Hi,
Ideally, for lechem mishneh on Shabbat one should use two loaves which are each more than an olive-sized amount, because there are authorities who rule that a smaller loaf is not qualified. However, others disagree, and so one who only has mini-loaves may use them.
(Rivivot Ephraim 1:204:3)
Have a great day,
Mordechai
Showing posts with label Shabbat: Challah: Lechem mishneh (two loaves). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shabbat: Challah: Lechem mishneh (two loaves). Show all posts
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Bagels for lechem mishneh
Hi,
We use two whole loaves of bread at our Shabbat meals, as "lechem mishneh", commemorating the double portion of manna given to the Jews in the wilderness before they entered Canaan. Bagels may be used for these loaves; although they have holes, they are formed that way and they are considered complete.
(Rivivot Ephraim 1:204:2)
Have a great day,
Mordechai
We use two whole loaves of bread at our Shabbat meals, as "lechem mishneh", commemorating the double portion of manna given to the Jews in the wilderness before they entered Canaan. Bagels may be used for these loaves; although they have holes, they are formed that way and they are considered complete.
(Rivivot Ephraim 1:204:2)
Have a great day,
Mordechai
Monday, November 24, 2014
Don't share the challah
Hi,
Where there are only two challah loaves available at a Shabbat family, and multiple families are eating, they should have one person recite the blessing on the challah for all of them. The strategy of having multiple people recite the blessing on the challah in sequence before cutting it is not acceptable, for multiple reasons, one of which is the interruption that would generate between reciting the blessing and eating.
(Rivivot Ephraim 1:203)
Have a good day,
Mordechai
Where there are only two challah loaves available at a Shabbat family, and multiple families are eating, they should have one person recite the blessing on the challah for all of them. The strategy of having multiple people recite the blessing on the challah in sequence before cutting it is not acceptable, for multiple reasons, one of which is the interruption that would generate between reciting the blessing and eating.
(Rivivot Ephraim 1:203)
Have a good day,
Mordechai
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Dairy Challah at a Meat Meal
Hi,
[Note: Generally, Jewish law prohibits dairy bread, because people often eat meat with bread. However, it is permitted to make dairy bread of a particular shape/size; the specifics are beyond the scope of this post.]
One may use dairy challah as one of the two loaves for a meat meal on Shabbat. Even should one contend that the challah must be bread which could be eaten at that meal, there is no problem in using it. Theoretically, one could eat dairy, and then clean his mouth and eat meat. We don't do this at one meal because it invites error, but it is technically an acceptable practice.
Having said this, it is advisable not to use the dairy bread, if at all possible, at a meat meal.
(Rivivot Ephraim 1:202)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
[Note: Generally, Jewish law prohibits dairy bread, because people often eat meat with bread. However, it is permitted to make dairy bread of a particular shape/size; the specifics are beyond the scope of this post.]
One may use dairy challah as one of the two loaves for a meat meal on Shabbat. Even should one contend that the challah must be bread which could be eaten at that meal, there is no problem in using it. Theoretically, one could eat dairy, and then clean his mouth and eat meat. We don't do this at one meal because it invites error, but it is technically an acceptable practice.
Having said this, it is advisable not to use the dairy bread, if at all possible, at a meat meal.
(Rivivot Ephraim 1:202)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Covering challah for kiddush on individual tables at a large meal
Hi,
Traditionally, we cover challah while kiddush is recited, for at least these three reasons:
1. Technically, the berachah on bread should precede the berachah on wine/grape juice, and we are leapfrogging the bread inappropriately. Therefore, we cover the bread so that it is not in front of us for kiddush. [This is tied to the idea of not "shaming" the bread by having it see the recitation of kiddush.]
2. The two loaves of bread at our Shabbat meals commemorate the manna which fell for our ancestors in the wilderness, and that manna was covered, above and below, by layers of dew. [The layer above is mentioned in Shemot 16:13; the layer below is mentioned in Bamidbar 11:9.] Therefore, we place the challah on a plate or napkin, and cover it.
