Parasha
Shelach
Numbers 13:1-15:41
By:
Dani'el Rendelman
What
can be found more at the
table of the rich yet it
is at the table of the poor?
It goes well with
any meal and doesn’t cost
a great deal.
Do you know what
this surprise that rises
is?
The
answer is bread.
Bread
is a staple of civilization
found all over the world. Presidents and prisoners chew on this
food daily.
Everyone eats it
(unless you’re on that no
carb diet craze). Where would the world be without bread
on the menu?
Can you imagine your
life without it?
No peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches?
No blueberry muffins?
No dinner rolls?
No hamburger buns? No homemade biscuits? No challah?
Bread
is a fact of life.
It was even so for
our ancestors as they approached
the Eretz Yisra’el. In Bamidbar (Numbers) Chapter 15 the Yisraelites
are told that when they
enter the Land of Promise
that they are to dedicate
a portion of the bread they
make as unto YHWH. The Creator understood that the people
would produce bread from
the earth, and when they
did they were to offer some
of it back to YHWH as an
expression of gratitude. YHWH didn’t eat the bread offered to Him,
so actually the bread offering
wasn’t really for Him but
for them. This sacrifice was just another reminder
for the Hebrew people that
YHWH is the true source
of every “good and perfect
gift.”
“YHWH
spoke to Moshe saying: Speak
to the children of Yisra’el
and you shall say to them,
When you arrive in the Land
to which I am bringing you,
and you eat from the bread
of the Land, you shall set
aside a gift for YHWH. The first portion of your dough, you shall
separate a loaf for a gift;
as in the case of the gift
of the threshing floor,
so shall you separate it.
From the first portion
of your dough you shall
give a gift to YHWH in all
your generations,” Bamidbar
15:17-21.
The
priesthood would receive
this offering of bread called
“challah.” Challah is the term used to refer to bread
that has undergone separation
from the whole. The term literally means “dough” and has
become over the years the
name of a great tasting
egg bread eaten on Feast
Days and Shabbat.
It is not clear how
Challah has changed from
being the name of a portion
of bread offered to YHWH
to the name of festive bread
eaten on Feast days but
it has. So please, please don’t just dismiss Challah
as a set apart day delicacy.
There are many truths
we can learn from Challah
and its spiritual significance.
First,
there is an actual mitzvot
in the Torah concerning
bread baking. As quoted above, whenever Yisra’el bakes
bread they were to take
a portion of it and dedicate
it to YHWH. Since the destruction of the Temple, this
mitzvah has been fulfilled
by: the cook separating
a portion of bread (about
the size of an olive) and
burning it in the oven.
The burning represents the
destruction of the Temple.
Moreover, some say
to separate the dough before
baking but it may be done
after.
The important point
is that this burning of
the separated piece is a
symbolic sacrifice. Jewish Rabbis teach that this mitzvot
is still binding regardless
of where you live. So technically, Challah is not just the
name of the bread eaten
on a Yom Tov, but actually
the process of setting apart
any bread to the Creator.
For Challah to truly
be Challah a portion of
the original must be offered
to YHWH.
This
setting apart of a little
portion is just another
reminder of the set apart
lifestyle of Bible believers.
Just think, if we
are to set aside even a
portion of the bread that
we make how much more then
should we set aside all
of our life. “Therefore come out from them and be separate,
says YHWH,” 2 Corinthians
6:17.
Challah is really
the remnant that belongs
to YHWH just as returning
Yisra’el is a remnant of
the original.
In
the Hebrew language there
are many different terms
for “bread.” While “lechem: is the usual bread eaten
daily, Challah is the special
food saved for special days. Traditional meals begin with the breaking
of bread and a blessing
of YHWH for His “bringing
forth the bread from the
earth.”
While it is usually
the word “lechem” spoken
during the blessing, it
is usually Challah that
is eaten after the blessing.
This is to show that
the simplest of blessings
touch the most extraordinary
aspects of life.
There
are traditionally two loaves
of Challah served at the
Shabbat dinner table. The two loaves that are weekly baked are
symbolic of many things
including the showbread
of the temple and the double
portion of the manna received
in the Wilderness before
Shabbat. They can also represent the: two tablets
of Torah, the two witnesses,
the two people – Ephraim
and Judah, the two commands
to “remember” and “keep”
the Shabbat.
