Sugya Series,
The Mitzvah of Challah
Background
1. When you will come to the land to which I will bring you, and you will eat from the bread of the land, you shall separate a tithe to Hashem. The first of your kneading shall be Challah, as a tithe, similar to the tithe of the grain.
(Bamidbar 15:18-20)
2. Since a person’s sustenance is from bread, Hashem granted us a mitzvah with bread so that a blessing shall rest upon it. In this way, the bread provides sustenance for both body and soul, as it supports the kohanim in their holy service.
(Sefer HaChinuch 385, see also yechezkel, haftora of emor)
3. Man has no greater enemy than success. In order that Israel’s land, intended for the realization of Israel’s task, should not, through the sin of pride of possession, become the cause of Israel’s downfall, G-d ordained shemittah, bikkurim, terumah, maaser, and challah in connection with Israel’s own soil.
After the grain has been separated from the soil where it grew, has been milled into flour, and is ready to be made into bread, you shall separate from the dough an offering unto the Lord. By having in mind that the bread of your household is taken from the soil vouchsafed to your people by G-d, you acknowledge, just when you are in the greatest danger of falling into the sin of self-deification, and of self-seekingly segregating yourself, that your home is but a limb of the corporate body of your people.
(Rav S. R. Hirsch, Chorev Chapter 42)
The Mitzvah
4. There is a mitzvah to separate a tithe from the dough and to give it to a kohein. From Torah law there is no amount to this tithe, but one may not make the entire dough as challah, because there must be something left over. (Shulchan Aruch YD 322:1)
5. The mitzvah of challah only exists in the Land of Israel. In other locations we take challah because of a Rabbinic legislation, so that we will not forget the mitzvah. (SA YD 322:2-3)
6. The mitzvah of challah is limited to the five grains. It only applies if the flour used is at least the volume of 43 and 1/5 eggs. (SA YD 324:1)
7. The dough of a non-Jew is not included in this mitzvah. (SA YD 330:1)
8. It is customary to knead the amount for the mitzvah of challah to make bread to honor Shabbos. This also enables the woman to do the mitzvah of challah, which is important as she is the one who destroyed Adam who was the “bread of the world”. (Ramoh Orach Chayim 242 and M.B. 6)
Procedure
9. The proper time to take challah is after the kneading process is complete and the ingredients have been formed into one unit. If one forgot to take challah at the proper time, one may take challah after it has been baked.
(SA YD 327:3,5)
10. An olive-sized piece of dough must be separated and burned from each batch of dough that has at least 2 pounds 10 ounces of flour. Regarding the amount of the flour required for the recitation of the blessing, opinions vary from 3 lbs. 10.7 oz. to 4 lbs. 15.2 oz. (ArtScroll Siddur p.226)
11. At the time that a person takes challah, he should say the blessing, “Who sanctified us with His mitzvos and commanded us to take challah.” He should then declare, “This [piece] shall be challah.” (SA YD 328:1 and glosses of Rabbi Akivah Eiger)
12. Since we are not ritually pure, and we also are not absolutely positive about the lineage of the kohein, it is the custom to take the challah, and then to burn it. It is customary to take an olive size as challah. (SA YD 322:5)
Considerations regarding the amount of dough
13. If one made two batches of dough made from similar grains, in which neither had the proper amount, but together they would qualify for the mitzvah, he should join them in a bowl. If some dough is protruding above the sides of the bowl he should cover the bowl with a towel to enclose it. (SA YD 325:2)
14. If there was not the requisite amount at the time of kneading, but two batches were joined after they were baked, their container joins them and challah should be taken. (SA YD 325:1)
[This is commonly practiced by matzoh baking because the individual batches are smaller than the amount of challah, and/ or we don’t want to delay the baking process to take challah while it is dough].
Special cases
15. Outside of Israel, since the mitzvah of challah is only Rabbinic, it is permissible [in cases of necessity] to eat from the bread, and then separate challah from that which remains. (SA YD 333, consider forgot before shabbos and bakery)
16. One should not separate challah until the dough is mixed sufficiently that the flour that remains is less than would be obligated in the mitzvah. If he wishes, once there is the requisite amount of dough, he can take challah and declare that it should include the flour which will later be mixed. (SA YD 327:2, consider bakery- dough method)
17. One may not take challah from one dough on another dough unless they are in the same enclosure. (SA YD 323; Shach 12, consider bakery- tevel cracker method)
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