The Gemara in Ta’anis says that there are three keys that Hashem directly controls, without the assistance of Malachim. They are, rain, which the Gemara explains is parnasa, childbirth (or conception) and techias hameisim. If I may humbly add, when we are making the challah to have in mind the parnasa of others also, and also those who don’t have children and most importantly, to daven for techias hamaeisim.
Regardless of how one performs this minhag, they are all correct and all have holy sources. When I started writing this, I did not realize how much information there was on this minhag which is done only once a year. I learnt a valuable lesson - every minhag and of course, every mitzva has many holy reasons behind it and it is not done just because someone decided this is a nice thing to do, as some say. The more I looked into shlissel challah, the more I found it in seforim, written by Rabbonim who were gaonim in every part of Torah - nistar and nigleh, and Tzaddikim in every aspect - between “Hashem and man” and “between man and man”. They were able to understand reasons for every little action we do as a way of serving Hashem. May we all be blessed with parnasa berevach together with all of Klal Yisrael, Amen!
