The custom: Many are accustomed to braid the Challah in the shape of a key [1] on the first Shabbos after Pesach. The next morning the goyim burst into shul with the police, yelling and screaming. Sam2: Minor quibble; didnt the Christian custom also start more recently than a millennium ago? Made either in the shape of a key or with a key baked inside, the special bread is known as shlissel challah,with shlissel being the Yiddish word for "key.". I understand your good intent, but our actions must be based on Torah and reality. it sure seems like darkei haemori to me, I would guess because there is some mention? 11:1 says that up to Shinar people spoke one language only to communicate with one another. To quote the Sefer HaTodah by REliyahu Kitov: The Shabbat after Pesach when we announce the coming of Iyar somehave the custom to make challah in the form of a key and to sprinkle it with sesame seeds. Sabzi: That is the oldest reference that exists. What is this minhag all about? Shliss Challah? Har Nof Academic on April 28, 2011 at 2:27 am Shliss Challah? However, these conjectures are filled with serious scholarly errors.. (If burning it inside the oven, there should be no other food baking in the oven at the same time.) https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-shlissel-challah-2076530 (accessed April 18, 2023). The minhag to bake shlissel challah for the first Shabbos after Pesach is a long-standing one. In fact, you can even combine this with another minhag of having a challah that is made out of 12 pieces, a yud beis challah. Apr 5, 23 Audio Roundup 2023:14 Apr 5, 23 Daily Reyd Apr 4, 23 The Mitzvah to Check for Signs of Kashrut Apr 4, 23 Daily Reyd Apr 3, 23 Who Reads the Haggadah? The Christians Avodah Zarah Minhag in this regard predates it by over a millennium. This is not a Jewish Minhag in any way, shape, or form and is without a doubt Assur Min Hatorah. 15 Apr 2023 21:27:52 Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. April 20, 2012 10:09 pm at 10:09 pm #1071854. The guilds then relented and allowed the Jews to bring their own keys to be put into the breads they buy. The Sefer Hatodaah that I have here does say in the name of R Kitov that some have the minhag to make the actual challah in the shape of a key. The motzi, which is the blessing said over bread, is one example of this kind of bracha.It is sort of like the Christian equivalent of saying grace before a meal. It is also not even the custom of many Chasidim, for example, it is not minhag of Lubavitch. Please help to remove false practices from Jewish culture, and instead of supporting segula, we should spread these Torah sources to our friends, for whom we desire to help. His frequent lectures at the Agnon House in Jerusalem are broadcast on, Rethinking Orthodoxy and Biblical Criticism IV, http://matzav.com/danger-of-eating-shlissel-challah, http://jbq.jewishbible.org/assets/Uploads/381/381_safaachat.pdf, if you werent sick of this subject yet, heres more on the inefficacy of segulas But Mostly Hers, A Year of Hirhurim | Hirhurim Torah Musings, The Mitzvah to Check for Signs of Kashrut, Aspects of Torah, Sacrifices, and the Mizbeach We Might Not Have Noticed. But, ignoring our flaws, even by occupying ourselves with many great mitzvahs, in no way removes our flaws. . CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. The Christians started shaping bread like keys (which were shaped like crosses) for the Sunday after Easter. Don't let it rise too much or it may lose some of its beautiful shape. Anyone who has ever truly experienced Shabbos, knows the following truth: Shabbos is very special. SAM2: Sorry to disagree with you but the Sefer Taamei Haminhagim calls this minhag VADAI TORAH HU! The three approaches are: 1. The 1st Shabbat after Passover, I & 1000s of women around the world made a special key-shaped challah. When it is done, remove it carefully to a wire rack to cool, being careful that it should not break apart. The most important part though, is really our tefillos, our prayers, when we do the mitzvah of hafrashas challah. This article first appeared in Hamodia Publications, 2016. Guest post by R. Jeffrey Saks /The custom some women (or men) have of baking the house key into the challah on the Shabbat following Pesach (also known as a shlissel [=key] challah) is explained with the following reasons: Rabbi Jeffrey Saks is the founding director of ATID. When it is done, remove it carefully to a wire rack to cool, being careful that it should not break