Rounding out the Rosh Hashanah Table
Exploring the customs and halachos of challah on Rosh Hashanah and beyond
Q: Why do people specifically make round challah for Rosh Hashanah?
A: There are multiple reasons for the custom of making round challah for Rosh Hashanah. Round challah symbolizes the continuity of the year and the cycle of life. It also alludes to a verse in Yeshayahu (40:22), which declares that Hashem “sits upon the circle of the earth.” Additionally, since the central theme of Rosh Hashanah is Hashem’s sovereignty, round challah can represent His crown. Some even fashion their challah into the shape of a pomegranate, whose many seeds symbolize the taryag mitzvos.
Q: Can sourdough challah be used on Rosh Hashanah, or does the sour taste conflict with the custom to avoid sour foods on Rosh Hashanah?
A: Just as we dip challah in honey and eat other sweet foods on Rosh Hashanah because of their symbolic significance, it is customary to avoid bitter and vinegary foods on Rosh Hashanah and to surround oneself with simanim tovim (good omens) for a sweet new year (Shulchan Aruch, OC 583:1; Mishnah Berurah 583:5). Peninei Halachah (Days of Awe 3:12) summarizes the custom by noting that “Many refrain from cooking sour, salty or bitter foods, or from eating unripe fruits,” and describes it as the practice of “all Ashkenazim and many Sephardim.”
Sourdough challah has a distinctly sour flavor derived from the fermentation process. Based on the Shulchan Aruch, sourdough challah would seem to be at odds with the custom observed at the Rosh Hashanah table, at least as a stringency.
However, because this is a custom, the level of stringency varies by family and community practice. Some families are very careful about it; others avoid obviously sour dishes but do not extend the custom to bread. One should consult one’s rabbi to determine what is fitting for one’s family while remaining true to the spirit of the day.
Q: How should hafrashas challah be performed with sourdough if some of the dough gets saved for a subsequent batch?
A: If one bakes a large quantity of dough (the common practice is when five pounds of flour or more are used) of bread, cake, crackers or cookies made from one of the five grains, “challah” must be separated and burned. The rest of the dough becomes exempt from the obligation of hafrashas challah.
The Shulchan Aruch (YD 324:11) discusses the following scenario: When separating challah from sourdough, a halachic complication arises when a bit of the sourdough (which has already been exempted) is mixed into the next batch of dough (which still requires the separation of challah). Under normal circumstances, one cannot separate challah and exempt only part of the dough so that another berachah of hafrashas challah can be made on the remaining dough later or by somebody else. That would constitute a berachah she’einah tzerichah (an unnecessary berachah).
To avoid this problem, before separating challah, it is preferable to remove the piece that will be used for the next batch of sourdough, and to have in mind that this piece will not be exempted when the challah is designated. This is permitted, since it does not result in the recitation of any additional berachos.
Q: What is the custom of buying a new challah knife for Rosh Hashanah?
A: On Rosh Hashanah, we use “simanim” (signs) to symbolize our prayers for the new year. Just like we eat an apple dipped in honey and other sweet foods to express our hopes for a sweet new year, there is also a custom to buy a new challah knife or have an old one sharpened, symbolizing the hope for abundant parnassah (livelihood). This custom has Chassidic roots. The correlation between a knife and one’s livelihood can be found in the Rosh Hashanah tefillah Unesaneh Tokef, where we say, “vesachtoch kitzvah lechol beriyosecha—and You shall apportion [or cut] the fixed needs for all Your creatures.”
Additionally, a teaching attributed to Rabbi Yitzchok Eizik of Zidichov explains that in Ashrei, the last letters of the words “posei’ach es yadecha—You open Your hand [and satisfy the desire of every living thing],” which refer to parnassah, spell out the root word “chatach” (ches, tof, chof), meaning “to cut.”
Q: Is there a custom not to eat the end slices of the challah loaf?
A: Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky said that he did not know of any source for this custom, and it would seem he was not concerned about it. This was also reportedly the view of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky. However, the Minchas Yitzchak (9:8) writes that he personally was careful not to eat the ends of a loaf of bread because people say that doing so causes one to forget one’s Torah learning. Although he writes that he too does not know of any source for this custom, he advises that it nevertheless be observed. He quotes a Yerushalmi (Terumos 8:3), which says that when it comes to matters of sakanah (danger), one must be concerned about what people say, even if it appears to be without merit. He suggests that forgetting Torah knowledge might be comparable to a sakanah.
