We are all familiar with the mitzvah of hafrashas challah. When baking large amounts of bread, cake, or cookies, we make a berachah and take off a small piece of dough as the challah. Many bake extra dough in order to be able to perform this special mitzvah.
Special, intricate systems have been set up, under the guidance of our poskim, to help perform this mitzvah properly in large (Jewish owned) industrial bakeries. Nevertheless, it is helpful to review the details of separating and disposing of challah as it pertains to its performance in homes and bakeries.
Which items require Hafrashas Challah? If one bakes bread, cake, crackers, or cookies with flour from the five grains, one must separate challah. This is true whether one prepares a thick or a thin (pourable) dough.1It is generally assumed that the five grains are wheat, barley, oats, spelt, and rye. If one bakes with other grains there is no obligation to separate challah.
How much do I have to bake? If one bakes with the volume of 43 1/5 beitzim of flour, one must be mafrish challah.2There is a difference of opinion when translating this amount into contemporary terms. According to some opinions, one is obligated to separate challah when kneading dough that contains more than 2 2/3 pounds of flour.3Others have the practice to separate challah only if the dough is made with close to four pounds of flour. However, the common practice is to recite a beracha only if five pounds of flour is used in the dough.
When is the hafrasha done? When baking bread or a cake with a thick dough, one should separate challah after kneading the dough but before the bread is baked.4However, when baking a cake with a batter that can be poured, the challah is separated after the cake is baked.5
How is it done?How is it done? One breaks off a small piece (approximately a kezayis) recites the beracha בא“ה אמ“ה אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציונו להפריש חלה or להפריש תרומה, then verbally declare harei zu trumah or harei zu challah.6
When separating challah for several batches of dough at one time (when each one contains the shiur challah), all of the dough should be in close proximity to each other at the time of the declaration. If the dough is not in a bowl or container, it is sufficient for all of the dough to be in the same room as the person who is separating the challah. However, if the batches of dough are in bowls or containers, one should be careful (לכתחילה) that while separating the challah the bowls should be open and touching.7
However, if one or all of the containers does not contain the shiur challah, this method does not suffice.8In such a situation, one should place all of the dough into one large container before separating challah. Similarly, if one bakes several small batches of bread or cake and then puts them all together in a bag, container, or freezer,9one must separate challah if the combined batches make up a shiur challah. For example, if one baked cookies in three separate batches with each batch containing two pounds of flour and he then placed all of the cookies into a cookie jar, one must separate challah from the cookies.10
What do I do with the “challah”? The Torah (Bamidbar 15:21) says that the challah is given as a present to a kohain to eat. However, since we are all tamei nowadays, the kohanim can no longer eat the challah.11The halacha is that terumah and challah that are tamei must be burnt.12
Preferably, one should put the challah into an open fire until it is completely burnt. The Rema records the practice of burning the challah in the fire inside the oven before baking bread.13Since this is not very practical in modern ovens, one possible alternative is to place the small piece of dough in the middle of a burner on a gas stove top for a few minutes until it is burnt to a crisp. It goes without saying that care must be taken to avoid any possibility of a fire.
Alternatively, one can place the piece of dough into the oven until it is completely burnt. When doing so it is important to keep in mind a few important points. It is best to burn the challah in the oven uncovered in order to make sure that the challah is completely burnt. However, since the challah is not permitted to be eaten by a non-kohain (or by a kohain who is tamei), we can not allow any of the taste of the challah to come in contact with the food that we eat. As such, one should not place it directly on the broiler where one broils livers or on the oven rack. Rather, one should place the challah on a dedicated “challah burning” tray or on piece of aluminum foil and leave it in the oven until it is completely burnt. Some wrap the challah dough in a piece of aluminum foil. The disadvantage of doing so is that it will take a very long time for the dough to be properly burnt.
May I use my oven while the Challah is burning? If the challah is completely wrapped up, one may bake other items in the oven while the challah is burning. However, if the challah is uncovered, it is best to avoid baking anything else in the oven while the challah is burning.14If one accidentally did use the oven while the challah was burning, one may eat the food.15
Is there any other way to dispose of the challah? Most opinions hold that one is not permitted to destroy the challah in any other manner.16The opinion of the Chazon Ish is that if it is too difficult to burn the challah and by leaving it around the house one may inadvertently eat or mistreat the challah, one may bury the challah.17However, many disagree and feel that the challah should always be burnt.
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1 If one prepares a thick dough and intends on cooking the dough, one should separate challah without a bracha. If one intends on cooking a pourable dough, challah does not have to be separated.
2 Yoreh Deah 324:1
3 This is based upon the opinion of Rav Avrohom Chaim Naeh (see Sefer Shi’urei Torah page 158).
4 Yoreh Deah 327:2
5 See Tosfos Bechoros 27a “b’reish” and Shach 329:4.
6 Derech Emunah Bikurum 5:11 s”k 98 , Shevet HaLevi 4:146.See also R’ Akiva Eiger (Yoreh Deah 328:1). Some have the practice of reciting “הרי זו חלה לה’ על הכל“
7 Beiur Ha’gra, Yoreh Deah 325:8 cited in Mishna Berurah 457:7
8 See Mekor Chayim (Orach Chayim 457:3) and Mishnah Berurah (457:7). See also Shach (Yoreh Deah 325:6).
9 If the bread is contained in separate bags or wrappings some feel that it is not chayav in challah (Sefer Derech Emunah, Hilchos Bikurim, 6:137).
10 Yoreh Deah 325:1
11 Challah that is separated in Eretz Yisroel may not be eaten be a kohain who is tamei tum’as meis. In chutz la’aretz, only a kohain who has a tumah hayotzei migufo is forbidden from eating challah. Therefore, if a kohain was a ba’al keri and he went to the mikvah he may eat chalas chutz la’aretz even though he is tamei tum’as meis. The Rema (Orach Chayim 457:2) records that nevertheless some have the minhag not to give challah to kohanim b’zman ha’zeh.
12 See Tosfos Shabbos 25a (v’cahin) and Rambam Hilchos Yom Tov 3:8.
13 Yoreh Deah 322:5
14 The Shach (Yoreh Deah 108:1) quotes from the Issur V’heter that one may bake bread in the oven while the challah is burning. However, the Aruch Ha’shulchan (108:9) and others disagree and feel that the oven should not be used at all if the challah is uncovered.
15 See Rema Yoreh Deah 108:1.
16 There is a machlokes Rishonim whether or not a kohain may feed terumah (or challah) t’meiah to his animals. Rashi holds that one may and Tosfos disagrees and holds that it must be burnt (see Beitza 27b Tosfos “V’al” and Pesachim 46a Tosfos “Lo” ).
17 Chazon Ish Zeraim (Demai 15:1)
Rabbi Eliyahu W. Ferrell
