  Since we cannot give the challah to the kohanim and since we

  may not use it ourselves, the prevailing custom is to burn the

  piece of dough. It can be burned in the oven (or by any other

  means), though not while other foods are baking in it.1

  If a person forgot to separate challah before baking, the chal-

  lah may (and should) still be separated afterwards.2

  For meditations and intentions on topics such as stillness,

  family, and generosity while separating the challah, please see

  “Challah Meditations” in this volume, on page 155.

  1 For more details on how to dispose of the challah piece, see above in the digest of laws, page 129.

  2 For detailed instructions on separating after baking please see page 130.

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  R I S I N G

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  Chapter VIII

  Challah Customs

  & Segulot

  : Through the Generations

  and Around the Globe

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  R I S I N G

  Bread as a staple of family and community life, knows no cul-

  tural bounds.

  Across nearly every race, country, and religion, bread is seen

  as a peace offering, a way of bringing people together, and is

  used in countless religious ceremonies. In Judaism, bread is

  more than just a physically nourishing staple: when it is baked

  as challah, it becomes the cornerstone of multitudes of tradi-

  tions and rituals.

  As challah is so profoundly significant to Jewish life, many cus-

  toms and omens have developed around the making and sepa-

  rating of the dough, and the baking, serving, slicing, eating, and

  even disposing, of the challah itself in the thousands of years

  since the original Divine directive to separate the first of our

  dough, the challah, upon entering the Promised Land.

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  C H A L L A H C U S T O M S & S E G U L O T

  In the section that follows, I will share a number of these cus-

  toms and their origins with you. Since many of these have been

  established as minhagei yisrael/Jewish tradition, they have tak-

  en on a holiness and intrinsic value in their observance. Some

  of these customs involve the shape of the challah, some concern

  the serving and disposing of challah, and still others are sim-

  ply ideas that surround the separating of challah and its signif-

  icance.

  Perhaps, in your personal journey of challah baking, you will

  even create some new traditions of your own, which you can

  then pass down to the next generation of challah bakers!

  SHAPES OF CHALLAH

  There are many customs, mostly influenced by region, which

  call for special shapes of challah coinciding with Shabbat and

  other holidays in the calendar.

  Braided Challah

  The most common shape of challah as we know it today is the

  braided challah, and, more specifically, the six-braided challah.

  This tradition began in the fifteenth century. Interestingly, this

  coincided with the emergence of Kabbalistic wisdom into main-

  stream Judaism.

  The significance of the six strands were explained by Kabbal-

  ists as follows:

  a] The six strands represent the days of the week, the work

  days that are characterized by the separations of physical

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  R I S I N G

  reality, or what we call the “Tree of Knowledge” reality. The

  braiding of those six strands into one perfect whole rep-

  resents the weekday separations merging into the perfect

  whole of Shabbat, or the unified “Tree of Life” reality.

  b] Two braided challahs of six strands each combine to equal

  a total of 12 strands, representing the 12 Tribes of Israel

  and the inclusion of all of them in our Shabbat celebration.

  This concept traces back to the Beit Hamikdash, in which

  there were always twelve showbreads, the Lechem Hapa-

  nim, which represented the Twelve Tribes.

  c] There is a custom from the Arizal1, sourced in his piyyut/

  liturgical poem, “Azamer Bishvachin,” that is traditional-

  ly sung during the Friday night meal. The Arizal writes,

  “Shechinta titattar beshit nahami listar/May the Shechinah

  be adorned by the six loaves on each side.” Some fulfill this

  statement by placing six round challahs on their Shabbat

  table, while others use two six-strand challahs side by side,

  thereby achieving the six on each side.

  Of course, the six-braided challah is also quite beautiful and

  unique and, as such, enhances our Shabbat observance. There

  are also other reasons attributed to the braided shape. There

  are those who claim that this is borrowed culture; there were

  other traditions of specially braided breads in fifteenth-century

  Europe and this may have influenced the braided challah shape

  as we know it today.

  In the section below, where I speak about customs of

  serving and disposing of challah, I mention that there

  are many traditions surrounding the cutting of the chal-

  1 Rabbi Isaac (ben Solomon) Luria Ashkenazi (1534 - 1572.) A great sage and

  mystic, known as the holy “Ari/lion,” he is considered the father of contempo-

  rary Kabbalah and his teachings are referred to as Lurianic Kabbalah.

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  C H A L L A H C U S T O M S & S E G U L O T

  lah bread and that many are careful not to put a knife

  to their challah. The braided shape may have evolved

  to create convenient “tear-away” pieces that could be removed

  without needing a knife.

  The braided challah strand can range from three strands to 12

  strands and vary greatly in complexity. Of course, the six-braid

  strand is the most traditional and authentic to Kabbalistic tra-

  dition.