3. It is considered respectful of Shabbat to wait for kiddush before bringing out the food.
Even if kiddush is recited in another part of the room, with everyone else listening and responding Amen, the bread should still be covered. Reasons 2 and 3 clearly apply. One may contend that Reason 1 applies as well, since they could have recived kiddush on their challah and they chose not to do so.
(Rivivot Ephraim 1:200)
Hoping for better news from Israel,
Mordechai
Traditionally, we cover challah while kiddush is recited, for at least these three reasons:
1. Technically, the berachah on bread should precede the berachah on wine/grape juice, and we are leapfrogging the bread inappropriately. Therefore, we cover the bread so that it is not in front of us for kiddush. [This is tied to the idea of not "shaming" the bread by having it see the recitation of kiddush.]
2. The two loaves of bread at our Shabbat meals commemorate the manna which fell for our ancestors in the wilderness, and that manna was covered, above and below, by layers of dew. [The layer above is mentioned in Shemot 16:13; the layer below is mentioned in Bamidbar 11:9.] Therefore, we place the challah on a plate or napkin, and cover it.
3. It is considered respectful of Shabbat to wait for kiddush before bringing out the food.
Even if kiddush is recited in another part of the room, with everyone else listening and responding Amen, the bread should still be covered. Reasons 2 and 3 clearly apply. One may contend that Reason 1 applies as well, since they could have recived kiddush on their challah and they chose not to do so.
(Rivivot Ephraim 1:200)
Hoping for better news from Israel,
Mordechai
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
How many matzot?
Hi,
We face a basic challenge in setting up our matzah for the seder. On one hand, we need lechem mishneh, two matzot, just as we use two loaves of bread at our Shabbat meals. On the other hand, we want to fulfill the biblical description of matzah as lechem oni, which one view on Pesachim 115b explains as "bread of a pauper". Normally, our two loaves are whole, but a pauper's bread is broken; he doesn't eat from whole loaves at each meal.
The Rambam (Hilchot Chametz uMatzah 8:6) and Vilna Gaon (Orach Chaim 473:4:שלשה) say to use two loaves, and to break the second one; although we have whole loaves on Shabbat, we won't at the Seder.
Most families, though, follow Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 473:4 and use three loaves, breaking the middle one at Yachatz. We hold all three together when we recite the usual berachah of HaMotzi, so that we have two whole loaves as well as the broken one.
We then put down the bottom [whole] one, and retain only the top [whole] matzah and the broken one, and recite the berachah of Al Achilat Matzah, "on eating matzah". In this way, the second berachah, which is the more specialized berachah for Pesach, is recited with clear-cut "paupers' bread".
Have a great day,
Mordechai
We face a basic challenge in setting up our matzah for the seder. On one hand, we need lechem mishneh, two matzot, just as we use two loaves of bread at our Shabbat meals. On the other hand, we want to fulfill the biblical description of matzah as lechem oni, which one view on Pesachim 115b explains as "bread of a pauper". Normally, our two loaves are whole, but a pauper's bread is broken; he doesn't eat from whole loaves at each meal.
The Rambam (Hilchot Chametz uMatzah 8:6) and Vilna Gaon (Orach Chaim 473:4:שלשה) say to use two loaves, and to break the second one; although we have whole loaves on Shabbat, we won't at the Seder.
Most families, though, follow Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 473:4 and use three loaves, breaking the middle one at Yachatz. We hold all three together when we recite the usual berachah of HaMotzi, so that we have two whole loaves as well as the broken one.
We then put down the bottom [whole] one, and retain only the top [whole] matzah and the broken one, and recite the berachah of Al Achilat Matzah, "on eating matzah". In this way, the second berachah, which is the more specialized berachah for Pesach, is recited with clear-cut "paupers' bread".
Have a great day,
Mordechai
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