apart. Preheat the oven; while it is heating, brush your challah with a beaten egg. With warmest wishes for parnassah tovah uvshefa, Tamar Ansh is a recognized challah expert and runs The Jerusalem Challah Center, the place to book your challah tour in Jerusalem for your next visit to Israel! I have no question on challah. There are true Segulos in many places. Its very much a minority opinion. The Ashkenazic minhag is to recite a bracha before and after Hallel on Rosh Chodesh. On Pesach all the heavenly gates were open. See: http://matzav.com/danger-of-eating-shlissel-challah. An integral aspect of Torah theology is that this omnipotent entity is the source of all good. Shannon Sarna It is a sign of our deep belief in G-d that it was He who Created the world. A bracha is recited (if enough flour was originally used) and one pulls off a piece of bread from a roll or loaf of bread and burns it.19If one remembers on Shabbos that Challah was not separated, one may not be mafrish Challah until Shabbos is over. What Is Hanukkah? The latest weekly digest is also available by clicking here. In the mystical teachings of Kabbalah, there are 50 "gates" or levels of understanding, so as Jews go from day to day during the omer, each day/gate needs a key for access. Mar 31, 23 Daily Reyd Mar 30, 23 Aspects of Torah, Sacrifices, and the Mizbeach We Might Not Have Noticed Mar 30, 23. Shlissel challah is a beautiful tradition we have kept for years. If your answer is no, Why did Jehova stop sending prophet among you at present? He answers that the key is through the merit of Shabbos observance. that on Pesach, H is passing up the prerequisite of our opening up even a needles-hole worth, which for me segues into the 2nd reason (all gates open on Pesach) mentioned above. If thats not Chukas Hagoyim then what is? The process of separating challah from dough requires a blessing when the dough contains at least 59 ounces of flour (i.e. The result of the disease was quadriplegia with myelopathy. I was looking for a Rabbi who can answer my thousand question on Torah. Why do we put it in the Challah dough?. Bracha Vehatzlacha! So here it is for you. 41. The key is removed before the challah is eaten, and the tradition is considered . Chukos Hagoyim is even less of an issue. The practice assumes that forces exist, which do not, and it is idolatrous. He picked it up and put it back on the hook. At one time, keys were manufactured in the form of the cross in lands where Christianity was prominent. The Observance of Shabbos is thus the flag of the Jewish people the idea and notion that represents all this. This concept of opened gates is found throughout the Zohar and is discussed by such authorities as the Shla (whose father was a student of the Remah). Blessings said before eating. http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/760614/Rabbi_Aryeh_Lebowitz/Ten_Minute_Halacha_-_Shlissel_Challah. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Re the noted Shir haShirim phrase, I recently saw RTzadoq haKohein miLublin quoted as rereading ufasach H al hapesach as referring to the pesach of the machat, i.e. Doesnt Hashem decree what we will make for the whole year on Rosh Hashana? What Is Shlissel Challah? The Goq- lol, the person who told you to do that probably said to bake challah with a key for LOCKS. Anyhow, everyone enjoy your delicious $hli$$el Challah!! Ive heard the original minhag was neither key-shaped bread nor metal-containing bread, but regular-shaped bread decorated with seeds in the shape of a key. So, as I said earlier, its around the turn of the 19th century or a bit earlier. Shlissel originates from the German word for key: shlssel. Decorate with poppy and sesame seeds. Separate a small piece of dough, approximately one ounce, and say: "This is challah." Burn the challah by wrapping it in a piece of silver foil and placing it in the broiler, or by any other method. Whatever you decide, don't forget the prayers. It is not like giving a man peticha when his wife is overdue. The custom is popular in communities that descend or have traditions coming from Poland, Germany, and Lithuania. When these bake they will resemble a closed flower. ELC's Jerusalem Challah Bake Recap Video and Feedback. Sesame seeds are used to depict mahn as they are small and white as it says about the mahn, they were like small seeds, white, and [tasted] as if they were dipped in honey.. How to Light the Hanukkah Menorah and Recite the Hanukkah Prayers, The Jewish Holiday Calendar Guide 2015-16, How