  In the braiding section of the book on page 178, I will demon-

  strate for you the traditional six-braid challah. For more variet-

  ies of braiding techniques, see my cookbook, RISING! The Book

  of Challah.

  Round Flat Challah

  Sephardic Jews have no tradition of using a braided loaf. In-

  stead, the Middle Eastern and Spanish-Portuguese communi-

  ties, dating from the second century CE, would make a soft flat

  bread resembling the pita that we are familiar with today. In

  some traditions, twelve of these round challahs are used, repre-

  senting the Lechem Hapanim. They are arranged in two layers of

  six breads with the central two challahs of the upper layer used

  for the Hamotzi blessing.

  Depending on the region of origin, these soft round challahs

  varied in ingredients, texture, appearance, and size. The Moroc-

  can Jews woud make a laffa-like challah while the Yemenite Jews

  had the tradition of both a lachuch, similar to a large crepe or

  pancake, and the flat round pita-like challah, called saluf, which

  is similar to a pita, but is slightly roasted and crispy on top.

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  R I S I N G

  Miz
rachis of Central Asian-Bukharian descent use a bread

  called leposhka. Somewhat smaller in size than the lachuch or

  pita, it is also a flattish round disc, often with intricate dotted

  designs pierced into the center.

  The Iraqi challah, probably most similar to the original show-

  breads of Temple times, is a round, almost flat, matzah-like

  bread, which is shaped over a pot cover and baked in a clay oven.

  Round Raised Challah

  A universally practiced tradition is that of using round chal-

  lahs on Rosh Hashanah, and, in some communities, throughout

  the entire month of Tishrei, in which the New Year and High Hol-

  idays are celebrated. The round shape signifies the cycle of life:

  just as in a circle there is no set starting point or ending point,

  so, too, in life, every moment can be utilized as a “start over”

  moment; we are always afforded the opportunity to begin anew.

  Another way of interpreting the classic spiral Rosh Hashanah

  challah is that it represents the passage of time and our own

  growth and movement within that cycle of time.

  We can view the forward march of time as both linear and cy-

  clical. This is represented in the spiral challah – the long strand

  for linear time rolled into a round shape for cyclical time. While

  time is always moving forward, it is also cyclical: “what goes

  around, comes around.” The sun rises and sets, the seasons re-

  turn, and, each year, Rosh Hashanah arrives once again, signify-

  ing the beginning of a new year and an opportunity to re-experi-

  ence the energy of last year’s Rosh Hashanah, but from a deeper

  and more evolved place.

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  C H A L L A H C U S T O M S & S E G U L O T

  When we combine the concepts of linear and cyclical time, we

  essentially create a “spiral” of time. While the cycle is repeating

  itself, each time it grows outwards as it grows upwards. Even

  though we are going through the same cycle every year, each

  time we experience the energy of Rosh Hashanah, and, indeed,

  all other high points in the year, we are afforded the opportunity

  to experience them from a more expanded and mature perspec-

  tive.

  Some have the practice of increasing the sweetness of the

  round Rosh Hashanah challah by adding raisins or honey to the

  dough, signifying our wish for a sweet year.

  Challah Free-Form Shapes

  LADDER CHALLAH: There is an Eastern European custom to

  make the challah in the shape of a ladder for Shavuot, the holi-

  day in which we celebrate the giving of the Torah. The word lad-

  der in Hebrew is sulam, which has the numeric value of 130, as

  does the word Sinai. The five rungs on the ladder represent the

  five books of the Written Torah. Some communities have the tra-

  dition of creating a ladder-shaped challah for Rosh Hashanah or

  the pre-Yom Kippur meal, to illustrate the ascent of our prayers

  towards heaven.

  BIRD CHALLAH: The earliest known appearance of this chal-

  lah was in eighteenth-century Ukraine, where it was made for

  the Seudat Hamafseket, the final meal before Yom Kippur. The

  challah is either formed in the shape of a bird, or as a small piece

  of dough perched atop the larger spiral to represent the bird.

  The bird is representative of G-d’s protection, as is promised

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  R I S I N G

  by the prophet Yeshayahu, “Like flying birds, so shall the L-rd of

  Hosts protect Jerusalem, protecting and saving, passing over and

  rescuing” (Yeshayahu 31:5).

  HAND CHALLAH: Another custom from eighteenth-centu-

  ry Ukraine: the challah is formed into the shape of a hand for

  Hoshanah Rabah, the seventh day of Sukkot. This is the final day

  of teshuvah, when we ask for deliverance. The shape of the hand

  is meant to evoke our reaching out toward G-d for salvation and

  our receiving of His judgments and blessings.

