Chiyuv and Mitzva of Hafrashas Challah
1. We are commanded in this week’s parsha to do hafrashas challah, as the posuk says (שלח ט"ו, כ'), “ראשית עריסתכם חלה תרימו תרומה, כתרומת גורן כן תרימו אותה, מראשית עריסותיכם תתנו לה' תרומה לדורתיכם.”
2. Time of the Beis HaMikdash. In the time of the Beis HaMikdash, when dough could be tahor and we had Kohanim who were tahor, the mitzva was to give the separated challah to the Kohen to be eaten in tahara.
3. Today. Today, however, that we unfortunately do not have a Beis HaMikdash, our dough is tamei since we are tamei meis and do not have a para aduma to become tahor, and Kohanim are also tamei. Thus, we do not give it to a Kohen. We separate challah and then destroy it so that it does not get eaten. It should be burned (רמ"א יו"ד סי' שכ"ב ס"ה ), but if it cannot be burned, it is wrapped in a bag and placed in the garbage (שו"ת עמק התשובה ח"א סי' קנ"ג, תשובות והנהגות ח"א סי' עת"ר ).
4. D’oraisa or d’rabanan? In the times of the Beis HaMikdash, the chiyuv hafrashas challah in Eretz Yisroel was d’oraisa, and in Chutz L’Aretz it was only d’rabanan. Today, that we do not have the Beis HaMikdash, most poskim say even in Eretz Yisroel the chiyuv hafrashas challah is only d’rabanan (שו"ע סי' שכ"ב ס"ב וג'). Still, we apply some chumros of challah d’oraisa in Eretz Yisroel even today (שו"ע סי' שכ"ג ס"א ).
Common Shailos Today
5. We previously wrote about some common halachos of hafrashas challah (Issue 67), e.g., the reasons the mitzva was given to women specifically (ibid., par. 1-4); the amount of dough that requires hafrashas challah (8 and on); types of dough that do not join for the minimum shiur (16); types of dough that do join (19); dough made to be divided (24); how to do the hafrasha (36 and on); burning the challah (43); what to do if one forgot to separate challah (49); hafrashas challah that got mixed up with other dough (52); and more.
6. Since many hafrashas challah shailos still arise in the Jewish kitchen and there is a general lack of knowledge, we saw a need to revisit some of the main halachos, giving additional clarification on some of the halachic details, in order to prevent common, widespread mistakes.
7. Also, there has been a trend in the world as of late to eat healthier foods. People are increasingly using flours made from various grains and baked products that are easier on the digestive system, e.g., rye, spelt, and oats, which contain less gluten, or products which are completely gluten free. Similarly, there is a renewal in usage of natural sourdough. People bake breads without any ingredients other than water, flour, and salt, and they avoid using artificial yeast [we will discuss this in the following issue, בעזהשי"ת ]. Thus, we must go through the most common halachos affected by these changes.
Types of Grain Requiring Hafrashas Challah
Five Grains
8. Anything made from the Five Grains – wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and rye – and baked in an oven requires hafrashas challah if it contains the minimum amount of flour requiring hafrashas challah. Bread made from other flours, e.g., rice, corn, potato, flaxseed, or the like, does not require hafrashas challah.
9. Bread. The chiyuv hafrashas challah is for breads, Shabbos challah, and the like, whose bracha is Hamotzi.
10. Any baked good. Similarly, any baked goods, cakes, or cookies whose bracha is Mezonos require hafrashas challah if they contain the minimum amount of flour requiring hafrashas challah. Some examples: kokosh cake, rugelach, chocolate chip cookies, and the like. [Unlike what some women mistakenly think, that there is only a chiyuv hafrashas challah on bread that is called “challah”...]
11. Sponge cake, “lekach.” Sponge cake also requires hafrashas challah if it contains the minimum amount of flour; only people usually do not bake enough to require hafrashas challah, as the ingredients other than flour do not count toward the minimum amount (שו"ת מנחת יצחק ח"ח ס י' ק"ס ).
12. However, when baking a large enough quantity of sponge cake to require hafrashas challah, e.g., for an organization, simcha, or event, challah must be separated. But the loose batter that sponge cake is made from is not considered a dough that requires hafrasha; the chiyuv only comes after it is baked, so one is only obligated to separate challah after the baking (שו"ע סי' שכ"ט ס"ב, מנחת שלמה סי' ס"ח בהערה ). Thus, one may taste the loose batter before it is baked without separating challah, as its chiyuv hafrashas challah did not yet take effect.
