Essential Guide to Separating Challah: Key Laws to Know

1. How much dough must be separated? According to the Torah, it says 'the first of your dough' and there’s no specific measure required by Biblical law. Even if one separates a small amount, that suffices. However, one should not make all of their dough into challah; they should leave a little bit. Rabbinically, a portion of one twenty-fourth of the dough should be separated. A bakery that is selling should separate challah at a measure of one forty-eighth of the dough. Nowadays, since challah is not eaten by the kohanim due to ritual impurity and is generally burned, one can take any amount for challah and doesn't need to be stringent about taking one out of twenty-four. Furthermore, today we do not separate a number of challahs, but rather one loaf that we burn. It is advisable to be stringent and separate challah once a year in the amount of one loaf according to the opinion of the Arizal. Some Ashkenazim customarily separate the quantity of a *kezayit*.

2. What should be done with the separated challah? After the separation, the challah should be burned, and ideally, one should not throw it in the trash or treat the sanctity of challah lightly. Some say that it shouldn’t be burned together with the oven’s heat but should be burned separately [on the stove] to prevent enjoyment from it. Therefore, it is customary to throw the challah into the oven before baking with it. There are some who permit this, and many follow this leniency.

However, if one cannot burn the challah for any reason, they should wrap it well in paper and throw it away. Likewise, after burning the challah, it is permitted to throw it in the trash, because the mitzvah has already been fulfilled, and there is no disrespect towards the commandment.

3. What flour quantity requires a blessing for challah? The flour measure of the dough obligated 'to separate challah with a blessing' is 1560 grams. Less than this amount is exempt from challah. It is praiseworthy to separate challah without a blessing from a quantity of a kilo and a half or a kilo and two hundred.

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4. What happens if different types of flour are mixed? What if separate doughs are made from different types of grains (wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and rye)? The five species of grain combine to require challah. This means that a dough containing a mixture of flour from different grains, and does not have the minimum amount required to separate challah except by combining with other types, all the grains combine to complete the amount for challah and need to be separated. This is true when flours are mixed.

But if each was kneaded separately and does not have the required measure, and then they are combined into another type, they only combine under specific conditions. If all the doughs were mixed to form a single dough, it is obligated in challah without a blessing. Therefore, if one makes dough from wheat and another from barley, and neither dough has the amount obligated for challah on its own, and they are mixed until they become one mass of dough, they should separate challah without a blessing.

5. What if separate doughs were made and challah wasn’t yet separated? If one kneaded a dough that doesn’t have enough for the challah requirement, and then kneaded another dough and that too doesn’t have the required amount, but the owners are careful that the doughs don’t mix (for example, with one being salty and the other sweet, or two doughs belonging to two women), they are exempt from separating challah. However, if the owners are not careful and the doughs touch each other enough for them to somewhat stick together, when they are separated it’s like tearing dough from one another – they combine, provided they are doughs of a type that can be combined as explained above. But if they do not touch at all – mere contact does not obligate in challah.

6. If one wants to divide the dough into different flavored portions, do they need to separate challah? A dough that has enough for the separation of challah, and a woman wants to divide the dough while it is still a dough into a sweet part and a second part with spicy seasonings – this dough is exempt from separating challah, since a dough made for the purpose of being divided into different flavors is exempt from challah. Nonetheless, it is proper to be stringent according to the opinion of Rabbi Tzvi and separate some challah without a blessing.

Why did God command us to separate challah, how is it done, and what are its merits?

7. When should the separation occur? Ideally, it is better to wait to separate challah until after the kneading is complete when the dough becomes one body, and should not be separated beforehand.

Ideally, one should separate the challah after finishing kneading before baking. However, if they forgot and didn’t separate challah from the dough after baking the bread, they separate from the baked bread after baking, as it says 'when you eat of the bread of the land.' One should put all the breads into a basket or vessel with edges above the height of what is put inside it, or cover it with a cloth, and separate with a blessing. If at the time of kneading there was enough dough to require the separation of challah, one does not need to have the basket.

