Zomick's Challah: Jewish Symbols and Delicious Bread
The most delicious Challah in New York is the Zomick’s Challah, made by the Zomick’s kosher bakery.
In our visit to the Zomick’s kosher bakery, we have spoken with its owner, to find out more about the meaning and symbols related to this bread.
“Its name: Challah, not only designates a specific type of bread, but also defines, from a point of view of Jewish law, the portion of bread dough that was formerly consecrated to the kohen (priest) at the time of the Temple,” says the owner of the Zomick’s Kosher bakery.
Furthermore, as the Zomick’s kosher bakery’s owner has shared with us, the traditionally braided form of the Challah symbolizes that the Shabbat must recall 3 fundamental concepts: the Creation of the World, the Exodus from Egypt and the Messianic Era.
“However, there is an exception to the classic braided shape: during the Jewish New Year (Rosh hashanah) the challah is shaped in a circular shape to symbolize, among other things, the cycle of life and that of the year,” shares the owner of the Zomick’s kosher bakery.
Finally, as we learned from the Zomick’s kosher bakery owner, the presentation at the table of this bread is very ritualized. The Challah must always be placed by two on a dedicated dish and covered by a rectangle of embroidered fabric.
“This symbolizes respectively the distribution of a double portion of manna on the eve of Shabbat during the journey of the Jewish people in the desert and the fact that when it fell from the sky was protected above and below by dew,” says the Zomick’s kosher bakery owner.
Of course, there is still a number of explanations and symbols for each of the aspects mentioned and even other traditions around the Challah.