Baking Challos for Shabbos
Shulchan Aruch cites challah-baking for Shabbos and Yom Tov as a mitzvah[1] and a worthy practice “that should not be abandoned.”[2] Indeed, it is a time-honored custom for women to bake challah loaves for Shabbos and Yom Tov, both because it enhances kavod Shabbos and kavod Yom Tov[3] and because it is an opportunity for them – by fulfilling the mitzvah of hafrashas challah – to set aright Chavah’s sin on the first erev Shabbos of Creation.[4] For this reason, it is halachically preferable that a woman be the one who separates the challah rather than a man.[5] Prominent contemporary poskim[6] have stated, though, that a woman who buys the challah loaves produced by bakeries specially for Shabbos, since she finds it too difficult to bake challos on a weekly basis, or finds that the challah loaves from the bakery taste better, would not be considered as “undermining the honor of Shabbos” (as the Chafetz Chayim had declared in his day[7]).
In order to fulfill the mitzvah of hafrashas challah and recite the blessing over the mitzvah, the dough must contain at least sixteen cups (over four pounds) of flour.[8] [A dough which contains less than ten cups (approximately two-and-a-half to three pounds) of flour is completely exempt from challah separation, while a dough which contains more than ten cups but fewer than sixteen cups of flour[9] requires separation of challah, but no blessing is recited.]
Question: How can a woman who does not require large enough a quantity of dough perform the mitzvah of hafrashas challah?
Discussion: Some women bake an amount that warrants hafrashas challah, and then freeze the excess challah loaves for future weeks. Many women, though, prefer a different arrangement: they prepare a dough large enough for hafrashas challah, but instead of baking it all at once, they bake only the amount required for one Shabbos, freeze the rest of the dough, and bake it over a number of Fridays. The advantage of this arrangement is that it allows them to prepare a large enough quantity of dough to allow for hafrashas challah, while still being able to bake fresh challah every erev Shabbos for their household. This arrangement, however, is controversial: Some poskim are of the opinion that hafrashas challah is performed only if the entire dough is baked at one time, but if the dough is divided, and the parts baked separately, then the entire dough is exempt from hafrashas challah altogether.[10] Many other poskim, though, disagree and permit hafrashas challah from a divided dough, as long as the entire dough is going to be baked by one person and not divided among several people.[11] Some contemporary poskim therefore recommend that when freezing part of the dough for a later date, challah should be taken but the blessing not be recited;[12] others maintain that there are sufficient grounds to recite the blessing as well.[13]
[1] Rama, O.C. 529:1.
[2] Rama, O.C. 242:1 and Beiur Halachah (s.v. ve’hu).
[3] Rama, O.C. 242:1; 529:1.
[4] Mishnah Berurah 242:6.
[5] Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 38:8. See another reason in Bartenura, Shabbos 2:6.
[6] Ohr l’Tziyon, 2:47-1; Rav Y. S. Elyashiv (quoted in Hilchos Shabbos b’Shabbos, pg. 20).
[7] Beiur Halachah .
[8] Ruling of Rav T.P. Frank (quoted in Siddur Korban Minchah, pg. 40), which is followed by many women. Some poskim maintain that a blessing should not be recited unless five pounds of flour are used; Rav Y.E. Henkin (Eidus l’Yisrael 40), while others rule that a blessing is recited even over less than 16 cups (Yalkut Yosef, Hilchos Challah).
[9] Water and other ingredients are not included in the minimum amount.
[10] Based on Pischei Teshuvah, Y.D. 326:2, quoting Beis Efrayim and Maadnei Melech.
[11] See Pischei Teshuvah, Y.D. 326:2, quoting Levush, Bach and Derishah. This is also the opinion of Beiur ha-Gra, Y.D. 326:7. See also Chazon Ish, Y.D. 198:2-3 for yet a third opinion in this dispute.
[12] Rav S.Z. Auerbach, quoted in Shemiras Shabbos k’Hilchasah 42, note 45 and Leket ha-Omer 7, note 9.
[13] Shevet ha-Levi 4:145.