WITH CHANA CHALLAH. what is challah? CHABAD OF MILL VALLEY

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1 בס ד CHALLAH WITH CHANA CHABAD OF MILL VALLEY what is challah? When the Jewish people first entered and se?led the land of Israel, one of the many gics they were commanded to give to the Kohanim, the priestly tribe who served in the Holy Temple, was "challah" - - a porgon of dough separated from their kneading bowl every Gme they baked bread. Any dough which is made of wheat, barley, spelt, oat or rye is obligated in this Mitzvah. In addigon to its pracgcal funcgon as a gic to the kohen, the mitzvah of "SeparaGng Challah" embodies a profound spiritual truth. Challah is G- d's porgon in our bread, in our life. It expresses the belief that all of our sustenance truly comes to us through G- d's hand. Just as we may not use the bread dough unless we have separated challah, so too, a porgon of our livelihood is always reserved for the giving of charity. The Torah refers to challah as the reishit- - the first and the best- - of the kneading bowl. So, too, our spiritual pursuits may occupy only a small porgon, quangty- wise, of our lives, but they are "the first and the best" in us, to which we devote the first moments of our day, the freshest of our energies, the keenest of our talents. Eventually, the soc, sweet bread loaves customarily eaten by the Shabbat meals became known as Challah.

2 dough with a soul One of my most favorite Mitzvahs is to bake Challah for my family and community and separate the porgon of dough, fulfilling the Mitzvah of SeparaGng Challah. Each week I close my eyes and feel a direct connecgon to Hashem (G- d). I will pause, take a breath and have in mind all the desires in my heart, while thanking Hashem for the blessings in my life. I will ocen pray for people who need a healing, pray for peace in the world and personal prayers deep within my heart. It is a special Gme where I feel infused with the power to bring blessing into the world and to bring spirituality and holiness to my Challah for Shabbos. I ocen think that if I concentrate and pray with all my heart and soul then maybe each taste of my challah will nourish another person with an excitement for Judasim and Torah, sustaining them with a divine blessing. May each of us here today fulfill the Mitzvah of SeparaGng Challah with a happy, healthy heart, bringing blessings to our home.

3 All About Challah WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO HAVE TWO CHALLAH S AT EVERY SHABBAT MEAL? It is to commemorate the fact that the Jews in the desert received a double porgon of mannah every Friday in honor of Shabbat. WHY LIGHTLY RUN THE KNIFE OVER THE CHALLAH? The common custom is to make a slight indentagon in the challah with the knife before saying the hamotzi blessing. The reason for this custom is because normally we cut the bread before recigng the blessing so we shouldn't have to make an interrupgon between the blessing and the eagng. On Shabbat, however, we cannot cut the bread before the blessing because there is a mitzvah to make a blessing on two complete loaves of bread (to commemorate the two porgons of manna which each Jew received every Friday). So instead we make a mark on the challah with the knife. This way we are at least "stargng" to slice the bread before the blessing. WHY DO WE DIP THE CHALLAH INTO SALT? We always dip the bread in salt, not only on Shabbat. Our table is considered an altar (see Ezekiel 41:22 and Ethics of our Fathers 3:3), and in the Holy Temple salt was offered together with every sacrifice (LeviGcus 2:13). Salt never spoils or decays, therefore, it is symbolic of our eternal covenant with G- d. That's why the verse refers to it as "the salt of your G- d's covenant." [Salt also adds taste to everything. Our bond with G- d is supposed to add meaning and flavor to every moment of our lives; even when we are not directly involved in spiritual pursuits.] WHY DO WE COVER THE CHALLAH ON SHABBAT? When our ancestors traveled in the desert for forty years, they subsisted on the manna that miraculously fell from heaven every day. The challah we eat on Shabbat is actually in place of that manna. Since the manna was encased between layers of dew that preserved its freshness, we envelop the challahs between the table cloth (or cuang board) and the challah cover, reliving the manna miracle at our Shabbat meal. Not only do different types of food require different blessings, but there is actually a hierarchy that regulates the order in which we recite blessings and eat various foods. Generally, the seven foods which the land of Israel is praised with- - wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates take priority over other foods. In the event that one is eagng two or more of these foods, they are eaten in the order that they are mengoned in the Torah. Since grain is mengoned before grapes, it would follow that the bread should be eaten before the wine. We therefore cover the bread ("wheat") in order that it not be "shamed" by the fact that we drink the Kiddush wine ("grapes") before we partake of the challah.

4 Hafrashat Challah Challah is taken from wheat, rye, barley, oat or spelt batches that use at least 59 ounces of flour. If you use less than this but more than 43 ounces, take challah, but don t recite the blessing. How To Separate Challah: After you knead the dough, before shaping it into loaves, place all your dough in a single pan or bowl and recite: Baruch Atah Ado-Nai Elo-Hai-Nu Melech HaOlam Asher Kidishanu B Mitzvotav V Tzivanu L Hafrsih Challah. Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah. Separate a small piece (approx. one ounce) and say: This is challah. Harei Zeh Challah. Wrap the challah in foil and place it in the empty broiler or oven, or burn it by any other method.

5 chana s challah recipe INGREDIENTS: Time: 20 minutes prep Gme. 1 1/2 hours rising Gme. 1/2 hour bake Gme./ Serves: 7 1lb Challahs 1 pkg (of 3) fleishmans acgve dry yeast 3/4 cup warm water 1 Tsp of sugar 1 1/2 cups boiling water (from Ke?le) 2 cups cold water 4 eggs, mixed 1 heaping Tbsp kosher salt 3/4 cup vegetable oil almost 1 cup of sugar 1 5lb bag of Golds flour (1 egg beaten for egg wash) DIRECTIONS: Sprinkle yeast into warm water and add sugar and sgr gently. Let sit ungl foamy about 5 minutes. In a mixer (or bowl) add all other ingredients except flour and sgr. Add yeast mixture when foamy and sgr again. Add cups of flour (almost 1 5 lb bag of flour). Using a dough hook mix ungl dough is not sgcky and bounces back when touched. Place in a bowl and pat with a li?le oil, cover with plasgc wrap and let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours. When the dough has risen, make the following blessing: Baruch Atoh Ad- nai Elo- hainu Melech Ha- Olam Asher Kidishanu B Mitzvotav Vitzivanu L Hafrish Challah. ACer making this blessing pull off a handful of dough and say harei Zeh Challah. (Place the piece of dough on a piece of foil and place in oven at 450 degrees ungl burnt. Cover with foil and discard. Only burn this piece of dough by itself in the oven.) Shape dough and let rise another half hour. Coat with beaten egg wash and bake at 350 degrees for minutes.

6 chana s healthy challah recipe INGREDIENTS: 2 Tbsp. Sugar 1/2 cup warm water 2 squares of dry yeast 1 Cup oil 1 cup raw sugar li?le more than half cup flax meal 1 Tsp. salt 3 eggs 3 cups warm water flour to your desire: 6 white flour, 4 whole wheat flour DIRECTIONS: Sprinkle yeast into warm water and add sugar and sgr gently. Let sit ungl foamy about 5 minutes. In a mixer (or bowl) add all other ingredients except flour and sgr. Add yeast mixture when foamy and sgr again. Add 6 cups white flour and 4 cups whole wheat flour. (If too sgcky add more of either flour ungl no longer sgcky). Using a dough hook mix ungl dough is not sgcky and bounces back when touched. Place in a bowl and pat with a li?le oil, cover with plasgc wrap and let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours.