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Is there one? Do we really only do it these days as a minhag (not even a mitzva, as Sam2 points out here?
Is there some other reason why we separate other than l’zecher mitzvas challa that we had in the times of the Bais Hamikdash?
The reason you mentioned is the main reason we do hafrashas challah and the most important reason. But there are a range of reasons. Off the top of my head
– The Rabbonim instituted that we take Challah even when not in Eretz Yisrael with most of the Jews living there so that it should not be forgotten from the Jewish people. (I think according to most commentaries it is currently a Mitzva D’Rabanan, but that could change in the next few years)
– Because Adam Harishon was “Chalaso shel olam” and Chava led him to sin, so we women atone for this by taking challah
– To take the gashmius act of making bread and raise it to ruchniyus- so we lift up a piece and say “harei zu challah” (Baal Shem Tov)
– To remind us of Hashgacha Pratis – that Hashem is watching us at all times and is the One Who gives us food (Rav Samson Rafael Hirsch)
– The Gematria of ??? =?? which is the first and last letter of the CHumash (Beraishis-Yisrael)
– Eres, dough, is from the same lashon as arisa, a cradle for a baby, to teach us that a father should start teaching a child “Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe” as soon as they start being able to talk. (Chasam Sofer)
?????? ????????? ??? ????? ?????
There’s more but that’s off the top of my head.
how do you know so much stuff?
Probably from seminary.
“- The Gematria of ??? =?? “
Am I missing something? Lev is 32, Hallah is 43
Yes, MDG, you sure are missing something:
The principle (not an ancient principle, but a fairly recent one AFAIK) that Gematrias are to be shared and enjoyed, not to be scrutinized and counted.
** I bet you, yourself, never attended seminary?
Sam2, I don’t know what you mean when you say that it’s only a minhag. The shulchan aruch (??”? ???, ?) seems to say that it’s ??????.
That’s a very good point about the gematriya. I can’t believe I missed that when it was told to me, unless they said libi which is still off by 1.
Just proves popa’s right about seminary.
Also, ??? is ??????? ?? ??.
However, neither ??? nor ?? ?? are the first and last letters of the ????, so see previous post.
Flour is the epitome of separateness. Dough is the epitome of unity. By taking flour, which is a human staple of living, and adding water, symbolic of Torah, we show that we are unting our gahshmiyus and ruchniyus together through the strength of Torah. By taking one portion off as Challah and making it Holy, we symbolically show the strength of Echod in our lives. The singularity of Holiness, of Shabbos, of Klal Yisroel, of the Torah. One of the things that Korach argued against was the mitzva of Challah. He felt that we didn’t require a separate Holy object, like the techeles tztitzos, eruvin, kohen godol, or challah. We take Challah to show that we do believe in all that because these are all Torah Shel Baal Peh, which Hashem taught Moshe Rabeinu.
When I’m mafrish challah, I do it because it’s a mitzvah. I don’t knead* a depper meaning than that.
The Wolf
* pun intended.
My personal favorite (I made up myself): The Gematria of Challah (43) is equal to the number of times the Kohen Gadol sprinkles blood on Yom Kippur.
Cute Drashos from the Gematria of “Challah” bother me, though. What we take off isn’t called “Challah” in Chumash. That’s a Rabbinic term, presumably just borrowed from colloquial usage (though that is a Machlokes Achronim, I believe between the Nodah Bihudah and Abudraham, among others). So I’d find it strange for the “meaning” of the Mitzvah to come from something that the Mitzvah would later me called.
None of this should apply to Challas Chutz La’aretz anyway (certainly nowadays), which is just so we remember that the concept of Challah exists.
I hate doing things by rote,
I didn’t say that I was doing it by rote. I said I was doing it because it’s a mitzvah. That’s not rote – and for me, that’s enough of a reason. I don’t need a deeper reason than that.
The Wolf
When I am busy making the dough and before I am mafrishas challah, I first ask Hashem to give me Siyata D’Shmaya (I am serious) in making the dough into truly delicious challah that will enhance our Shabbos and be filled with bracha. I daven for my family, friends, and then a general tefila for E”Y and Klal Yisroel. Then I take challah and it infuses me with a strong emotional connection to the mitzvah. It’s an amazing feeling when I make the challah in this mindset. So far, so good.
I first ask Hashem to give me Siyata D’Shmaya (I am
serious)
Isn’t it sad that that parenthetic statement could be thought necessary?
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