• Home
  • About
  • Feedback
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Jewish Coffee House
  • Productions
  • Podcasts
    • Orthodox Conundrum
    • Intimate Judaism
    • The Maimonides Minute
    • Chochmat Nashim
    • Intellectual Spirituality
    • Ask the Rabbis
    • The Franciska Show
    • Let My People Eat
  • Blogs
    • The Scott Kahnversation
    • Avenue-(G)K Blog
  • Productions
  • Podcasts
    • Orthodox Conundrum
    • Intimate Judaism
    • The Maimonides Minute
    • Chochmat Nashim
    • Intellectual Spirituality
    • Ask the Rabbis
    • The Franciska Show
    • Let My People Eat
  • Blogs
    • The Scott Kahnversation
    • Avenue-(G)K Blog
 
Jewish Coffee House
  • Productions
  • Podcasts
    • Orthodox Conundrum
    • Intimate Judaism
    • The Maimonides Minute
    • Chochmat Nashim
    • Intellectual Spirituality
    • Ask the Rabbis
    • The Franciska Show
    • Let My People Eat
  • Blogs
    • The Scott Kahnversation
    • Avenue-(G)K Blog
  • Productions
  • Podcasts
    • Orthodox Conundrum
    • Intimate Judaism
    • The Maimonides Minute
    • Chochmat Nashim
    • Intellectual Spirituality
    • Ask the Rabbis
    • The Franciska Show
    • Let My People Eat
  • Blogs
    • The Scott Kahnversation
    • Avenue-(G)K Blog
JCH » Blog » Kahnversations

Shlissel Challah: A Nice Minhag or a Forbidden Anti-Torah Practice? Well, It Depends

April 6, 2021 6:46 pm

There’s a minhag to bake challah with a key in it on the Friday after Pesach. Alternatively, people bake challot with the design of a key. Both options are brought down in the name of Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heschel of Apt, the Ohev Yisrael.

Although it may originally come from non-Jewish sources – the Ohev Yisrael died in 1825, which is quite recent – “shlissel challah” also might allude to Masechet Taanit 2a-b, where Rabbi Yochanan lists the three [or four] keys which are given exclusively to G-d and not to any messenger; one of them is the key of livelihood.
If this custom serves to remind us that G-d is in control of our livelihood, then it sounds lovely. There are numerous other reasons given for the minhag, many of which can serve as helpful symbols of our dependence upon Hashem.

However, it seems that many people see this as a “segulah” – that is, something that helps “cause” livelihood. In other words, there are many people who treat this as if it actually helps with livelihood. That makes it a kind of magic; and if that’s the way a person understands it, it is theologically shallow and worse, a likely Torah prohibition of Nichush. It’s also goes against the positive command of תמים תהיה עם ה’ אלוקיך.

As Torah Jews, our obligation is not to manipulate spiritual forces in order to get something. We must rely on G-d, by building a relationship with Him through prayer and other legitimate methods. Shlissel challah as a means of changing our fate is illegitimate. It either means that we think of G-d as a machine which responds to our pushing the right buttons, or else that we believe that we can go behind His back and get what we want regardless of what He decided. Either way, it is an example of a religious custom which is actually the opposite.

Again: if it is a symbol of reliance upon Hashem, then it may be a very helpful and healthy minhag (as long as you don’t swallow the key; that would make it significantly less healthy). But if you think it has an effect upon the world, it’s more pagan than Jewish.

(Two important comments are in order: 1) Whether or not there are spiritual forces that may be manipulated is a completely different question from whether it is permissible to do so. Some would say that the entire idea is silly; others would say that there are levels of being that transcend our understanding. But even if (for the sake of argument) shlissel challah would “work,” that in no way makes it halachically legitimate. 2) Someone might argue that reliance upon Hashem rather than upon various spiritual forces means that visiting doctors should also be prohibited. Yes! – except that there is an explicit pasuk (Shmot 21:19) which Tanna d’vei Rabbi Yishmael uses to permit doctors to heal (Baba Kama 85a, and see Tosafot ד”ה שניתנה that this permission extends to all forms of injury and sickness). The fact that the Torah needs to give permission to doctors implies that other forms of “manipulating G-d” are illegitimate.)

Share and Like
challah custom Jewish customs key key challah minhag Omer pesach shlissel challah
« Previous Post
Join Us

Bonus Content and Groovy Goodies

dedicate a  podcast

advertise with us

Join the JCH community!

Subscribe now
FOLLOW US

Scott Kahn of JCH Follow

JewishCoffeeH
jewishcoffeeh Scott Kahn of JCH @jewishcoffeeh ·
13h

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6TYK7ATLlVIrVMk0vqOKyS?si=R2CWbU7iSeuwInurPnqXiw

Reply on Twitter 1622460087796174849 Retweet on Twitter 1622460087796174849 Like on Twitter 1622460087796174849 Twitter 1622460087796174849
jewishcoffeeh Scott Kahn of JCH @jewishcoffeeh ·
5 Feb

Huge influence on... well, everybody.

Reply on Twitter 1622112985706536961 Retweet on Twitter 1622112985706536961 Like on Twitter 1622112985706536961 1 Twitter 1622112985706536961
jewishcoffeeh Scott Kahn of JCH @jewishcoffeeh ·
31 Jan

54 years ago

Reply on Twitter 1620436122013937664 Retweet on Twitter 1620436122013937664 Like on Twitter 1620436122013937664 Twitter 1620436122013937664
jewishcoffeeh Scott Kahn of JCH @jewishcoffeeh ·
30 Jan

It was an honor. Thank you!

Reply on Twitter 1620065464801185792 Retweet on Twitter 1620065464801185792 Like on Twitter 1620065464801185792 1 Twitter 1620065464801185792
jewishcoffeeh Scott Kahn of JCH @jewishcoffeeh ·
30 Jan

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1yO0r4yvfDKlboMXH4ZVOt?si=o2XjGrMyTE23R6XP__DPmg

Reply on Twitter 1620013809393111041 Retweet on Twitter 1620013809393111041 Like on Twitter 1620013809393111041 Twitter 1620013809393111041
Load More...
Like Us
About
DEAR COFFEE DRINKERS AND OTHER HUMANS, Jewish Coffee House is a startup podcast network, which produces and broadcasts both audio and video content. (Also jokes.) We're starting off small, but we plan to expand... Read more
Contact Us
We want to hear from you. Send us an email at [email protected]
Or give us a call
USA and Canada: (917) 724-2241
United Kingdom: 203-769-1465
Israel: 058-527-9885
For more contact info click here
Popular

Laws of Pesach Part 8 – Hilchot Chametz uMatzah 4:7-12

Join the Maimonides Minute for the re-release of our series on the Rambam’s laws of Passover. This shiur offers additional

Podcasts
  • Orthodox Conundrum
  • Intimate Judaism
  • The Maimonides Minute
  • Chochmat Nashim
  • Intellectual Spirituality
  • Ask the Rabbis
  • The Franciska Show
  • Let My People Eat
Copyright 2018. All rights reserved, Rabbi Scott Kahn.
Accessibility   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy   Contact Us
Scroll to top
Skip to content
Open toolbar

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase Text
  • Decrease Text
  • Grayscale
  • High Contrast
  • Negative Contrast
  • Light Background
  • Links Underline
  • Readable Font
  • Reset