Raw Cookie Dough
13. Not planning on baking. Some people like eating raw cookie dough; there is a machlokes whether one may do so before challah is separated, and it depends on the case. Most poskim hold that if the dough was made from the start to be eaten raw and one is not planning on baking it at all, it does not require hafrasha (רמב"ם פ"ו חלה הי"ב, שו"ע סי' שכ"ט ס"ו, גליונות חזו"א על חי' מרן הגר"ח הלוי הל' חו"מ פ"ו ה"ה ד"ה והנה מדברי ).
14. Planning on baking. If the dough was made to be baked, it requires hafrasha, and in Eretz Yisroel, one may not eat from the dough before challah is separated.
Minimum Amount of Flour Requiring Hafrasha
43 Beitzim
15. The Mishna states (חלה פ"ב מ"ו) that dough requires hafrashas challah if it was made from at least 1.25 kav of flour, or 43 beitzim [the gematria of חל"ה] (עירובין פ"ג ע"ב ). This applies to all of the Five Grains equally.
16. Volume. The above measurement is of volume, not weight (רמב"ם פיה"מ חלה שם ). The minimum volume to make a bracha on the hafrasha is the same for all types of flour. It comes out to 2,488 cc (הגר"ח נאה) or 4,320 cc (החזון איש). However, since different flours have different densities, a different weight of each type of flour will be needed to reach the same volume.
17. Individual weight. Since it is hard for each person to assess and measure volume in his house, others have measured the volume of 43 beitzim of different types of flours and written their measurements in terms of the weight of each flour that requires hafrashas challah. Since the poskim differ as to how exactly to measure, it comes out that there is a minimum amount to separate with a bracha, and a minimum amount to separate without a bracha. It is also subject to the general machlokes between Rav Chaim No’eh and the Chazon Ish about all Torah shiurim whether or not the shiurim have shrunk (see Issue 67, p. 8 and on).
Wheat Flour
18. Minimum amount. The minimum amount of wheat flour requiring hafrashas challah is 1.2 kg l’chumra. There is no chiyuv hafrashas challah whatsoever for dough with less flour than this
19. With a bracha. The minimum amount to do hafrasha with a bracha according to Rav Chaim No’eh is 1.67 kg; this is the minhag in Yerushalayim (הגרשז"א, הגריש"א, מו"ר הגרי"י בלויא בלקט העומר פ"ה ס"ב, מו"ר בעל שבט הקהתי ). This is the amount of wheat flour held in a container with a volume of 2,488 cc (above, 16).
20. According to the Chazon Ish, 2.25 kg is the minimum amount of flour that requires hafrasha with a bracha. However, less than this certainly still requires hafrasha without a bracha, as mentioned.
Whole Wheat Flour
21. Minimum amount. Whole wheat flour has a greater volume per unit of weight. Thus, it is advisable to be machmir to do hafrasha without a bracha on dough that has 1.150 kg or more of flour (מדריך כשרות עדה"ח תשפ"ד ח"ב עמ' 28).
22. With a bracha. There are flour manufacturers today that separate the bran from the wheat kernel and then recombine it for whole wheat flour. The halacha is that the bran is not counted as part of the minimum amount of flour (שו"ע סי' שכ"ד ס"ג ). Thus, some poskim hold one must add 15% to the amount of whole wheat to make a bracha (מדריך כשרות שם ). But others hold there is no need to add, as the manufacturer was always planning to recombine the bran (מו"ר בעל שבט הקהתי ). However, not all companies do this; it is at least a safeik. Thus, it is advisable to add until there is at least the minimum amount of Rav Chaim No’eh’s measurement if one wants to make the bracha. This comes out to 1.932 kg. However, when using the Chazon Ish’s measurement, there is reliable basis to make a bracha without adding 15%.
Other Types of Flour
23. Since many people nowadays use other types of flour for health reasons, we need to list the quantities of other types of flour which require hafrashas challah with less weight than wheat flour. What emerges based on measurements is that other types of flour have different percentages relative to wheat. They are approximately as follows:
24. Barley flour – 15% less; spelt flour – 2% less; oat flour – 28% less; rye flour – 16.5% less (לפי הספר משפטי ארץ חלה פ"ב סע' א'). [See chart for the quantities of each flour in kilograms and in pounds.]
25. It should be noted that there are often flours that are not entirely one grain. E.g., one can buy a bag of 70% or 80% spelt flour, meaning only 70% or 80% is spelt and the rest is regular wheat. The same is true for other grains. Thus, one must pay attention and measure based on a relative calculation of the two types of grain. One should at least be machmir and add to the quantity before making a bracha.