Some have suggested that the source for this custom is the Gemara in Horiyos (13b), which lists ten things that can cause one to forget Torah learning. One of them is eating a loaf of bread that is not fully baked. It could be that in some communities, the loaves were crammed into the oven, causing the ends to remain underbaked. However, today the ends of the challah are often the crustiest part of the bread, and therefore this concern would seemingly not apply.
Q: Is it true that one should wrap leftover challah before disposing of it in the garbage?
A: This is actually related to the Torah prohibition of bal tashchis (wasteful behavior). Many authorities maintain that this prohibition includes wasting food. Although the implication of the Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 6:10) is that wasting food is prohibited only on a rabbinic level, all agree that it is forbidden. Still, the Rambam writes that the prohibition applies only if one acts in a destructive manner. So long as the bread serves a purpose, it should not be wasted. If the bread is no longer usable, even if only because no one in the house would eat the rest, Rabbi Hershel Schachter rules that bal tashchis would no longer apply. However, it is still not appropriate to actively ruin food by placing it directly into the garbage. This would fall into the category of bizui ochlin (denigrating food). It is therefore preferable to place the bread in a plastic bag and then put it in the garbage.
Q: Why do some people have the custom to throw challah pieces at the Shabbos table to the guests instead of passing them around?
A: Rabbi Shimon Sofer writes in his sefer Hisorerus Teshuvah that his father, the Ksav Sofer, would cut the lechem mishneh (the two loaves of challah served on Shabbos) and then throw pieces of the challah to all the guests at the table. Rabbi Sofer questions this practice, noting that the halachah generally forbids throwing or showing disrespect to food, especially bread. He answers that a person’s table is compared to the mizbeach (altar) in the Beis Hamikdash. He cites many customs, such as having salt on the table, which are based on this association. The portion of a korban offered on the mizbeach was not placed gently upon it but rather tossed from the ramp into the pyre on top of the mizbeach. Since the challah symbolizes an offering, and the table represents the mizbeach, it is considered respectful to toss the challah onto the table, as a way of expressing the importance of this meal.
Q: Why does the leader of the meal make an initial slice in the challah before saying the berachah of Hamotzi?
A: The Shulchan Aruch (OC 167:1) writes that during the week, when reciting Hamotzi on a loaf of bread, one should make an initial incision in the loaf so that, after the berachah is recited, the loaf can be quickly cut through, minimizing the delay between the recitation of the berachah and eating the bread. If you have ever sliced a thick-crusted sourdough loaf, you can easily relate to this halachah.
However, the Shulchan Aruch writes that on Shabbos and yom tov, one should not pre-cut the bread, lest one cut too deep and lose out on the mitzvah of lechem mishneh, which requires that both loaves remain whole until after the berachah. Still, many posekim write that it is proper to make a mark on the loaf with a knife to indicate the place where one will cut after reciting the berachah.
Q: Can a frozen challah be used for lechem mishneh?
A: There is a disagreement among posekim as to whether a frozen challah that cannot be eaten at the moment may be used as the second loaf for lechem mishneh. The Shevet HaLevi (6:31) writes that this should be avoided if possible, since it is questionable whether bread that is currently inedible can be used for lechem mishneh. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah 55:39) maintained that if one anticipates eating the bread when it defrosts later in the meal, it may be used. However, many posekim, including Minchas Yitzchak (9:42), Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (OC 8:32) and Tzitz Eliezer (14:28), held that a frozen challah may be used in any event. Minchas Yitzchak explains that since the bread is fully baked, and the thawing is something that happens on its own, the bread is viewed as being completely edible even while it is in a frozen state.
This article is partially based on OU Kosher’s Halacha Yomis, a daily email containing brief halachic tidbits, as well as Daf Hakashrus, a monthly OU newsletter for kashrus professionals.
Special thanks to Rabbi Eli Gersten, OU Kosher rabbinic coordinator responsible for recording OU pesak and policy. To sign up to receive Halacha Yomis, visit oukosher.org/halacha-yomis/, and to sign up to receive Daf Hakashrus, visit oukosher.org/blog/articles/daf-ha-kashruth/.