This week’s parshah features one of the three special qualities of Sarah Imeinu — that there was a brachah in the dough that she baked into bread. Rashi in Parshas Toldos explains that the brachah in Sarah’s dough could not be merely that a small amount of dough was sufficient to bake a large amount of challah. After all, Avraham Avinu was an extremely wealthy man, and for him, such a brachah was insignificant. Rather, Rashi reveals, the brachah was that the baked bread always looked wonderful.
The Imrei Pinchas elaborates on the greatness of this brachah, and explains that how the challos come out depends on the woman who bakes them. When she’s happy and fulfilled, the challos come out beautiful and fragrant. When she’s feeling upset or frustrated, the opposite occurs.
The Bnei Yissaschar mentions something similar, that can be observed with the Shabbos candles: A special Shabbos atmosphere causes the same amount of oil or wax to burn for longer than it would mid-week.
It seems that we can actually notice, if we’re looking, how the atmosphere in the home affects not only everyone’s moods but even physical objects and the way we experience them.
Knowing how to harness our power to affect our surroundings for the good is essential if we want to achieve great things in the world.
