Hafrashas Challah - Differing Doughs

QUESTION: I made two large batches of dough, one from wheat flour and one from spelt flour. Each batch contained a sufficient shiur for hafrashas challah. Must I separate challah from each batch, or can I place them next to each other and take off one piece of challah to exempt both batches?

ANSWER: If both batches of bread would have been made from the same type of grain, one could place the two breads next to each other and separate one piece for both. However, since they were made from different species, one cannot separate challah from one to exempt the other. This is true for all types of separations, such as Teruma and Maaser, as well. One may not separate Teruma, Maaser or Challah from one species to exempt a different species.

How do we know if two different grains are considered one species or two species? The rule is that if planting these two species of grain together would be a violation of kilayim (the prohibition to plant grains in the land of Israel in an intermingled fashion), then these are considered two species for the purpose of Teruma, Maaser and Challah. The Mishnah (Kilayim 1:1) delineates which grains are considered to be of the same species and which are considered to be two different species. Since the Mishnah designates wheat and spelt as two different species, one must separate challah from each batch. If one does not speak after the taking challah from the first dough, one beracha can be said for both separations.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.