  Challah Shaped into Hebrew Letters

  Jewish mystics in the eighteenth century in Safed, Israel some-

  times baked challah in the shape of the Hebrew characters rep-

  resenting the number twelve: a Yud and a Bet.

  According to Kabbalistic tradition each long challah is a line,

  representing a Vav, the letter that equals six. The numerical val-

  ue of the two challahs together then equals twelve, the number

  of showbreads and Tribes of Israel.

  OTHER CHALLAH TRADITIONS

  How Many Challahs?

  We recite the Hamotzi blessing over two challahs at our Shab-

  bat or holiday table to symbolize the double portion of manna

  that fell each Friday while the Jewish people traveled through

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  C H A L L A H C U S T O M S & S E G U L O T

  the desert. This reawakens our awareness of G-d as the Source

  of our sustenance. The two challahs also signify the two aspects

  of Shabbat as defined in the Torah: shamor and zachor, to keep

  it and to remember it.

  Reb Mendel of Rimanov instructed his students to eat seven

  pieces of challah. While eating each piece, they were to have in

  mind that it corresponded to another day of the week. Doing so

  would draw the blessing of challah into each weekday.

  Prayers and Verses to Recite

  According to the Ben Ish Chai, the woman of the house recites

  the following verse as she places the challahs on the Shabbat

  table:

  “This is the table that is before G-d” (Ezekiel 41:22).

  It is also traditional to continuously recite the words “l’kavod

  Shabbat kodesh/in honor of the holy Shabbat” throughout the

  preparing, kneading, and braiding of the challah dough. This

  helps the baker keep his or her intentions pure and focused

  throughout the process.

  Serving the Challah

  There is a tradition to throw a piece of challah, once it has

  been cut, toward each person seated around the table. There are

  various explanations for this tradition: The Sephardic tradition

  interprets this action as representing a downpour of wealth and

  sustenance, since challah represents our livelihood and nourish-

  ment. The Ashkenazi tradition ascribes this custom to the idea

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  R I S I N G

  that handing another person bread is akin to giving him a hand-

  out and indicates a state of poverty. As such, Ashkenazim are

  careful not to put the challah directly into the recipient’s hands

  and merely toss it toward the center of the table or toward each

  person at the table.

  Disposing of Challah

  There are various traditions regarding the disposal of chal-

  lah, since the challah takes on a form of holiness in its use for

  a mitzvah. Some communities are particularly vigilant in their

  adherence to this custom. They will not throw away any challah;

  instead they feed the leftovers to the birds. Others are simply

  careful to dispose of challah in a respectful manner by not al-

  lowing any large pieces to be thrown away and by wrapping the

  challah before disposing of it.

  Dipping the Challah into Salt

  The prevailing custom i
s to dip the challah (in fact, all bread)

  into salt before eating the first bite.

  Our homes are our temples and our tables, the altar. On the

  original altar, there was always a quantity of salt. So, too, we

  make sure to keep salt on our table for each meal with bread

  (Berachot 55).

  Many communities have the tradition to dip their bread into

  the salt three times. The source of this tradition is a numerical

  one. The word melach/salt, is the word lechem/bread, read in

  reverse. The numerical value of both those words is 78, which

  is three times 26, the numerical value of G-d’s name (the Tetra-

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  C H A L L A H C U S T O M S & S E G U L O T

  grammaton), the name that represents chesed, pure giving.

  Thus, dipping the lechem into melach three times is a way to

  draw in chesed and sweeten judgments.

  Additionally, the word mazlah (the mazal) has a numerical

  value of 78. By dipping the bread into salt, we are symbolically

  bringing good mazal/luck into our lives.

  Tearing vs. Cutting

  Since our tables are compared to the altar and there were no

  knives or metal objects of any kind permitted upon the altar,

  some communities are careful not to put a knife to their chal-

  lah and tear it instead. Some claim that this is actually where

  the tradition of braiding challah began, since it created a bread

  loaf with pieces that could easily be torn off. Another reason for

  avoiding the use of a knife on challah is that knives represent

  destruction and challah represents healing and wholeness.

  Interestingly, though, there is also a well known custom to

  mark the challah that will be used first, prior to tearing or cut-

  ting into it. This marking is usually done with a knife. The chal-

  lah that will be cut into first is marked slightly, and then the chal-

  lahs are both lifted for the recitation of the blessing upon them.

  When they are being held for the blessing, they are held side by

  side, with the right challah slightly lower than the left. There is a

  tradition to cut the bottom challah first on Friday night and the

  top challah first on Shabbat day. This stems from the Kabbal-

  istic teaching that the feminine expression of Divine energy is

  dominant during the first part of Shabbat, on Friday eve, and the

  masculine energy in the second part, on Shabbat day.2

  2 The Shulchan Aruch and the Ramah write that on Friday night the bottom chal-