Peter Paul Rubens: The Israelites Gathering Manna in the Desert The Israelites Gathering Manna in the Desert, oil on wood by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1626–27; in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California. (more) challah bread Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by René Ostberg René Ostberg is an associate editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. René Ostberg Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Nov 19, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is challah? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Challah is an egg-rich, yeast-leavened bread that is usually braided or twisted before baking. It is traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath and certain holy days, such as Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How is challah traditionally served during the Sabbath? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "During the Sabbath (Shabbat), it is customary to serve two loaves of challah, commemorating the double portion of manna provided by God while the Israelites wandered in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. After reciting the Kiddush and Hamotzi blessings, the challah is passed around for each family member to tear off a portion." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is the significance of the braided form of challah? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The braided form of challah symbolizes the intertwining of important values, such as love, unity, peace, justice, and family. The 12 bumps of the braid represent the 12 tribes of Israel." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is the ritual of u201Ctaking challahu201D? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "u201CTaking challahu201D is a ritual where a piece of dough is pinched off, blessed, and burned before baking the rest of the dough, commemorating the offering to priests in ancient Israel. This is usually done with larger batches of dough." } } ] } Top Questions What is challah? Challah is an egg-rich, yeast-leavened bread that is usually braided or twisted before baking. It is traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath and certain holy days, such as Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

　　How is challah traditionally served during the Sabbath? During the Sabbath (Shabbat), it is customary to serve two loaves of challah, commemorating the double portion of manna provided by God while the Israelites wandered in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. After reciting the Kiddush and Hamotzi blessings, the challah is passed around for each family member to tear off a portion.

　　What is the significance of the braided form of challah? The braided form of challah symbolizes the intertwining of important values, such as love, unity, peace, justice, and family. The 12 bumps of the braid represent the 12 tribes of Israel.

　　What is the ritual of “taking challah”? “Taking challah” is a ritual where a piece of dough is pinched off, blessed, and burned before baking the rest of the dough, commemorating the offering to priests in ancient Israel. This is usually done with larger batches of dough.

　　challah, traditional Jewish yeast-leavened bread that is made with eggs and is known for its rich flavor. Challah is usually braided and is served on the Sabbath (Shabbat), the day of holiness and rest observed by Jews from sunset on Friday to nightfall of the following day. It is also served on certain holy days such as Rosh Hashana, a two-day celebration that inaugurates the Jewish New Year. Pronunciation English speakers borrowed challah from Yiddish. The initial ch of challah is frequently pronounced as a fricative, like the ch in the German Buch (“book”) or the Scottish English loch (“lake”). ...(100 of 1731 words)

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