VII. Rosh Hashanah is known for challah — specifically, round-shaped challah. Sefer Hatoda’ah mentions making the image of a key with sesame seeds on top of the challah. Needless to say, this is not exactly consistent with the rationalist approach to Judaism. 888-684-4274, Cedarhurst Mayor Parise Honors TheFiveTowns.com for its community work. It is alleged to be a segulah for parnassah(sustenance). “…as hovering birds, so will the Lord of hosts shield Jerusalem. It seems (from both of the above sources) that the minhag was to bake the key on top of the challah not inside (a la the old Many even shape their challah to look like a key. pig’s bone or a key, or three dints are made in it with a buckle or a piece of charcoal. The Gemara quoted by the Yismach Yisroel (reason 6), about the key, is at the top of daf 31b. London: Macmillan and Co., 1920. The Ohev Yisroel says about shlisel challah that “the minhagim of our fathers are most definitely Torah”. Vol. The Hallah Book. Also, Klal Yisroel is called a bride and they are called the bechina (aspect) of bread. He depicted the paschal lamb as being offered in the form of a cross and he claimed that the manner in which the paschal lamb was slaughtered prefigured the crucifixion of Jesus. You can do this by slipping a key directly in the challah, by baking it in the dough or placing it in the braids as you shape. [18] See. 393. [17] Herzog, Marvin. Hoping for a double blessing, I combine both traditions: adding traditional bsisa ingredients (raisins, almonds, spices and sprinkles) to shlissel challah—even if it seems overly superstitious. It's supposed to be a segulah for parnassah, yada yada. London: Macmillan and Co., 1920. It stands with a light beside it on the table all through the festival season.” See: Frazer, James George. Some bake the challah with an actual key inside, some make the challah in the shape of a key and some put sesame seeds on top in the form of a key. 212 / Also, this very subjective concept has its origin in the Talmud (Gemara RH 21b), and even there, there is more than one interpretation. The loaf, with a long metal key impressed and left to bake on top, is captioned: “Hallah from Volhynia [Western Ukraine near Poland and Belarus] for the first Sabbath after Passover. 212 / Also, this very subjective concept has its origin in the Talmud (Gemara RH 21b), and even there, there is more than one interpretation. Shlissel means “key,” and the custom involves either baking the challah in the shape of a key, or wrapping ones real house (or business) key in foil and pressing it into the underside of the challah before baking. “From The Crucifixion of the Paschal Lamb.” The Jewish Quarterly Review, New Series, Vol. It's a very interesting custom with many sources and traditions. Don’t let it rise too much or it may lose some of its beautiful shape. Scavenger hunts usually do not find their way on to the Shabbos preparation “To Do” list maintained by my family. One person wrote, “the origins of shlissel challah is completely avodah zarah [idol worship].” Ouch. The Yiddish Language in Northern Poland: Its Geography and History. Too long and it will lose its shape. We bake shlissel challah, and I promise you neither my wife nor I rely on it to pay the bills. (Moed L’kol Chai -R’ Chaim Palagi, Beis Habichira). [4] Someone is trying to put together a group of 'bakers' for a zechus for a complete refuah shelayma for Rochel Leah Bas Miriam Toba[.] This shlissel challah thing has been spreading like wildfire this weekend. This would certainly include baking a key inside a loaf of bread and/or shaping a bread in the form of a key, then expecting it to either change your fortune or influence your future. [3] While a metal key is often baked within the bread, some form the bread itself into the shape of a key or even arrange sesame seeds on top in the form of a key. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. Here are 12 amazing ideas to start your year of challah-eating off right, from balsamic apple date challah to chocolate walnut challah. Brush the challah with a beaten egg. Based on this there are customs in Sephardic communities to do things Motzei Pesach as a sign that we want Hashem to give us livelihood. I got an email about it on my local communityshuls mailing list. the Easter Passover’), Greek Πάσχα, Aramaic pasḥā, in turn from the Hebrew pessah, which means “to be born on, or to be associated with, Passover day.” Since the Hebrew holiday Passover coincides closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the Latin word came to be used for both occasions. Part 5. Shlissel Challah and Segulah Now to the segulah of Shlissel Challah, which is to either bake a key into a challah, or to form the challah in the shape of a key for the first Shabbat after Passover. These first three customs can, perhaps, be seen from the wording of the Ohev Yisroel in one place where he says we put the image of a key on the challah. I can't believe you used my Challah Hu Akbar graphic for a post on Shlissel Challah. 1).In Shir Hashirim (which we read on Pesach) it says לִּי אֲחתִֹּי רַעְיתִָּי-פִּתְחִּי – “Open for Me, My sister, My beloved”. On the far end of the scale, it can be said that shlissel challah observance is a nothing less than ‘the way of the Amorites.’ It is precisely this type of behavior and observance which Jews are supposed to separate themselves from, so it doesn’t go on to influence our thoughts and deeds. 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