Challah is the delicious fluffy braided bread that we enjoy every weekend at the Shabbat table for dinner and lunch. Graceful looking and lovely tasting, whether you make it yourself or buy it, it's one of the highlights of celebrating Shabbat. There are sweet egg challahs, water challahs, challah rolls, etc, and you can choose the type that is the most delicious to you! But where does this tradition come from? Where does the name come from? Here are several possible sources.
Challah may be connected with the root chet-lamed-lamed, chalal or chalul, hollow or empty space.
This might be because it is full of air, a very fluffy bread. When it is being baked, tapping the bottom produces a hollow sound when it is done.
The Biblical commandement “hafrashat challah” is now done by taking a piece of dough and burning it to nothingness, which is reminiscent of hollowness, but this seems an unlikely source because the commandment didn't used to involve burning it but rather giving it to priests during the time of the temple.
Off topic: The root chalal which means hollow is also the root of the Hebrew words for flute (chalil) and window (chalon).
The word challah may be related to the word gal, as in gali, maagal (curved, circle). This would be because of its rounded shape, whether the rounded shape of the loaf from the side, or possibly because it may have more often been braided into a circle in the past (now circle challahs are traditional for special holidays like Rosh Hashanah).
Some suggest the word may be connected with the Arabic word for sweet (hilu or hala) because of its sweet flavor (this is the root of the word halva), or the Akadian word ellu, which means pure.
No matter where its etymological source is, Challah symbolizes the manna God fed the Israelites while they traveled the desert on the way from Egypt to Israel for 40 years. That's why we use two challahs, because God gave two mannas on Friday in the Bible, enough to last for Shabbat as well.
Challah is often sweet, rich, eggy, but even when it isn't, it's always made in such a way that it's a special and beautiful and tasty bread, something worthy of symbolizing the manna of God, and something worthy of the special day of rest
Challah is braided, an unusual choice for bread making, possibly to symbolize the intertwining of the week with the holy weekend on Friday evening.
Perhaps it symbolizes the unity and connectedness of the community and the family on the special day of Shabbat.
During the Shabbat meals, the challah is covered with a
challah cover during Kiddush. There are several reasons for this:
As the challah is considered the most important part of the Shabbat meal, it is covered in respect of the Kiddush wine, to give it a place of importance rather than being outshined by the loaves, which would usually be blessed over and eaten first.
The challah symbolizes the manna, and the manna was covered in a layer of dew, to keep it fresh. The cover is symbolic of this dew.
The challah is also covered in order to be unveiled, marking the beginning of the Shabbat meal.
Sefardic communities traditionally tear the challah rather than slicing it.
Some attribute this tradition to not using a knife the way that Abraham ended up not using a knife and not sacrificing his son Isaac.
Others attribute it to not using a knife because knives symbolize violence and shabbat is about peace and rest.
Challah is a wonderful bread full of a rich history and tradition. No matter where you attribute its significance to, it is a unique part of the experience of being Jewish, and celebrating Shabbat.
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