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CCAR RESPONSA

New American Reform Responsa

57. White Bread for Halot

QUESTION: Need the halot used on Friday evening and festivals be white bread? (Alan C. Marcus, Fort Worth TX)ANSWER: The two halot used at the shabbat meal on Friday evening remind us of the double portion of mannah which was provided for the Israelites in the desert on Friday for shabbat (Ex 16.22). On Pesah two of the three matzot refer to this double portion of mannah (Ex 16.22; Shab 117b), while the third is broken early in the Seder ceremony. If we only had two, then one would remain whole at the time of the meal (Sidur Rav Amram p 113). There are some regulations about covering the halot (Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 271.9) as well as how one should conduct oneself during the motzi (Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 274.1). In addition, the halot may be baked in unusual shapes for special occasions. On Rosh Hashanah they could be shaped like a ladder to remind those assembled that during the next year they may be elevated or humbled. Occasionally halot have been shaped like a bird, a reminder of Isaiah’s statement that God will protect Jerusalem (Isaiah 31.5; Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 583.1). These statements said little about the nature of the halah with the exception of Rosh Hashanah. On this festival the bread, which was normally salted as a reminder of the sacrifice in the ancient Temple (W. Jacob (ed) American Reform Responsa #42), remained sweet as we seek a sweet year. Both bread and apple may be dipped in honey (Ker 6a; Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 583.1). White flour may have been used whenever possible in an effort to make the halot akin to the show breads of the ancient desert tabernacle and Temple. These were to be made of fine flour (Lev 24.7). Of course, those twelve loaves served a very different purpose and we do not know whether “fine” meant white. White flour may also have been part of our effort to distinguish the shabbat. This occurred in other ways as well, so poverty stricken households sought to serve some meat or fish on Friday evening. In some traditions, raisins were added to the halah on festivals and it was baked in a round rather than rectangular form. Twisted halot were a medieval German Jewish custom. In our prosperous American society the special nature of pure white flour has been forgotten. Even in my childhood in Germany white bread was special and more expensive. Undoubtedly its cost was beyond the means of some families, but in the past this may have been a way of stressing the festive nature of shabbat. It is preferable to have a white halah in keeping with the tradition, but any kind of bread is acceptable. There is no requirement that the halot be of white flour or to take any special form.May 1990

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