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| | HALACHA OF CHALLAH | | | | | | | Separating Challah - from the Yeshivat Ohr Yerushalayim website | | | Nowadays, even in Eretz Yisroel, the chiyuv to separate Challah from dough is only derabanan.
1. Until the Challah has been separated, the dough and what is baked from it may not be eaten, even by Cohanim.
The water and flour mixture may be tasted so long as the dough has not yet been kneaded into an homogeneous mixture. Once an homogeneous mixture has been formed, the dough cannot be tasted.
In the case of certain kinds of dough, the dough becomes crumbly after having been kneaded. At this point the mixture may also not be tasted. According to some Poskim, this applies to cake batter as well.
2. Even though the mitzvah is derabanan everywhere, the halachos concerning Challah in Eretz Israel are more stringent than those in Chutz L'Aretz. It doesn't depend where the wheat grew, but where the dough was kneaded.
Challah separated in E. Yisrael must be burnt or buried. A Cohen who was been to a Mikva may eat Challah separated in Chutz L'Aretz.
In Chutz L'Aretz, if you forgot to separate challah from the dough, you can eat the baked goods and leave a small piece at the end from which the Challah will be separated.
a. On Shabbos or Yom Tov, when you are not allowed to separate Challah, leave a small piece at the end from which you will separate the Challah after Shabbos or after Yom Tov.
b. When separating the Challah afterwards, no bracha is said.
c. This is not applicable in Eretz Yisrael. If Challah wasn't separated, the baked goods still cannot be eaten.
d. In the case of the Matzo on Pesach, the local Rav generally separates Challah for all those who might forget, so the Matzo can be eaten.
3. The obligation to separate Challah is dependent on the owner, not the one who kneads the dough:
If a non-Jew kneads the dough of a Jew, Challah must be separated. This is true even if only non-Jews will eat the baked goods.
If a Jew kneads the dough of a non-Jew, no Challah needs to be separated.
4. Today there is no minimum amount of dough that has to be separated for Challah and a minute amount is enough. Nonetheless, the Minhag is to separate a "k'zayis."
This is the amount of dough that would fit into an Israeli matchbox.
This is true only if you are taking Challah from a large amount of dough or baked goods. If you are taking Challah from a single roll or piece of cake, then a minute amount is enough.
Some Poskim have suggested that you should occasionally separate 1/48 of the dough for Challah in order to do the Mitzvah in its more accurate form. (There are also Kabbalistic considerations.)
5. The Minhag in Eretz Yisrael is to burn the Challah, but not at the same time that you are doing the baking.
The Challah should not be burnt in the same oven that is used for baking unless it is wrapped in aluminum foil.
If it is impossible to burn the Challah, then you can place it inside a plastic bag and throw it into the garbage. Some Poskim have said that in this case less than a "k'zayis" should be separated.
If no water, milk, wine, olive oil, or honey were used in the dough (only fruit juices), some Poskim say that the Challah should be buried, not burnt.
a. It is questionable if this dough must have Challah separated from it in the first place. Therefore Challah should be taken without a bracha.
b. To avoid these problems, you should avoid making this kind of dough.
c. These problems only exist if the flour wasn't washed or soaked in the manufacturing process. All of our standard, regular flour has been washed and soaked.
| | | | Types of Grain that require Challah Separation | | | II. Challah has to be separated only from dough made from the five grains (wheat, rye, spelt, barley, and oats).
1. If the dough is made of rice, corn and the like, no Challah is taken. If the dough is made of a combination of wheat flour and other kinds of flour, like corn, some Poskim say that if you can taste the wheat flour, then Challah should be taken.
2. The rule is that you have to separate Challah only from bread dough. Included in this are also cakes, cookies and the like, but cakes in which the flour is only a minority ingredient in the dough should have Challah taken without a bracha.
3. If the mixture has the consistency of batter (it can be poured) and not of dough, then it depends:
a. If it is to be cooked or fried, no Challah need be separated. Therefore pancakes, wheat latkas (made from batter), and the like aren't obligated in Challah. By frying, we mean the use of a lot of oil. If a thin layer of oil is used to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, it is called baking. Therefore, cakes made in a "Sir Peleh" should have Challah separated.
b. If it is to be baked, there is an obligation to take Challah, beginning at the time of baking. Therefore, if each baking pan contains less than the required amount for Challah, even though the batter itself contained the proper amount, Challah should be separated without making a bracha.
4. It is questionable if dough made to be cooked or fried has to have Challah separated. Therefore Challah should be taken without making a bracha. Included in this category are "kreplach," home-made noodles and the like. Nonetheless, if you afterwards bake the noodles (i.e. kugel), it is not necessary to take off Challah another time.