8. What is the process for separating challah? Some women have the custom to give a few coins to charity before separating challah and also before lighting the candle on Friday evening, and before ritual immersion. Their mnemonic is: Challah, Nida, candle lighting.

Before separating challah, the Jewish communities of the East bless, 'Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah as a contribution.' The Ashkenazic communities bless, 'Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah.' Some from the Ashkenazic community have a custom of blessing, 'Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah from the dough.'

Immediately after the blessing, one takes a small amount from the dough and separates it, and our custom is to say: 'This is challah.'

9. What should be done with the part of the dough that we separate? After the separation, one takes the separated part and burns it with fire or on the stove. It should be publicized that even today, ideally, it is a mitzvah to burn the challah, and not to settle for wrapping it in paper and throwing it in the trash.

10. If one buys bread only from a bakery and doesn’t bake bread at home, is it recommended to separate challah occasionally? Even a woman who does not typically bake bread every Friday evening should try at least once a year to fulfill the mitzvah of separating challah. At the very least, during the Ten Days of Repentance, to increase merits during these days.

11. Can a child under the age of mitzvot (13 for boys, and 12 for girls) separate challah? A boy over the age of twelve years and one day, and a girl over the age of eleven years and one day, who have separated challah, their separation is valid post-factum. However, if they separated before this age, it is not valid even post-factum.

Challah and Terumah are treated equally in the Torah; just as a minor cannot give Terumah, they also cannot separate challah. Therefore, a woman who has a daughter under twelve years and one day old, who wishes to educate her about the mitzvah of separation – should not allow her to separate challah. However, minors who have reached the age of vows, even without having developed body hair, if they donated – their donation is valid, but ideally they should not donate.

12. Is it necessary to separate challah from dough meant for frying sufganiyot? There is no obligation to separate challah except from dough intended for baking, but dough that is thick but meant for frying in oil, such as sufganiyot and the like, or meant for cooking in water such as noodles – is in principle exempt from separating challah. However, some say that since this dough is thick, it is obligated in separating challah, and therefore one should be stringent and separate challah from this dough without a blessing. If they want to bake part of the dough, they separate challah with a blessing.

13. Is dough made with milk instead of water obligated in separation? If one kneaded the dough with one of the seven liquids capable of receiving ritual impurity, including: wine, honey, oil, milk, dew, and water – the dough is obligated in challah with a blessing. Therefore, if one kneaded dough with milk alone, even without water, because milk is one of the seven liquids – they are obligated to separate challah with a blessing. But if one kneaded dough with egg water or apple juice and the like, without water – they separate challah without a blessing. Ideally, it is advised not to knead dough with eggs only without water. If one kneaded dough with eggs and there is no water at all, they separate challah without a blessing.

14. Is dough made with fruit juice instead of water obligated in separation? Ideally, one should not knead dough with fruit juices that are not one of the seven liquids capable of receiving impurity, such as orange juice without water, etc. However, post-factum, dough kneaded solely with egg water without water, or with fruit juices that are not from the seven liquids, like oranges, etc. without any water at all, if it has enough to require separation – they separate challah without a blessing. Or they can make dough less than the required measure. It is good to add a bit of water to the dough so it becomes obligated in challah.

The reason that one should not knead dough with fruit juices is because it is forbidden to burn pure challah, and it cannot be eaten either because we are presumed to be ritually impure. Therefore, to be safe, one should add one of the seven liquids mentioned to the dough, so that they can separate challah with a blessing and burn it.

What merits does a woman gain during the separation of challah? Rabbi Zamir Cohen explains in a short video about the secret and virtue of separating challah according to Kabbalah:

The Process of Separating Challah – May It Be Your Will

Read here the complete laws in *Yalkut Yosef* regarding the separation of challah