The Mitzvah of Challah

A LESSON FOR JEWISH GIRL SCOUTS

TROOP #1674 ARIZONA CACTUS-PINE COUNCIL

JANUARY 2, 2015

Loaves of Bread
Usually when we talk about challah, were 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, its 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 Sarahs
tent, and he said, Quickly, get three seah 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,
lets 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-ds 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

Meaningful Ingredients
Think about each ingredient as you add it:
Flour, representing the energy needed to create a home where
G-ds presence (shechinah) can dwell
Honey/sugar, for the sweetness you hope to see in your
familys 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 cant 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

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 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 cups sugar

Half Recipe:
Add cup sugar

May all of our words and deeds be sweet!

Adding Oil
Full Recipe:
Add 1 cup oil and mix

Half Recipe:
Add 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 persons unique qualities.

Flour
Full Recipe:
Put most of a 5 pound
bag of bread flour in a
large bowl (reserve about
2 cups)

Half Recipe:
Put 8 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:

Half Recipe:

Create a well in the dry

Create a well in the dry

ingredients, and pour in the

liquid. Knead, adding up to
2 cups remaining
flour as necessary,
until dough is no
longer sticky.

ingredients, and pour in the

liquid. Knead, adding up to
1 cup more flour as
necessary, until
dough is no longer
sticky.

Kneading its 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 pounds), you do not need to separate or take challah
at all.
If you prepared something in between 2 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.

Blessing
In Hebrew

Baruch ata Adonai,

Eloheinu melech
haolam, Asher
kideshanu
bmitzvotav
vtzivanu, lhafrish
Challah min haisa.

English Translation

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.

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, youll 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.
Thats 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. Youll 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 womans central role as a

homemaker. When she performs the mitzvah of taking challah, she shows
her recognition and awareness of G-ds 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, its 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. Its 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.

Bask in the wonderful

aroma of Shabbat!

Recipe courtesy of
Mrs. Cindy Landesman
Phoenix Community Kollel