Mitzvah of Challah

Discover the blessings and the beauty of the mitzvah of challah

It seems such a simple thing: say a few words and pull off a piece of dough. Yet this action - the mitzvah of hafrashas challah, taking "challah" off the dough -- can bring unimaginable blessing to our homes and our lives.

Hafrashas Challah: The Mitzvah of Challah offers both inspiration and information about this beloved mitzvah, cherished by Jewish women throughout the ages. It includes so many features to enhance the experience of baking, and taking, challah:

• Inspirational stories and insights to encourage regular challah baking
• Prayers and techinahs, in Hebrew and English, that can be recited while preparing the dough and taking the challah
• Laws of the mitzvah of taking challah
• Recipes, tips for baking fantastic challah, and braiding instructions with full-color illustrations
• A special chapter that gives all the reasons people say they can't bake their own challah - and all the ways they will see that they can!
• The symbolism and significance of each step in the baking process, with appropriate prayers

   

We Jewish women bake so much into our challahs -- our hopes, our prayers, our deepest yearnings alongside the yeast, flour and oil. As we recite the berachah and pull off a piece of dough - a remembrance of the times of the Beis HaMikdash, when it was a gift to the Kohen - we are helping to make the world (and our own lives!) a better, more beautiful place to be.