Covering Challah

Q: Why do we cover Challot on Friday evening, Shabbat, prior to saying the blessing over it, HaMotsie?

A:  At home and at the synagogue we cover the Shabbat woven bread, Challot, with a dedicated cloth.  Many times it is embroidered or decorated.  And, by the way, the same tradition of covering the matzot for Pesach applies.  In fact, the challah is covered for all the festivals before saying HaMotsie.

There are three reasons for covering the challah.

1.     Shabbat is considered to be a bride in our culture.  Before her wedding,  the bride is covered, veiled, to conceal her beauty and only later on is she revealed.  Similarly, the challot are covered before the beracha and only uncovered at the last moment.

2.     Challah is representative of the bounty of the earth.  Its past originates with the manna that fell from heaven each day as the Israelites made their trek through the wilderness.  As they woke in the morning the Israelites would fine the manna outside their tents covered in a layer of dew.  In the same way, we cover the challot imitating what our ancestors found.

3.     As we precede the blessing of the challah with the blessing for the wine we attempt to not play “favorites.”  The challah is covered to spare it affront as the wine is blessed before it.