The Source
Separating challah is a brief ceremony that we perform when we bake bread (the ceremony is performed after the dough is prepared and before the bread is baked). During the ceremony, we set aside a small piece of dough and recite a short text which will be presented below.
- Challah generally refers to the different kinds of baked goods: bread, pita, Challah bread (traditional bread eaten on Shabbat), rolls, cakes, cookies, and the like.
The source of the mitzvah is in the Torah: “God spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you enter the land to which I am taking you, and you eat of the bread of the land, you shall set some aside as a gift to God, as the first yield of your baking, you shall set aside a loaf as a gift; you shall set it aside as a gift like the gift from the threshing floor. You shall make a gift to God from the first yield of your baking, throughout the ages. (Numbers 15: 17-21)
The Reason
In the days of the Temple stood, the priests were devoted entirely to the service of the Temple. They had no time to look after the private needs of themselves and their families. Someone had to make sure that they had enough “bread” and “milk”, that their “refrigerator” would not be empty. So, God elucidated 24 types of gifts that were given to the priests to fulfill their needs and ensure that they would be free to serve in the Temple with peace of mind.
One of the gifts is called challah (the full Hebrew term is hafrashat challah, literally, the separation of challah dough). The pieces of dough that were set aside by the people of Israel each time someone baked bread provided the priests with the portions of dough they needed to feed themselves and their families.
Today, even though, the Temple is destroyed, and the priests are not engaged in the service of God more than anyone else, the commandment to separate challah still exists. However, the commandment exists at the behest of the sages rather than a commandment that is derived directly from the Torah.
Another reason for the mitzvah of challah is the desire to thank God for everything his gives us. Therefore, like with many other things, we take a small piece of the dough and give it to the priest – the servant of God. This teaches us a lesson for every area of our life – that we must always give God the best of what we have.
Generally, this commandment applies only in the land of Israel. God told Moses to tell the Israelites that when they enter the land – they should begin to separate challah. However, so that Jews in the Diaspora would not forget the commandment to separate challah, the sages determined that challah should be separated outside of the land of Israel as well.
There are some differences between the way that challah is separated in Israel and how it is separated in the Diaspora. The details are not relevant for most situations. However, the following scenario does have implications for contemporary life:
I baked bread for Shabbat and forgot to separate challah from the dough. Now Shabbat has started – and it is prohibited to separate challah – what should I do?
One who lives in Israel may not eat from the bread on Shabbat. However, one who lives in the Diaspora may eat the bread and simply leave a small portion aside, saving it for the next time that she bakes bread. Then, the next time she makes dough and separates challah (on a weekday), she should include the piece of bread in the ceremony. When she recites the blessing, she should concentrate on both the new batch of dough, and on the previous batch (the batch that was already eaten).
Which kinds of dough require separating challah?
Dough that requires the separation of challah includes any dough that is made from the five grains enumerated in the Torah: wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats.
If you prepared dough from rice, corn, potatoes, or the like – there is no need to separate.
if you prepare baked goods from a combination of flours that includes one of the five grains – if the taste of the grain is noticeable, you must separate challah and recite the blessing (even if the amount of flour is very small). If the taste is not noticeable – separate challah and do not say the blessing (it is best to advise with your personal rabbi for situations like this that may come up in the future).
The separation of challah is only required for dough that is made with the following liquids: water, oil, honey, wine, or milk. If you would like to bake a cake using fruit juice, go right ahead. Separate challah, but do not say the blessing.
- If you are baking bread with fruit juice, it is always best to add a small amount of water in order to fulfill all the requirements of the commandment and avoid certain questions.
Separation of the challah should be performed after the flour is kneaded with the liquid and the dough is ready.
- If the dough will be boiled or fried (rather than baked), separate challah but do not say the blessing.
What volume of dough has a requirement of challah?
