“רֵאשִׁית עֲרִ סֹתֵכֶם חַלָּה תָּרִ ימוּ תְרוּמָה וגו›, מֵרֵאשִׁית עֲרִ סֹתֵיכֶם תִּתְּנוּ לַה› תְּרוּמָה לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם» (טו, כ-כא).
The first portion of your dough you shall set aside as a gift... From the first of your dough, you shall give a gift(תְּרוּמָה) to Hashem, for all your generations (15:20–21).
The holy Be‘er Mayim Chaim writes:
“From the first of your dough. It would seem it should have stated simply, The first of your dough you shall give, as it did earlier.”
“But the pasuk conveys that from the first of your dough, by setting aside only that challah, you give to Hashem. The entire dough is dedicated to Hashem. Through this act, you invite the light of the King of Life to rest upon the entire dough, thereby nullifying the hold of evil and materiality over it. It becomes part of the dominion of the Holy One, and His sovereignty is revealed across the land, as the earth and its fullness belong to Hashem.”
“This is a gift (תְּרוּמָה) for your generations, signifying an everlasting elevation (התרוממות). How immense is the reward of the one who performs this mitzvah, bringing the land and all upon it closer to Hashem. Such a person brings harmony to the heavenly and earthly realms, uniting them and establishing Hashem›s sovereignty in the lower world. The reward for this is infinite, for it brings great delight and satisfaction to the Creator, adorning the Shechinah with new ornaments.
This individual is elevated and exalted to the highest levels, akin to a royal servant who dedicates his life to reuniting the king’s son from afar with his father. Such a person becomes greatly beloved and valued by the king, achieving tremendous closeness and importance. In addition to the blessings of Hashem bestowed upon such a person—countless blessings, salvations, and abundance for all the worlds—these blessings flow to the root of their soul, granting them sustenance for both body and soul. Surely, this is truly a gift (תְּרוּמָה) for your generations. For all time, when people understand that the earth belongs to Hashem and strive to return what is His through their proper intentions, even in mundane matters, this becomes an immense elevation for them.”
These holy words illuminate the deeper essence of the mitzvah of separating Challah—to sanctify and elevate the entire dough and to transform all aspects of our eating into acts dedicated to Heaven. It becomes an act that refines both body and soul, bringing delight to the Creator, blessed be His Name. Amen.
Rav Asher Freund, zt”l, founder and head of Yad Ezra institutions in the Holy Land, was renowned for his unwavering and pure faith. He instilled in his talmidim the principles of trust in Divine Providence and steadfast belief in Hashem‘s guidance.
Every Shabbos Mevarchim (the Shabbos preceding Rosh Chodesh), Rav Asher traveled with his talmidim to Meron to spend Shabbos near the resting place of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zt”l.
On one such journey, the vehicle transporting sixty challos needed for Shabbos failed to arrive. By the time the news reached the organizers in Meron, it was close to the onset of Shabbos, and no challos could be obtained.
With heavy hearts, the organizers informed Rav Asher of the dire situation. The holy rav, as was his way, remained entirely calm. With his characteristic smile, he said serenely: “Go, please, and search among the homes here in Meron. With Hashem’s help, you will find what you need!”
At that time, the village of Meron did not have many houses. The gabba’im went from house to house searching for extra challos, but found nothing.
When they reached the outskirts of the village, they noticed an old building that served as a beis ulpana (school). The building was empty, but they found the manager, who assumed they were looking for a particular student. He quickly sent them away, explaining that it was a “vacation Shabbos,” and all the students had gone home.
The gabba’im clarified that they were not looking for a student but had come to see if there were extra challos. Delighted, the manager said, “It’s very fortunate you came! The secretary forgot to cancel the challah order for this Shabbos despite the talmidim leaving. Today, the weekly delivery of challos arrived, and I have no use for them. I‘d be happy to sell them to you!”
They counted the challos from the delivery and found precisely sixty—no more or less—exactly the amount needed.
When the gabba’im returned to Rav Asher and shared their astonishment at the wondrous hashgachah pratis, Rav Asher asked: “Did the manager simply rejoice at avoiding the loss of the challos, or did he also experience a trembling awe (a treisel) at the extraordinary hashgachah of Hashem, who lovingly and compassionately watches over His children?”
