Instructions: The incomparable aroma of baking challah makes us feel that alls right with the world.

A few years ago, 16 women signed up for a lesson in challah baking from Chelly Goldberg, a social worker and family therapist who is also our rabbis wife. Each participant received a small portion of dough that Chelly had made the night before and allowed to rise; each piece was enough to make into a small loaf. First, Chelly showed us how to braid and shape the loaves; then, while they were baking, she made another batch of dough, so that we could see just how she does it.

The process is fairly simple, which was fortunate, because the fragrance of the baking bread was so overwhelmingly delicious and distracting that we couldnt have concentrated on anything complex. Chelly distributed sandwich bags full of the fresh dough for us to bake at home.

When the challah emerged from the oven, they were golden and glorious - one bite and I knew my extra dough would not languish in the freezer.

There are many ancient customs surrounding challah. The word itself refers to the dough offering that the Israelites gave to the priests of the ancient temple, and which we remember by the ritual of "taking challah." Before shaping the loaves, we break off a small piece, "the size of an olive," and say a special blessing:
"Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us to separate challah." Then we burn the dough fragment on the oven floor.

Because of the association of bread baking and charitable obligation, some families keep a charity box in the kitchen, and put money in it whenever they

"take challah."

Traditionally, there should be two loaves on every Sabbath table. These symbolize the double portion of manna that God provided to the Israelites every Friday during their 40 years in the desert. He did this so that they would not have to work gathering their food on the Sabbath. Sesame seeds or poppy seeds are often sprinkled over the loaves to represent the manna.

Challah appears on the table at every holiday except Passover and at every life cycle event. For some occasions it changes shape. The round loaves for Rosh Hashana represent the roundness of the year, or, perhaps, a crown, symbolizing the divine power of the Lord. Raisins in these loaves add sweetness, for a sweet year. The raisins should be golden, as some people believe that black foods bring bad luck during the year ahead.

In the Song of Songs, the Torah is compared to "milk and honey under the tongue," so, on Shavuoth, the Feast of Weeks, which celebrates the giving of the law, we add extra sugar or honey to the challah or its glaze to make the bread sweeter than usual. The loaves are longer than usual, too, perhaps representing the tablets of the law.

If you dont want to bake your own challah, I hope that you have a good bakery nearby. Place a standing order to avoid anxiety about whether you will be left without a challah on Fridays when you run late.

If you dont have a bakery, you may find acceptable challah at your supermarket. The convenience comes with a downside, however. Even if the bread is decent, the crust is likely to be much too soft. To improve it, you can warm it in a 300 F oven for 15 minutes; youll not only have a crusty loaf, youll have a warm one, too.

If you have challah left on Sunday morning, it makes great French toast (or bread pudding).

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