5. Cake made out of "matzah meal" (which had Challah taken before it was ground) does not have to have Challah separated from it.
| | | | Amount of Flour needed in order to separate Challah | | | III. We measure the obligation of Challah according to the amount of flour in the dough – the other ingredients do not contribute to the shiur.
1. There are different minhagim with regards to minimal shiurim that require a bracha:
a. Minhag Yerushalayim: from 1.200 kg. (2 and 2/3 pounds) without a bracha; from 1.600 kg. (3´pounds) with a bracha.
b. Chazon Ish: from 1.200 kg. (2 and 2/3 pounds) without a bracha; from 2.250 kg. (5 pounds) with a bracha.
2. Dough less than these minimum amounts is not obligated, and if Challah is taken, it is not considered Challah.
3. You should be careful not to add any flour to the dough after separating Challah from dough that has a doubtful status, since this could require Challah being taken a second time. This is common in dough that has to be rolled flat, and flour is placed on the table to prevent the dough from sticking.
4. One should not purposely knead less than the amount in order to avoid having to separate Challah. But if you don't need so many baked goods, there is no isur.
| | | | Tziruf Sal - Combining dough | | | IV. “Tziruf Sal.”
1. Two separate pieces of dough, each of which is less than the minimum amount, would combine together to make up the minimum if they touch and stick to one another enough that when pulled apart, part of the original dough is pulled off.
a. Each piece will remain obligated in Challah even when separated.
b. Some Poskim say that if the pieces just touched each other lightly, you should do "tziruf sal" (see below) as well and take off Challah before eating.
c. According to most Poskim this doesn't apply to baked goods.
2. Pieces of dough and baked goods can combine together via "tziruf sal," being together in one utensil, and remain obligated in Challah even after they are removed from the utensil, even if they were in the utensil for a short time.
a. This can pose a problem when transporting baked goods to a simcha.
b. This applies only to baked goods that you wouldn't care if they had been mixed during the kneading, such as similar types of cakes or Challahs. If you would care (even though they are already baked and now you don't care if they touch each other) then they cannot combine together.
c. By "utensil" we mean something that has an "inside" as opposed to a flat surface like a table or a counter top.
1. Some Poskim say that flat surfaces also "combine" baked goods and Challah should be separated without a bracha.
2. Other Poskim say that in this case, it is best to place the baked goods inside a utensil and then separate the Challah.
d. It is best that all the baked goods be inside the walls of the utensil, since it is questionable whether that which is higher is also included.
1. If Challah was separated from that which was higher, then another Challah should be separated from the baked goods inside (without another bracha).
2. If that which is higher is covered with a towel or a sheet, then it can certainly be included in the separation of the Challah.
e. Most Poskim say that "tziruf sal" works only if the baked goods are touching one another inside the utensil.
3. If each of the baked goods is in an individual utensil:
1. Some Poskim (the Mishna B'rura) say that the outer utensil combines them (if the individual utensils touch one another); other Poskim disagree.
2. HaRav Auerbach zt"l, held that if they are in separate plastic bags, they do not combine together.
4. If the baked goods are covered on the top and on the bottom with the same sheet, towel, etc. this is also considered as “tziruf sal,” even if the baked goods are uncovered from the sides. Some Poskim say that being covered on the top is sufficient (and some say that this is true only if the covering droops over the sides).
5. Many Poskim say that an oven or any other object that is connected to the ground (i.e. kitchen cabinets) is not considered a "utensil."
1. This would apply only to those ovens that are "built-in," not to ovens or refrigerators that are portable.
2. A practical application of this would be a closet or freezer with a number of shelves, or a container with a number of compartments.
3. HaRav Auerbach zt"l held that the status of a freezer is questionable and that Challah should be separated without a bracha.
4. It should be noted that this applies to cases where Challah was already separated, but without a bracha: If the baked goods were put afterwards in a closet or freezer, you would have to separate Challah again.
6. Dough or baked goods that have had Challah separated, but had less than the amount required for a bracha, may sometimes combine at a later time in which case the Challah will have to be separated a second time. This can be a serious problem when people receive baked goods from a number of other people (i.e. at a Simcha) and don't know if each of the others kneaded dough in the required amount.
7. "Combining" applies only in cases when the owner (or owners) of the dough or baked goods doesn't care if the different pieces of dough mixed together.
1. Therefore, pieces of dough made with different kinds of flour or different kinds of liquid, or with different tastes, etc. cannot "combine."