to: Wave the Lulav and Etrog on Sukkot, Passover Observance in Israel and the Diaspora, M.A., Judaic Studies, University of Connecticut, B.J., Journalism and News Editorial, University of NebraskaLincoln. WATCH: Rabbi Whose Wife And Two Daughters Were Killed in Pesach MI KIAMCHA YISROEL: Chabad of Orlando Saves the Day for Dozens SICKENING: Jew Haters Demonstrate Against Israel in Houston [SEE THE VIDEO], 4 New Members Appointed To Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah Of Shas. good solution a challah in shape of a fish. The reason for shaping challah like a key? Brush the challah with a beaten egg. The tradition is considered a segula (spiritually propitious) for livelihood. If it was, some Rishon, Acharon, or Kabbalistic work would have mentioned this. Happy Sabbath! Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-shlissel-challah-2076530. And then it fell a third time. After you have finished your hafrasha and prayers, leave the dough, covered by the plastic, to rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour or a bit more. Just as patriots look at their flag as more than a mere dyed cloth with fancy designs, so too is Shabbos viewed in the eyes of the Jewish people. how does it work? Designed and powered by. I believe that some keys (e.g. Some make ordinary challahs and then a small shape of a key to go on top of it. I loved making this and wanted to tell you before Shobbos how nice my key shaped Challah came out! We dont know how it went over granted that it did and we definitely arent following a Goyishe custom. Of course, like most things in Judaism, not everybody agrees. Please answer me. Segulot for parnassa work for those who sell them. Why is it called darchei haemori anyway rather than darchei hachiti or darchei haperizi or darchei hamoavi? The key is added in to allude to the gates of heaven that are kept open from Passover toPassover Sheni, or Second Passover. in Judaic Studies. Two workarounds: My wife usually wraps the keys in foil. 1419-20 for a photo of a shlissel challah (and other special challot). The minhag is kadosh! Let sit about 15 minutes until thick and frothy. The Apter Rav also mentions other reasons for the Minhag -primarily that Hashem should open His store house of plenty for us as he did in Iyar after the exodus. Because there is a case say the custom originated from another religion. It symbolizes the key to prosperity after the people of Israel entered the promised land after the exodus from Egypt . Love Jewish food? On Devarim 10:17 Hashem does not take bribes, Sforno wrote the following commentary: The punishment of a sin will not be removed at all due to the reward of a mitzvah that this sinner performed. Then sprinkle them with white sesame seeds and bake them at 375F / 190C. Mermaid: Correct. I got this beautiful idea from one of my Hamodia readers named Sara E. who hired me to do a private challah show for her whole family on Chanukah. It took 5 days for your to answer? Im not against all Segulos or Minhagim based on Kabballah. The verse (Shir HaShirim 5:2) states, I was asleep but my heart was awake. Correct. I just want to clarify. Your challah recipe is excellent, consistently soft and tasty - amazing considering it has no eggs. help im lost! We must adhere meticulously to Hashems Torahthe Torah He said, not to add to or subtract from. Lets Say Amen! And it's an opportunity for me to express my sincere appreciation as one of the "" who benefit from your creative initiatives- Yasher Kochaich. In our case we arent doing it as a superstition at all. I so wasnt going to do the rolling pin part, but i did and WOW again!!! He opened the Aron Kodesh and saw, hidden inside the Aron, what looked like a bottle of wine. This was published originally with Hamodia a few years ago, and I put it up on my site. The tradition of baking a shlissel challah dates back many hundreds of years and is a more well-known custom in religious communities. 