„The challah binds to holiness all the movements by which society move…”
„The challah binds to holiness all the movements by which society moves, from the beginning of the labor until the bringing into household use, so that one may know that they are all bound to that sublime purpose found in the holiness of the Torah.”From Ein Ayah, Shabbat II, 223
In this week's portion, "Shelach Lecha," which we read this past Shabbat, the commandment of separating challah appears: "The first of your dough you shall set apart as a gift..." What is the meaning of separating challah, and why do women in particular take care with the separation of challah? The portion we set apart from the challah is taken specifically from the dough and not from the finished bread. The unification of the ingredients is what obligates the commandment. And it is the woman who performs this unification, and in this her greatness is great and special relative to all of reality — in the ability to take different materials, turn them into one, and connect everything to holiness.
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From the community archive of Mishpetei HaRav Kook — studying Rav Kook's teachings since 2011.