The Secret Power of Challah Baking

This practice is trendy, intriguing, and some say it even brings blessings. What's the story behind separating challah? According to Jewish law, anyone baking more than 1.6 kilograms (though opinions vary) must separate and bless a portion of the dough. The blessing is, "Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah." Sephardic Jews include the phrase "and commanded us to separate challah as an offering." A small piece, around 30 grams, is separated and declared "This is challah." The separated portion is wrapped and discarded. Many also recite a prayer afterwards. While challah separation can be performed by men and women, it is primarily directed at women.

The Priestly Share

"Separating challah is a commandment from the Torah," explains Rabbi Pinchas Badosh. "Eating challah without separating a portion is prohibited. It's not merely a custom. Because there are blessings associated with this mitzvah, women often gather to perform it together. Nowadays, since bread and cakes are usually bought, the mitzvah can become rare, prompting groups to make it more accessible. There's certainly a great merit and significance in praying while separating challah. This is practiced everywhere, at all times."

The original idea was to give this portion to the priests, but today, without the Temple, it is burned and discarded. So what's the purpose?

The obligation rests on the dough itself. Although there are priests today, they cannot eat the challah as they are considered ritually impure. The ruling on the dough remains; the priests' current state is a technical issue, not fundamental. Hence, the challah portion is disposed of because it remains forbidden to eat.

Rabbi Yiftach Sofer offers an additional perspective: "Eve fed Adam from the Tree of Knowledge, and before that, Hashem formed Adam from dust. Similarly, the woman combines flour and water, reminiscent of creation. In essence, challah separation rectifies the sin of the Tree. Its significance is mentioned in the Mishnah, which states: 'Women die in childbirth for not being careful in three things: niddah, challah, and lighting the lamp.'

To better understand challah separation gatherings, we spoke with Ronit Sheinfeld, a regular organizer and participant. "The first time I heard about challah separation, I wasn't sure what to expect," she shares. "I didn’t understand how flour, yeast, and water could work miracles. I wondered if removing a piece of dough truly made a difference. It seemed like an ancient custom overdue for a 'best before' date. Always one to explore beyond comprehension, I sought the real essence of challah separation. It didn’t make sense that it was just about saving money on Shabbat bread. There had to be more."

"Delving into the sources, I found the secret lies in spiritual intervention and divine energy infused into our most basic sustenance: bread. The Zohar says a woman who consistently performs challah separation can alter her fate, even control it. I wasn’t going to miss such an opportunity. It suited me, guiding my life to a better place, a place of calm. The divine intervention in my dough did its work. My life became stable, free from dramatic changes, as promised by the Zohar."