[Avodah] the Origins of the Non-Jewish Custom Of 'Shlissel Challah'

[t613k at aol.com]

Re: [Avodah] The Origins of the Non-Jewish Custom Of
	'Shlissel Challah' (Key Bread) "The Loaf of Idolatry?"

From: "Moshe Y. Gluck" <mgluck at gmail.com>


R' YL:
See http://www.alfassa.com/bread.html  and the download there.
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Don't miss the citation to listowner R' MB, or the great reference to
Lakewood. :-)

KT,
MYG



>>>
I never heard of any such thing as a shlissel challah until I moved to Florida -- not growing up in NY, not when I lived in South Africa and not in Australia.  However, today it has become very popular world-wide.    I am only mildly surprised to find that it apparently has a Christian origin, but since the origin is long forgotten there doesn't seem to be much harm in it.  Not much use in it, either. 


I think the author of the article goes too far in dismissing the very idea of segulah altogether.   A segulah with no associated tefillah is probably worthless and maybe even harmful, as it seems to reduce Judaism to magic and spells.  But a tefillah together with some kind of act may well have greater force -- if only in concentrating the mind and emotions of the person who is praying -- than a regular tefillah without an attached act.  




--Toby Katz




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