Challah: The Blessing in the Dough

Everyone loves freshly baked bread. However, challah is a special type of bread unlike any other. While most bread is purely physical, satisfying our most basic bodily needs, challah bridges the physical world with the world of spirituality and godliness. According to the Jewish tradition, challah is a conduit for great blessings. This is why while challah is readily available in bakeries in every Jewish community around the world, many Jewish women still choose to make this holy bread themselves. It is tedious work, but it is hardly mundane.

Making challah and performing the rituals associated with it is a wholly spiritual experience. The act of making challah is a labor of love, faith, and devotion. In this month’s study, we will learn about the origins of challah in the Bible, what the term challah actually means, and how the ancient tradition of making challah could hold the keys to transforming our world into the Garden of Eden it once was.