Why we need Challah bread covers

So what is a Challah bread cover? And why do we use them? These are two questions that are frequently asked by many of my friends who are not Jewish and happen to join us for dinner on a Friday night. In fact, some of my Jewish friends who aren't really religious don't really know the significance of covering bread or even what Challah stands for, so it isn't just non-Jews who are unaware of the rituals. :)

As I wrote last time, Challah or Chollah is a very special bread that we eat on Friday nights to welcome in the Sabbath, and also throughout the Sabbath as a reminder of the time when the Israelites roamed in the wilderness for 40 years. I expect most people are familiar with the story of the creation according to the Bible - that God created all things for six days and then on the Sabbath, he rested. It's a common idea and pervades many religions. The Jews, of course celebrate the Sabbath on Saturdays. So, while the Jews were wondering for 40 years, every day, God would provide for them by sending manna from Heaven so that they would not want for food. Any man could take and eat of the manna, enough for his day, but no more. This was the rule. For if he took more than a day's worth it would dissapear overnight because God would provide more manna the next day. All except for Fridays. Because on Fridays, the Jews were instructed to take two day's worth of manna so that they would be able to eat on the Sabbath. See, on the Sabbath, God rested (and of course so did man by extension and by Commandment), so no manna was sent down on the Sabbath. The two loaves of Challah bread that we celebrate with on Friday nights represent two day's worth of manna. Through the Sabbath, we also have two loaves of Challah with each meal.

Now Friday night dinner is special in an observant Jew's home. It is a time to feast with family and in keeping, we use the good cutlery and crockery and also the good table covers (usually white table cloths) and the covers for the Challah bread. Candles and good wine glasses are laid on and everyone dresses up nicely, fresh flowers are bought for the home and fifteen minutes before sunset, the women of the house light the candles to remember the Sabbath.

On to the Challah. The Challah is unsliced braided bread. I mentioned it sometimes tastes similar to a milk loaf that you might remember if you are old enough. Now the Challah is always covered - sometimes by a napkin, but usually by a proper Challah cover. Then, when we begin the celebrations, the father of the house will say the blessings - first over the wine, after which everyone takes a small sip from the cup that we use for the Kiddush. After that, we bless the bread and the cover is taken off and the bread passed around for everyone to tear a piece off.

So, why do we cover the Challah? Well there are a few different reasons. Some are purely practical, and others are of course connected to the legends in our religion. From a practical standpoint, anyone who has lived in a hot country will know, that keeping food covered is just basic good hygiene. It keeps flies and other pests off the food so that it stays clean for us to eat. We also cover the bread on Fridays to keep the meal special. When we cannot see the food we are about to eat, it means we are not distracted by it to a certain extent and we can concentrate on the rituals and Kiddush before eating. Our eyes are not drawn to the food since, to a certain extent, it does not exist in our line of sight. This extends from the idea that we really don't want to 'insult' the bread because according to some Jewish Law, the blessing for bread should take precedence over the blessing of the wine. But, it is also a mitzvah to bless the wine and start the meal in doing so. Judaism is often filled with these sorts of apparent contradictions.

The most frequent explanation for Challah bread covers however, relates back to the manna. It is said that when the manna fell from heaven, it rested between two layers of dew. The bottom layer of dew kept the manna from the sand below it to stop the sand from getting in the food and the dew above the manna kept it safe from the sun above. The dew then, acted as a sort of preservative to keep the manna fresh. So, the cover over the Challah and the plate or board or tray below it represent the two layers of dew.

Challah covers are often lavish affairs with embroidery on them and symbols of food - wine, bread, candles and other sybols of the Sabbath. Often there will be prayers or blessings spelled out in Hebrew lettering on the covers, and some of them are exquisite and family heirlooms in their own right.

So, I hope that gives you an idea about why we use Challah bread and I'll leave you with the blessing we say over the bread before eating it.

"Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'olam,
hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz"
"Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe,
who brings forth bread from the earth"