2023 Kosher.com. Then sprinkle with white sesame seeds and bake for 20-25 minutes until browned to perfection both on top and underneath. In other theologies they may be two separate concepts. I thought it was a late-medieval thing. Please check your email for instructions on how to reset your password. Next Question: Do you have a prophet still now in your country like Elijah,Elisha,Jeremiah,Ezekiel,and so on? Sam, like squeak said. I dont think the Gedolim borrowed this custom from Christianity, I think the Hamon Am did. sam2- You are always so predictable. However, as you correctly indicate by your question, the state of Israel is currently imperfect living in an unredeemed world (as evident, for instance, by the ongoing hostility between Israelis and Palestinians) and therefore no blessing may be recited over the Hallel. He picked it up once more. -Yes, you are correct. There are different ways to do it. The Taamei HaMinhagim (596 and 597) provides a number of reasons as well. When a Litvak asks Rav Elyashev shlita for a bracha or to daven for him, he too like a Chosid is asking for him to be an intermediate with Hashem. But with the advent of social media, especially challah bakers popularity on Instagram, the tradition has caught on well beyond Orthodox Jewish circles. Chacham: Is it my fault that I dont like it when we borrow Avodah Zarah Minhagim? This time he realized that Shomayaim was trying to tell him something, so he went to check the shul. Add the egg, honey, oil, salt, remaining cup of water, and 3 cups of the flour. It dates back to when Klal Yisroel entered Eretz Yisroel in Yehoshuas time. Freeze it on a flat, lined cookie tray until hardened and then wrap it in plastic until the day of use. This, Rachmana Litzlan, is a case of the reverse. R. Leibowitz notes that there is Christian custom before Easter to bake a special Easter bread with a cross imptinted on it. Step 1. The Torah teaches that Hashem punishes the wicked, and rewards the righteous. Participant. This has not been a Jewish custom for thousands of years. Viewing 50 posts - 1 through 50 (of 84 total), Copyright 2021 | The Yeshiva World. Wow all these years ive been doing it wrong ive been hiding lox in my challah not a key darn. The key alludes to the fact that these gates are now open and that we should focus our prayers ever more on that account. In my opinion, a good reference with which to start on this question is the responsum of R. Ovadia Yosef in his book Yabia Omer, Volume 6, Orach Chaim no. Too long and it will lose its shape. http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/228479/for-today-schlissel-challah-an-analysis.html, This topic has 83 replies, 40 voices, and was last updated. One Irish source tells the story of men in communities under attack saying, "Let our women-folk be instructed in the art of baking cakes containing keys.". Miraculously, the entire kehillah was saved. A few other examples of minhagim that were adopted by other religions are: We no longer throw seeds at a chuppah because another religion took the practice as their own. Ok, that one is newer). It is considered good luck to be the one who gets the baby in their piece of cake. Shlissel Challah is a segula, good omen, for parnassa, or livelihood. The custom of Schlissel Challah has become very widespread, not only in the Chassidish world but in many other communities as well. A few years ago I started noticing a trend on Facebook and Instagram: key-shaped loaves of challah baked the Shabbat after Passover. Ive been making challah for 21 years or more, thank you so much!! Locks?.OOOOH, probably meant LOX! I know of one generous soul who always makes extra key challos to give to some of her neighbors to wish them a blessed year filled with parnassah tovah. If you do a quick search for #shlisselchallah on Instagram, you will discover thousands of posts. Keys (antique ones) have a similar shape to a cross. On Passover, thematzahthat Jews eat is meant to instill this fear of heaven. Were you talking about irony in the other thread? I know when Im willingly taking on everyone when Im completely outgunned. Must be a slow news day, I hope you have a segulah against the dangerous traces of lead your antique key will leave in your bread. These Challos are best known as a segula for parnasa and livelihood, though there are other reasons for it. Try one of these other ways to glaze your loaf. Since Jews are the chosen nation and still they exist in this earth they must the authentic truth hoder. (2021, August 2). Dear Peter Milton Biswas, Thank you for your excellent question. There are also other reasons to this custom in Klal Yisroel. I get lots of questions all the time about anything and everything to do with challah. It does not say that challah baking or any other activity will help address our needs, as those practicing segula suggest. See R. Slifkins RATIONALIST JUDAISM discussion of this custom and its pagan roots. No pasuk says so. This Challah Recipe Tastes Just Like Churros, A Unicorn Challah Straight Out of Your Fantasies, Pull-Apart Pumpkin Challah Rolls