Waking up at dawn, I start preparing the dough for the challah while listening to the news. Within minutes I am immersed in meditation, in that blessed state of focusing solely and exclusively on what I am doing. Whether it be vacuuming or tending to my plants, it always has a beneficial effect on me; but when it happens while I am making the Sabbath bread dough, it is a pleasure that is prolonged, as if it too is waiting for Shabbat.
Fiorella and Isabella arrive from Bologna bringing sweets and a great deal of creative energy: for some time now they have been carrying out a photographic study, among others, dedicated to progressive Jews of Italy, and today I would like to share with them something peculiar, and that is the traditional Shlissel challah that some Jews bake for the first Shabbat after the end of Pesach.
I feel so well around them: their kindness, curiosity about Judaism and sensitivity to every detail that they encounter every time they come to our house and to my studio, are mixed with joyful laughter and confidentiality, sharing dreams and plans. Friendship.
I tell them that our tradition has it that during Pesach special "gates" are opened, beginning a path to freedom, which then close when Pesach ends. But we, women and men and children, have a long way to go, so we ask G@d to give us every day the "key", the blessing to open new gates, to bring about our own wealth and help others.
There is another possible meaning of the key, some think it represents 'the question'. To ask questions, especially the ones that I fear the most, is an exercise in which Judaism helps me very much, and it is crucial for me.
What better way to address our prayers to G@d than by surrounding them with a sweet fragrance of bread? So, we give it the shape of a key, just to highlight the message!
Some trivia: Why Is Challah Braided? https://www.liordesigns.com/perche-la-challah-e-intrecciata-il-pane-ebraico-del-sabato-tradizione-shabbat-kasherut/
Shabbat Shalom!