The
dough of Challah is traditionally
twisted with three braids
and these braids are even
meaningful of the mitzvot.
The Rabbis teach
that the “three braids are
symbolic of the commands
to observe Shabbat that
appear in the Ten Commandments
One braid represents the
word ‘Zachor’ – ‘Remember.’
A second braid represents
the word ‘Shamor’ – ‘Guard.’ The third braid is for ‘b'Dibbur Echad’
- that these commands of
‘Remember’ and ‘Guard’ were
said by Elohim simultaneously
and as one unit,” says one
source.
The three rows can
also point to the Creation,
the Exodus, and the Messianic
Era.
Even
the way Challah is cut is
a visible teacher for the
Yisraelite. Most people serve Challah with a knife
present but never use the
knife at all!
Just as the Torah
recounts that the patriarch
Avraham, was tested by YHWH,
and did not use the knife
on his son Yitz’chak. The bread is to be torn from the loaf,
first by the priest or head
of the household and then
by everyone else.
Challah
can have special ingredients
added to it that add to
the imagery. Sesame or poppy seeds can be sprinkled
on top before baking to
represent manna and raisins
can be baked in to speak
to the sweetness of Shabbat.
My
wife, April, makes the absolute
best Challah every Friday. Sometimes she adds a mix of cheddar cheese
to the dough while on other
days she makes it plain. She’s also been known to mix in almonds,
dates, pecans, brown sugar,
cinnamon, or just bake it
regular with a buttery topping.
Her recipe has been
one way of ministry, as
she makes two extra loaves
each week for our neighbors. After much oblige, she has agreed to share
her secret recipe below.
Just don’t forget
step number 9 when you make
it. Whenever you bake bread set apart a small
piece to YHWH and say a
short prayer thanking Him
for opening your eyes to
His Torah and Truth, and
ask Him to set you apart
more just like that little
ball of dough.
April’s Challah
Makes
3 Loaves
Our Kids
love to help make this as
part of their Shabbat preparations,
so please include yours
too!
1
teaspoon of sugar
3
eggs
½
cup of honey
½
cup of vegetable oil
1½
cups of warm water
1½
teaspoons of salt
7-8
cups of all-purpose flour
2
packets of active dry yeast
Optional:
3
cups of sharp cheddar cheese
1
cup of Parmesan cheese
1
cup of chopped walnuts
1
cup of chopped dates
2
cups of raisins
1
cup of pecans
2
teaspoons of ground cinnamon
½
cup of sugar
( cinnamon and sugar can
be sprinkled on top just
before baking as well)
top
with sesame seeds or poppy
seeds
or
anything else that sounds
good to you, get creative!
- Add
2 packs of yeast, and
1 teaspoon of sugar to
1 cup of warm water.
Set aside for 10 minutes
to let proof.
- Beat
3 eggs with honey.
- Add
vegetable oil, the remaining
½ cup of warm water,
salt, and the yeast mixture and
mix well.
- Add
5 cups of flour one
at a time and mix well
with a wooden spoon.
- Add
in any of the optional
ingredients here.
- Add
2 more cups of flour
and knead well until
all mixed together and a
ball of dough forms. If needed add one more cup of flour.
- Let dough rise in a warm place until
doubled in size.
- Punch
down and flatten out
on waxed paper or floured
surface.
- Divide
dough into nine strips
of roughly the same
size, and braid 3 strips
together at a time,
making three loaves.
- Break
off a small Challah
offering. This can be a part of the bread about
the size of an olive.
You can take
one bit for the whole
batch or one piece from
each loaf. Instead of baking the bread now, you
may wrap the dough in
aluminum foil and freeze
it for later. if you
choose to freeze it
here, just unthaw by placing
on a baking sheet
in a warm place with
a damp towel covering
it, and let it
rise until doubled in
size then bake.
- When
ready to cook, place
braided bread on baking
sheet and let it sit
for at least thirty
minutes while the oven
preheats to 350
degrees.
- Bake
for 25-30 minutes or
until golden brown.
- Rub
butter on top of loaves
as soon as it is removed
from the oven.
Let the bread
cool for at least 10
minutes.
- Enjoy!
