Hafrashas Challah - Flour Amount

QUESTION: How much flour is required for the mitzvah of hafrashas challah?

ANSWER: There is a disagreement among Rishonim as to the amount of flour that is required for hafrashas challah. The Gemara (Pesachim 48b) states that dough made from five reva’im of flour (volume of 43.2 eggs) requires hafrashas challah. The source for the five reva’im is based on the amount of manna that fell in the desert. The daily amount per person that fell was five reva’im. Since the manna fell in the shape of grains (resembling coriander seeds which were ground up and baked into loaves), the Rosh (cited by Taz 324:1) writes that one must calculate this volume based on grains of wheat. The Minchas Chinuch (Mitzvah 32 – tochein) writes that it is well known that a unit of wheat after it is milled into flour can increase in volume by 25%. Therefore, according to the Rosh, the volume of flour that is obligated in challah might be up to 25% more than 43.2 eggs. However, the Rashba (Teshuvos HaRashba 1:465) strongly disagreed with the Rosh. He writes that it is impossible to know how much the manna increased in size when it was milled, and every grain depending on its quality will increase by a different amount. Since Chazal only gave us the shiur of 43.2 eggs, it is obvious that this was meant to refer to flour.

Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 324:1) follows the opinion of the Rashba and writes that the mitzvah of hafrashas challah depends exclusively on the volume of flour. If one makes dough from flour that is owned by a Jew from one or more of the five grains (wheat, barley, spelt, oats, rye) that contains the volume of 43.2 beitzim (eggs) of flour, challah must be taken. However, there is a wide-ranging dispute as to how to measure the volume of an egg. Since the unit commonly used to measure flour is pounds, it is more common to state the amount of flour that will require hafrashas challah in pounds.

• From slightly more than 2.5 lbs. of flour (half a 5 lb. bag) until slightly less than a full 5 lb. bag of flour, challah should be taken without a beracha.
• On a full 5 lb. bag of flour, challah should be taken with a beracha. 

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