2. If the owner doesn't care if some of the pieces were to mix, but he doesn't want all of them to mix, they don't "combine." This is only if the part that he doesn't care about is less than the minimum amount required to separate Challah.
3. If, at the time of kneading, the owner didn't want the pieces to combine, and afterwards he changed his mind, the baked goods can combine. For example: You made two pieces of dough, intending to use one for a parve cake and the other one for dairy. You afterwards changed your mind and want to use both for dairy cakes. Challah should be separated.
8. Some Poskim say that dough cannot "combine" together with baked goods. However, if you have dough and baked goods, each of which is already obligated in Challah, according to most Poskim you can separate Challah from the dough for the baked goods as well.
| | | | Obligation of Challah | | | 5. Dough containing the proper amount of flour remains obligated in Challah, even if it is divided into smaller units before baking.
1. If it is divided before kneading, but after the water has been added to the flour, it depends if the proper amount of flour has already mixed together with the water or not. If the dough is divided into two smaller pieces, each of which contains enough flour to separate Challah with a bracha, you should still not separate Challah from each one because you cause an unnecessary bracha.
2. Dough made with the intention of splitting into small units while still dough and giving it to other people doesn't require Challah.
1. Most Poskim say that this applies even if all the dough belongs to the same person. The Chazon Ish says that it applies only to partners. It does not apply in the case of a baker who intends to sell what he has baked (because if he has no buyers, he'll bake it all in one loaf).
2. If one of the smaller units will still have the minimum amount, it is questionable if the other small units are obligated in Challah.
3. According to most Poskim, if the owner intends to divide the dough, but keep it for his own use afterwards, the dough is still obligated.
1. Some say that if the various units of dough are not baked at the same time, no bracha should be made when the Challah is separated.
2. This means that some of the dough was baked in the morning and the rest in the evening or on the next day.
3. If two batches of dough were baked one after the other, it is as if they were baked at the same time. This is true only if the dough was actually split up.
4. If the person changed his mind, then Challah has to be taken.
4. We care about the person's intention at the time of the kneading. If at that time he didn't intend to split it, even if he changed his mind before the dough was baked, the dough is obligated in Challah.
5. If he intends to split it only after baking, the dough remains obligated. But if the chiyuv was caused by "tziruf sal," and at that time the intention was to divide the various baked goods, then they are not considered to have "combined."
6. Procedure.
1. You can't separate the Challah before the water is added to the flour.
2. If you do, the separation is not valid. The dough separated is not Challah.
3. You should wait until the kneading process is complete and the dough has become an homogenous mixture.
4. If you separated the Challah after the water and flour were mixed, but before an homogenous mixture was formed, the separation is valid.
5. It is proper for you to have in mind that the Challah separated will also include any flour added to the dough afterwards. In this case, you should be careful not to burn the Challah until all the loaves are ready for baking (and no more flour will be added).
6. If you didn't separate the Challah from the dough, you can do so after the bread is baked.
7. When separating Challah from more than one piece of dough or more than one loaf (each of which is already obligated in Challah), the dough or loaves must be near to one another. If this was not the case, the separation of the Challah is still valid so long as you have all the dough or loaves in mind. Some Poskim say that this halacha doesn't apply in Chutz L'Aretz.
8. It is best for the dough or loaves to be in together in one utensil and touching each other. If they are in separate utensils, the utensils should be open on top and the utensils should be touching one another.
9. The Mitzvah to separate Challah was specifically placed upon women. There is a special "inyan" for women to knead dough on Erev Shabbos and Erev Yom Tov in order to be able to separate Challah. Some Poskim say that this applies even to unmarried girls.
10. This is the procedure that should be followed when separating Challah:
1. A "kzayis" of dough (the amount that would fit into an Israeli match box) should be separated from the dough that has been kneaded.
2. A bracha is said: "Baruch ... Asher Kidishanu ... L'hafrish Challah."
3. Some Poskim say that when you do this Mitzvah for the first time, you should also make a "Shehechiyanu."
4. The bracha should be said while standing, but if necessary you can make it while you are sitting.
5. You then say "Harei Zu Challah."
Question
When making challah, how much flour is necessary for hafrashas challah, and what's the safeik area that I should avoid?
Reply
If you use 2.250 kilo (each kilo is 2.2 pounds), you certainly have to do hafrashas challah and make a bracha, even according to the Chazon Ish. On 1.660 kilo, many Poskim would say also to make a bracha on hafrashas challah. From 1.200 kilo, you do hafrashas challah without a bracha. On less than that, you don't do hafrashas challah at all.
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