Have you ever wondered why Challah, the beautiful braided bread, is a staple at every erev Shabbat dinner?
Like many of the traditional elements of the Messianic Jewish faith, having Challah on Shabbat is a modern way to honor an ancient command found in Torah.
Numbers 15:18-21
“When you enter the land where I bring you and eat of the bread of the land, you shall set aside a portion for God. Of the first of your dough you shall set aside a loaf as an offering of the threshing-floor. From the first of your dough you shall give to God an offering throughout your generations.”
The Hebrew word used in this scripture for “loaf” is “challah”, and Jewish bakers still set aside and incinerate a portion of their challah in observance of this very command.
That's not the only thing special about challah, though. The act of setting out 2 challah loaves on Shabbat is a very symbolic and spiritual tradition that brings us all the way back to the time of the Temple.
In ancient times, by command of the Torah, every Shabbat the priests were to set out in the temple 2 stacks of showbread with 6 loaves in each stack. The showbread represented the presence of Hashem and was often referred to as the “Bread of the Presence”. Totaling 12, this bread carried the number of the tribes of Isra’el that will forever be in the presence of Hashem. Each week, the Bread of the Presence was later to be eaten by the priests. Today, 2 loaves of challah are laid out on the Shabbat table to honor that command. The 2 challah loaves you’ll find on my Shabbat table are each braided with 6 strands of dough to honor the showbread.
But why go through all this and what significance does it have for us today?
Through the merit of Yeshua Mashiach, we are recipients of a divine relationship with Hashem. We are called “the Temple of the Living God” (1Corinth 3:16). Bringing the challah into our homes, as it was brought into the Temple, reminds us of this holy dwelling we are called to be. We are called a “Nation of Priests “ (1 Peter 2:9). Partaking of the challah each Shabbat, like the priests of old did, symbolizes this holy calling we’ve been tasked with. And braiding our 2 challah loaves with 6 strands each links us with with our Jewish heritage, as we symbolically bring the 12 tribes into the presence of Hashem with each Shabbat table set.
So, set the table this Shabbat.
Be His dwelling place.
Answer the calling as His priests.
And never forgot to bring Isra’el into His presence!
Shabbat shalom!
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