Practical Halacha

Why Dip Challa in Salt

Before eating bread (at any time, not just on Shabbat or Jewish festivals), the bread should be dipped in some salt. This makes it taste better and makes it like a sacrifice (which had salt added to it).

Note You may sprinkle salt on the bread instead, but kabbala recommends dipping.

Mark the Challa

Mark in the bread with a knife where you will cut before ha'motzi.

Note It is customary to just make a mark on the challa. You may cut almost all of the way through, but you must be able to pick up the bread by the small end and have it hold the big end up.

How Much Challa May Be Missing

Less than 1/48th missing is still considered a whole loaf. So if you only have two challot (or other loaves of bread) for a Jewish festival, you might be able to use one loaf twice:

Wash your hands,
Say ha'motzi,
Cut off a piece that is less than 1/48th of the loaf, and
Eat it.

Reason You may consider the remainder of that loaf as still being a full loaf and you may re-use it for your Jewish festival morning meal.
Note If you have pieces of bread or other mezonot, you may:

Cut off less than 1/48th of the loaf,
Eat the additional pieces of bread to make a total of at least 1.9 fl. oz., and then
Re-use the same loaf for Jewish festival morning.

When To Separate Challa (Hafrashat Challa)

You must separate a small portion of dough for the cohanim/priests whenever you make bread, rolls, or pizza of the Five Grains in certain quantities. This separated portion is called “challa.”
Note Since there is no Temple at present, we burn the portion of dough.
The requirement to separate challa applies to dough baked at home or commercially (such as a pizza shop), whether for eating on weekdays or for Shabbat/Jewish festivals. For more details, see Challa.

Which Piece of Challa To Burn

Once you intend a particular piece of dough to be the challa portion, you must burn that piece and not put it back into the main dough.

Introduction to Separating Challa

Although challa refers to the two loaves of bread (or matza) over which we say the ha'motzi blessing at Shabbat and Jewish festival meals, challa also means the portion of dough or bread that we are obligated to give to the cohen/priests during Temple times. Today, we burn a token portion (“challa”) of dough.

Note Burning the challa is not considered to violate bal tashchit (needless destruction), since the challa is separated and destroyed to fulfill a mitzva.

Saturday Morning: Cut Upper Challa

On Saturday morning, cut the upper challa of the two challot. (For Jewish festivals, cut the upper loaf at night and day.)

Friday Night: Cut Lower Challa

On Friday night, hold the two challot together, one on top of the other, but cut the lower one (for kabbalistic reasons).

How To Burn the Challa Portion

You may burn the challa portion any way you wish. You must burn it completely.

When To Burn the Challa Portion

There is no time limit for burning “challa.” You may save several pieces for burning together, but you may not keep them in a place where they might get used.

Start Kabbalat Shabbat Ideally before Sunset

Kabbalat Shabbat should ideally be started before sunset, and you should ideally get to bo'i challa at about sunset time. But you may start Kabbalat Shabbat after sunset and even after dark.

Eating or Speaking after HaMotzi

If someone said ha'motzi for you, you should wait until he or she eats some of the challa before you eat.

Note This is an issue of respect and courtesy (derech eretz) and not a halachic issue. However, you may not speak until after you have eaten some of the bread--any amount is sufficient.

Hidur Mitzva/Mehadrin

Almost all mitzvot may be enhanced by:

Making them beautiful (hidur mitzva), or
Observing non-required stringencies (mehadrin).

Hidur Mitzva

Examples

Women baking challa for Shabbat and Jewish festivals (and separating challa as a remembrance of the challa that was given to the priests/cohanim in the Temple).
Wearing especially nice clothes and eating special foods on Shabbat and Jewish festivals.
Using beautiful fragrances, tastes, textures, colors, and artistry in serving God.