If you make a batch of dough with more than 1.666 kg of flour – you must separate challah and say the blessing. For dough that has between 1.230 k and 1.666 kg of flour – separate challah without a blessing. For any amount of flour less than 1.230 kg you do not need to separate challah at all.
Who determined how much dough requires the separation of challah? The Torah commands us to separate challah, “from the first yield of your baking.” This commandment was given to the Jewish people in the desert, and in the desert, the size of a batch of dough was no larger than 1.666 kg. However, because there are some opinions that a batch of dough in the desert was slightly smaller (1.23 kg), one should separate challah for this amount but not say a blessing. A smaller amount of flour is certainly not considered a batch of dough in the desert and is not what God referred to – therefore it is exempt from the requirement to separate challah.
How does one separate challah?
-
- It is desirable to give a coin to charity before performing the mitzvah.
- Stand next to the dough and recite this blessing:
״ברוך אתה א-דוני א-לקנו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להפריש חלה״
Translation: “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has made us holy through His commandments, and has commanded us to set aside challah.”
Transliteration: BA-RUCH A-TAH A-DO-NOI ELO-HAI-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM A-SHER KID-SHA-NU B’MITZ-VO-TAV V’TZI-VA-NU L’HAF-RISH CHAL-LAH
After you recite the blessing, take a piece of dough the size of a matchbox, hold it in your right hand, and say, “this is challah.”
When you have separated the dough, wrap it in foil, and burn it on the stove or in the oven.
If it is not possible to burn the piece of dough, you may wrap it in plastic and throw it out. Wrapping the dough is a sign of respect and creates a barrier between the challah dough and trash that has been thrown away.
It is forbidden to take pleasure from the burning, therefore do not put it into the oven (to burn) while the bread is still baking.
Some women recite a special prayer after separating challah.
- Separating challah must be carried out by someone over the age of bar or bat mitzvah (boys over the age of thirteen, girls over the age of twelve).
God left it to our hearts to decide how much challah to separate – how much we want to give as a gift to the priest. Therefore, the Torah does not state a specific amount that should be separated. The sages decreed that one should give approximately four percent of the total amount of dough – the minimum amount that would still be meaningful for the priest. That is why a bakery, which produces large amounts of dough, can fulfill the requirement with only two percent – because that amount would still be valuable to the priest.
Because the separated dough is considered holy and we (including the priests among us) are considered ritually impure, it is forbidden even for priests to eat the dough which instead goes to waste – the sages determined that today we should resort to the original ambiguous measurement for challah and separate only a very small piece of dough – because it will ultimately be thrown away and thus we avoid violating the prohibition to waste food.
-
- Forgot to separate challah before baking? No problem. After baking, gather all the baked goods that were produced from that batch of dough and separate a small piece.
- Pinching your pennies? It is prohibited to make smaller batches of dough in order to avoid the requirement to separate challah. However, if there is no need for a large batch – you may make a smaller one.
Why is separating challah considers a woman’s mitzvah?
Women traditionally fulfill the mitzvah of challah because they have a special relationship with it.
On the sixth day of creation, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” He took dust and water – the first “dough” in the world – used it to create man and breathed a soul within it. Afterwards, He took a piece of the dough (of the man’s body – the rib) and from it created woman. Based on this description, the sages call humankind, “the challah of the world.”
When God forbade Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, Eve tempted Adam, causing him to sin and eat from the tree, and thus she harmed the challah of the world.
Therefore, it is the woman specifically fulfills the commandment to separate challah from the dough – in this way she repairs the harm that she caused to the challah of the world.
- Of course, if a woman is not present to separate the piece of dough, or for some reason she is unable to, a man must still fulfill the commandment and separate challah.
The special qualities and merits of separating challah
The mitzvah of separating challah has many special qualities and can bring great reward: fulfilling the commandment inside one’s home brings blessing to the home and household. The commandment itself can bring reward to the woman who fulfills it: an easy birth, the health of body and soul, protection and safety, a strong memory, and others.
