Challah, Challah For You and Me
Written by Barbara Bietz and June Sobel
Illustrated by Ruth Waters
September 10, 2024, Apples and Honey Press
24 pages
Review by: E. Broderick
As the high holidays approach I am reminded of how we mark our days with food. More specifically, I think about how Jews mark their time with challah. Forget pumpkin spice lattes. This Jew knows the Fall is here when the round challot appear in the bakery window. From Rosh Hashana until after Sukkot it is traditional to shape the ritual breads into rounds instead of braided loaves. Fillings like raisins and crumb toppings will become the regular rather than the specialty offering. The loaves will even be dipped in something sweet like honey or sugar when served at the holiday or shabbat table. (My sephardic friends tell me they have adopted challah for their tables instead of pita breads, but they hold firm to the tradition of using sugar instead of honey).
Challah is also one of the first foods a Jewish child might help bake. If you think about it, this makes sense. It’s pretty resilient, and is even meant to be pounded a bit. Which is why Challah, Challah For You and Me, written by Barbara Bietz and June Sobel is likely to be a topic of interest for picture book readers. The illustrations by Ruth Waters feature a variety of animals baking and eating challah, adding a little charm for our young readers who might also enjoy pointing out the different creatures and naming them.
There are several varieties of challah shown, from traditional braids to hearts and rainbows. I would encourage adults to take that inspiration into the kitchen and let their kids model and sculpt the challah. Maybe even mimic some of the patterns (although you might want to take some precautions with the food coloring if you’ve got toddlers). Toppings are also featured and the sky is the limit!
As the text says, challah is meant to be shared. That doesn’t just refer to eating. Baking it in a variety of flavors and shapes is a wonderful way to share Jewish history and traditions with children. Plus, many people still keep the custom of ‘taking challah’, which in the times of the temple meant portioning off a piece of dough for the priests. These days, the portion is burnt since we no longer have a temple, but it is a mitzvah particular special for women. Many use it as an opportunity to pray for the sick right after they say the blessing for taking challah in the hopes that keeping this mitzvah will provide a merit towards healing. In fact, groups of women have coordinated together to all make challah in their homes and pray for a particular individual as they remove their piece. What better way to teach a child to care for others?
May the new year bring health and healing for all.
Note: BookishlyJewish received a e-copy of this book from the author after they filled out our suggest a book form.