Beautiful

Examples

Shabbat/Jewish festival table (set with beautiful challa cover, silver, kiddush cups).
Havdala set and pleasant-smelling spices for havdala.
Sukka and putting your finest things in it.
Etrog/etrog case.
Shofar.
Seder plate, matza holder, and matza cover.
Illuminated hagadas (hagadot) and megilas (megilot).
Chanuka candle-holder (menora, chanukiya).
Torah scroll written with a fine pen and beautiful script and wrapped in beautiful silks.
Mezuza covers.
Ketuba.
Wimple (to wrap baby in prior to brit mila; then donated to hold the two parts of the Torah together).
Elijah's Chair/Kisei Eliyahu.
Synagogues.
Chuppa.

Mehadrin

Examples

Chalav Yisrael--When consuming milk and milk products, eating or drinking only those items whose production was supervised by religious Jews;
Pat Yisrael—When eating bread, only eating bread baked by Jews (not necessarily by religious Jews);
Glatt meat—When eating meat, eating only meat that had no lesions on the animal's lungs;
Lighting more than one Chanuka candle each night (beginning on the 2^nd night) and having more than one person in each house light their own candles.

Preparing For Shabbat

Here are some suggestions (these are NOT halachot!) of what to prepare in advance of Shabbat. Add or delete to suit your needs!

Candle Lighting

Check candle lighting time
Set the candles in their holders (and have matches nearby)

Set the Table
Set the table, including the challa and its cover and the wine cup.

Kitchen Preparation

Sharpen knives
Tear paper towels
Refrigerator: Turn off or unscrew lights; disconnect any LEDs or fans
Set up blech
Set up hot water urn
Turn off stove, oven

Food Preparation

Thaw frozen meat, fish, and other food that might take hours to defrost before being cooked
Cook whatever can be cooked ahead of time on Thursday night, Friday morning, or earlier in the week
Squeeze lemons; do any other boreir-type preparations
Chill wine
Open bottles and cans that will be needed on Shabbat
Prepare tea essence

Cleaning

Make beds
Sweep or vacuum
Dump garbage

Clothing

Do laundry
Empty pockets of muktza (or if there is no eruv, of everything!)
For men, set out Shabbat talit

Muktza
Check that nothing you will need is beneath a muktza item

Personal Care

Cut hair and nails, if needed
For men, shave or trim beard and mustache, if needed
Tear dental floss
Tear toilet paper or put out tissues in bathrooms
Open any new boxes of tissues

Electronics

Set heat or air conditioning
Turn on or off lights, or set timers for them
If desired, turn off or disconnect:

Alarms
Cellphones and phones
Computers
Microwave detectors
Other electronics

Eruv
Check that the eruv (if any) is good

Preparing for Jewish Festivals

Here are some suggestions (they are NOT halachot!) of what to prepare in advance of Jewish festivals. Add or delete to suit your needs!

Candle Lighting

Check candle lighting time
Set the candles in their holders (and have matches nearby)

Set the Table
Set the table, including the challa and its cover

Kitchen Preparation

Sharpen knives
Tear paper towels
Refrigerator: Turn off or unscrew lights; disconnect any LEDs or fans
Turn on blech, stove, oven, etc., for whatever you will need
Set up hot water urn
Turn off stove, oven, if needed

Food Preparation

Thaw frozen meat, fish, and other food that might take hours to defrost before being cooked
Cook whatever can be cooked ahead of time
Squeeze lemons; do any other boreir-type preparations
Chill wine
Open bottles and cans that will be needed on the Jewish festival

Cleaning

Make beds
Sweep or vacuum
Dump garbage

Clothing

Do laundry
Empty pockets of muktza
For men, set out Jewish festival talit

Muktza
Check that nothing you will need is beneath a muktza item

Personal Care

Cut hair and nails, if needed
For men, shave or trim beard and mustache, if needed
Tear dental floss
Tear toilet paper or put out tissues in bathrooms
Open any new boxes of tissues

Electronics

Set heat or air conditioning
Turn on or off lights, or set timers for them
If desired, turn off or disconnect:

Alarms
Cellphones and phones
Computers
Microwave detectors
Other electronics

BLESSINGS & PRAYERS

Glossary

Halachot