NOT SURE ABOUT BRACHA FOR CHALLAH

jewgal84

Fri, Sep 16 2005, 11:22 am

I always had a question, any know the answer?

How much quantity of challa dough do you have to make a bracha on?

I heared it has to be a certain amount, like having 2-3 challas made out of the dough is not enough to make a bracha on.

In preschool when we make it with our children we say a bracha al pi chinuch not bc of the quantity and there we make enough challa dough for 12 students.

amother

Fri, Sep 16 2005, 11:33 am

bracha--baruch ata...asher kidishanu b'mitzvosav vitzivanu lihafrish chala min haisa.
then, take a piece larger than a kizayis, lift it up and say "harei zu chala"

According to Rabbi Heineman, for more than 5 lb of flour, take chala with a bracha. for 2.5-5 lb of flour, take chala without a bracha and for less than 2.5 lb do not take chala

also, realize that if you do a lot of baking, you can join together all the baked goods and take chala if the total amount is more than the measurements above. for example, if you bake a bunch of cakes for a simcha and then make chala, but the chala is less than 2.5 lb, put it all on a table, cover it with a sheet, reach underneath and separate chala according to the guidelines above.

You should also ask your rav about the halacha with a freezer. some hold that if you bake a bunch of cakes and put them in the freezer, this joins them together and then you have to separated chala.

TzenaRena

Fri, Sep 16 2005, 12:11 pm

In the Siddur Tehillas Hashem (chabad) the nusach is asher kidishanu ..... v'tzeivanu L'hafrish challah.

Also in Spice and Spirit cookbook, starting from page 47-50 are the halachos of hafrashas challah and measurements that apply. These were published in close consultation with Rabbi Yehuda Kalman Marlow z"l, the Mara D'Asra and member of the Crown Heights Beis Din. On page 48/49: there are diagrams of amounts, and also "grey areas" when you need to take challah, but without a brocho.

A. Do not separate challah: when using flour weighing less than: 1230 grams or 2 lbs. 11 oz.

B. Separate Challah without a brocho: flour weighing 1230 and 1666.6 grams or between 2 lbs. 11 oz. and 3 lbs. 11 oz.

C. Separate Challah with a blessing:When using more than the following amounts of flour: 1666.6 grams, or 3 lbs. 11 oz.

These shiurim are those established by Horav Hagaon Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Noah, of blessed memory.

weighing the flour accurately is another matter, because there are differences in volume,density and weight between sifted and unsifted flour. (packaged presifted is considered for this calculation as unsifted. Sifted refers to sifted at home)

On the following page are diagrams of these differences in volume, measured by cups.

UNSIFTED: do not separate challah : up to 71/2 cups flour,
separate without a brocho: between 9 cups and 10 1/4 cups
separate with a brocho: from 12 cups and up

in between 71/2 and 9 cups is a borderline or grey area. try to have your recipe use either 71/2 and less to be sure you don't have to separate, or use 12 and up to be sure that you can separate with a brocho.

For sifted flour, the measurements change.( sifting adds volume). up to 9 cups sifted - do not separate challah. from 11 cups till 13 c. separate w/o a brocho. From 13 c. till 15 - grey area. From 15 and up SIFTED separate with a brocho.