[Avodah] Shliss Challah

[Rafi Hecht]

Some people cover the key with tin foil prior to inserting it in the Challah
to make sure the "lead poisoning" is contained.

I didn't do Shlissel Challah this year. I kept an open-door policy. No
locks, no need for keys.

Best Regards,

Rafi Hecht
rhecht at gmail.com
416-276-6925
www.rafihecht.com
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On Fri, Apr 29, 2011 at 1:37 PM, Prof. Levine <llevine at stevens.edu> wrote:

>  Please see http://torahmusings.com/2011/04/shliss-challah/  YL
>
> I note the following comments posted after this article.
>
> I hope you have a “segulah” against the dangerous traces of lead your
> antique key will leave in your bread. See:
> http://matzav.com/danger-of-eating-shlissel-challah
>
>
> Segulas: Open Letter about the Shliss Challah from Moshe Ben-Chaim(
> Mesora.Org )
>
> ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­–
>
> The Torah teaches that Hashem punishes the wicked, and rewards the
> righteous. It does not say that challah baking or any other activity will
> help address our needs, as those practicing “segula” suggest.
>
> When the matriarchs were barren, they did not resort to segulas, but
> introspected and prayed. On Devarim 10:17 “Hashem does not take bribes”,
> Sforno wrote the following commentary:
>
> “The punishment of a sin will not be removed at all due to the reward of a
> mitzvah that this sinner performed. As the Rabbis taught, ‘A mitzvah does
> not extinguish a sin’. And all this teaches that one should not be confident
> that if he sins, that his sin is removed at all…except by complete
> repentance.”
>
> <Snip>
>
> Nothing in Torah supports this concept of segula; Torah sources reject the
> idea of a segula. If we deserve a punishment, and we don’t address our
> shortcomings, baking challas with brachos cannot help. And if we have no
> sin, then the correct approach to infertility is medical treatment. In
> either case, segulas are useless, and violate the Torah prohibition of
> Nichush. Nichush in common day terms, are good luck charms. It does not
> matter if the charm is a rabbit’s foot, a horseshoe, a challah, key or a red
> bendel. The practice assumes that forces exist, which do not, and it is
> idolatrous. Tosefta Shabbos chapter 7 prohibits red bendels openly. It
> refers to bendels as “Emorite practices” which are idolatrous. This applies
> to all practices where we assume a causal relationship, which does not
> exist. Separating challa so that we remove infertility, find a shidduch,
> etc., assumes a causal relationship that does not exist. Hashem gave us
> sechel ­ intelligence ­ precisely because He desires we use it in all areas,
> especially in our Torah lives. Hashem prohibited many idolatrous rites since
> they were not supported by natural law. That is why He wiped out so many
> people, since they worshiped stone gods, or believed in demons, spirits, and
> other forces that defy natural laws. Hashem wants us to follow what our
> minds tell us is true, and not what our emotions “wish” to be so. I
> understand your good intent, but our actions must be based on Torah and
> reality.
>
> Please help to remove false practices from Jewish culture, and instead of
> supporting segula, we should spread these Torah sources to our friends, for
> whom we desire to help. We must adhere meticulously to Hashem’s Torah…the
> Torah He said, “not to add to or subtract from”. (Devarim, 4:2)
>
> It is time to use our minds and realign our path of life with Torah
> sources, not blind faith practices.
>
>
>
>
>
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