With Honey Butter Recipe, How to Shape Your Challah Like a True Work of Art. here! Thank you so much for your answer. Or maybe it's Yiddish shlissel challah original sound - Miriam Ezagui. Any ideas you can share? Those Minhagim, however, without a real Makor in Gemara or Kabballah or that we can clearly see where we borrowed it from the pagans (and this is the absolute best example) are clearly Assur Min Hatorah, no matter how many people picked up on it over the years. No problem. Must be a slow news day, I hope you have a segulah against the dangerous traces of lead your antique key will leave in your bread. Still, there are others who actually bake theirchallahto look like the unleavenedmatzah(unleavened bread)that were just eaten on Passover. Yeshiva Bochur Airlifted After Suffering Heat Stroke at Ein Gedi [SEE TERROR: Attempted Stabbing Attack In Gush Etzion, 1 Injured [VIDEOS]. Dullradiance: The difference between all of those customs and this is that those were mentioned in Jewish sources long before the pagans did it, or at least long enough ago that we can assume that our custom predated theirs. well there is another factor that goes into get a job. In his work called Imrei Pinchas (#298) he explains that the reason to bake Schlissel Challah on the Shabbos following Pesach is that during Pesach, the gates to Heaven were opened and remain open until Pesach Sheni. After school, she became a nurse. Like arichas yomim for Shliach Hakan (and Kibud Av). This is worse than most as this one we know for sure what it means to them and that it came over to us several hundred yeas later at the very least. Add the rest of the flour slowly. A Taste of Challah Its exactly like the claims that the Wuhan Disease is caused by 5G networking, or that autism is caused by the MMR vaccine. How can he get to the inner parts (if he cant first get into the outer parts)? It refers to bendels as Emorite practices which are idolatrous. Apr 3, 23 Daily Reyd Mar 31, 23 Half-Shabbos?! Im putting a key on my challah this Shabbat to remind myself of that moment, that first communal moment where we stopped waiting for bread to fall from the skies and started making it ourselves and perhaps to remind myself that the keys to those gates may be in my hands.. I know that the first Shabbos immediately following Pesach is what is known as Key Challah week, aka, shlissel challahs. I have the page photocopied if anyone wants to see it directly from the source. Thank you. I just listened to R. Leibowitzs talk which I highly recommend. The Shlissel Key Challah Masterclass. Easter bread is shaped in a cross, or has the image of a cross on top of it. 11 oz., or 1 and 2/3 kilograms). In many Jewish homes, a Shlissel Challah (Yiddish for key) will be served this Shabbos. As I scrolled and read and researched, I came to learn that this trend has a name: shlissel challah, or key challah. [2] Others knead a key within the Challah dough on the first Shabbos after Pesach. Copyright 2021 | The Yeshiva World. Step 4. And all this teaches that one should not be confident that if he sins, that his sin is removed at allexcept by complete repentance.. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Learn Religions. On Easter, Christians would bake a symbol of Jesus into their bread to symbolize Jesus "rising" from the dead. Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apt ztl, known as the Apter Rebbe or Apter Rav (1748-1825) is the author of the Ohaiv Yisroel. As for the first comment by Lit, dont say many chassidim just say Lubavitch doesnt. Translation: Bake a shlissel challah after Passover in the hopes of secure financial status for your family. I personally find it a bit at odds with Judaism to wish and pray for specific things like financial success, and to do so by baking a special challah Im more used to relying on our actions to reap good fortune. The tradition of baking an object into bread are also found during the holiday ofMardi Grasin which a small baby "Jesus" is baked into what is known as a King Cake. One may recite the bracha whether one prays with a congregation or alone. So we have a Machlokes. sam2 -chas vashalom do i disagree with you. Using either a piece of baking paper or foil crushed into a ball shape OR a small round cookie cutter (greased on the outside with oil so it wont get stuck to the challah as it bakes) fill in the center of the bow so it will stay open as it bakes. Or are you assuming that since it is so similar to the Christian custom, it must have been based on that.