Search results for: ""challah""
Challa Dipped in Honey for pre-Yom Kippur Meal (Se'uda HaMafseket)
Eating challa dipped in honey is a non-binding custom for the pre-Yom Kippur festive meal (se'uda ha'mafseket).
Separating Challa after Baking
You may separate challa after baking (on weekdays only) if you forgot to separate challa before baking.
Situation You forgot to separate challa from dough made of at least 2.5 lbs. (1 kg) of flour, it is now Shabbat or a Jewish festival. You want to eat the bread.
WHAT TO DO
Situation You forgot to separate challa from dough made of at least 2.5 lbs. (1 kg) of flour, it is now Shabbat or a Jewish festival. You want to eat the bread.
WHAT TO DO
- If you are outside Eretz Yisrael: You may leave part of the challa until after Shabbat or Jewish festivals. After havdala, separate the challa from the part that you had set aside.
- If you are in Eretz Yisrael: You may not use bread from which challa was not separated. Once Shabbat or the Jewish festival ends, you may separate challa and then eat the bread.
Separating Challa from Dough Mixed by Non-Jew
Don't separate challa if you acquire dough that had been owned by a non-Jew at the time it was mixed.
Baking Challa at Same Time as Chicken with Sauce
Situation You baked challa with chicken, both uncovered, in the same oven (the chicken DID have sauce).
Status The challa becomes non-kosher even if the sauce was dry by the end of cooking.
Reason A rabbinic enactment requires that challa be pareve, lest someone eat it with the opposite gender food. Consult a rabbi for exceptions.
Note The rabbinic enactment applies to all bread, unless it looks different from normal bread or is small enough to eat at one meal.
Status The challa becomes non-kosher even if the sauce was dry by the end of cooking.
Reason A rabbinic enactment requires that challa be pareve, lest someone eat it with the opposite gender food. Consult a rabbi for exceptions.
Note The rabbinic enactment applies to all bread, unless it looks different from normal bread or is small enough to eat at one meal.
Baking Challa at Same Time as Chicken without Sauce
Situation You baked challa with chicken, both uncovered, in the same oven (the chicken had no sauce).
Status
Status
- You may not eat that challa with dairy food, but
- You do not need to wait another 3-6 hours after eating the challa before eating dairy.
White Challa Cover Above and Below
As on Shabbat, on Jewish festivals you should place a white cover above and another below the challot to remind us of the layers of dew and “mun” in the desert that the Israelites ate for 40 years.
Why Dip Challa in Salt?
Before eating bread (at any time, not just on Shabbat or Jewish festivals), dip the bread in some salt.
Reason #1 Salt makes the bread taste better and it is more prestigious for blessing.
Reason #2 Salting the bread makes it like a sacrifice (which had salt added to it).
Note You may sprinkle salt on the bread, but kabbala recommends dipping.
Reason #2 Salting the bread makes it like a sacrifice (which had salt added to it).
Note You may sprinkle salt on the bread, but kabbala recommends dipping.
Mark the Challa
Mark the bread with a light cut before saying ha'motzi. Then make the real cut in the same place.
Note It is customary to just make a mark on the challa. You may cut almost all of the way through, but you must be able to pick up the bread by the small end and have it hold up the big end.
How Much Challa May Be Missing
Less than 1/48th missing is still considered a whole loaf. So if you only have two challot (or other loaves of bread) for Shabbat, you might be able to use one loaf twice, as follows:
NOTE If you have pieces of bread or other mezonot, you may:
- Wash your hands,
- Say ha'motzi,
- Cut off a piece that is less than 1/48th of the loaf, and
- Eat it.
NOTE If you have pieces of bread or other mezonot, you may:
- Cut off less than 1/48th of the loaf,
- Eat the additional pieces of bread to make a total of at least 1.9 fl. oz. (56ml), and then
- Re-use the same loaf for Shabbat morning.
Separating the Challa Portion
Separating Challa from more than 5 lbs. of Dough
After you knead more than 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) of flour at one time:
SITUATION You prepare dough, in a single batch, from more than 2.5 lbs. (1 kg), but less than 5 lbs. (2.3 kg), of flour.
WHAT TO DO Separate a small amount (1 fl. oz. is sufficient) of the dough as “challa.” Don't say the blessing; just say harei zu challa.
NOTE If you mix at least 2.5 lbs. (1 kg) of dough, you must separate challa (without a blessing) even if you will not be baking some of the dough until another time.
Separating Challa from less than 2.5 lbs. of Dough
Don't separate challa if the dough was prepared from less than 2.5 lbs. (1 kg) of flour.
After you knead more than 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) of flour at one time:
- Hold part of the dough (at least 1 fl. oz.) while it is still part of the main mass of dough;
- Say the blessing lehafrish challa min ha'isa;
- Separate a small amount (1 fl. oz. is sufficient) of the dough as challa; and
- Say harei zu challa.
SITUATION You prepare dough, in a single batch, from more than 2.5 lbs. (1 kg), but less than 5 lbs. (2.3 kg), of flour.
WHAT TO DO Separate a small amount (1 fl. oz. is sufficient) of the dough as “challa.” Don't say the blessing; just say harei zu challa.
NOTE If you mix at least 2.5 lbs. (1 kg) of dough, you must separate challa (without a blessing) even if you will not be baking some of the dough until another time.
Separating Challa from less than 2.5 lbs. of Dough
Don't separate challa if the dough was prepared from less than 2.5 lbs. (1 kg) of flour.
Six-Braid Challa for Shabbat
It is a non-binding custom to braid challa as a reminder of the 12 showbreads (lechem ha'panim) in the Temple that were changed each Shabbat. Proper practice is to braid each challa from six pieces of dough, as there were two columns of six loaves each.
Note Since these showbreads were not changed on Rosh Hashana and Jewish festivals, we may use round challot for those holidays (unless they fall on Shabbat or the holiday is Passover!).
Note Since these showbreads were not changed on Rosh Hashana and Jewish festivals, we may use round challot for those holidays (unless they fall on Shabbat or the holiday is Passover!).
Note Sectional challa should be made from six pieces but counted as one loaf: you may not separate the rolls of a “pull-apart” challa and count them as multiple loaves.
What Is Challa
Challa refers to the two loaves of bread (or matza) over which we say the ha'motzi blessing at Shabbat and Jewish festival meals.
The loaves must be:
The loaves must be:
- Whole, without significant parts missing.
- Made out of one or more of the Five Grains.
Rosh Hashana: Challa Customs: Challa Dipped in Honey
Eating challa dipped in honey on Rosh Hashana is a universal custom but is not halacha.
Rosh Hashana: Challa Customs: Round Challa
It is a custom to make round challa for Rosh Hashana and other Jewish festivals (except Passover!), unless Rosh Hashana falls on Shabbat.
Jewish Festivals: Challa Not Separated before Festival
On Jewish festivals, you may not separate challa from loaves baked before the festival, as follows:
- In Eretz Yisrael, you may not eat bread from which challa was not separated if required (for more details, see Separating the Challa Portion and Challa Separation) until after the Jewish festival ends and you have separated the challa.
-
Outside Eretz Yisrael, you may:
- Leave one loaf until after the Jewish festival,
- Eat as much as you want of the remaining loaves, and then
- Separate the challa from the loaf after havdala.
Note If the bread was baked on a Jewish festival, you may separate challa on the Jewish festival.
Note This is true even for loaves that came from dough of more than 2.5 lbs of flour.
Note This is true even for loaves that came from dough of more than 2.5 lbs of flour.