All posts by armadil
Blessing the Children on Friday Night: Origins and How-To
This thorough introductory article by Tamar Fox outlines the origins and various family customs for the ritual blessing over the
The Mitzvah of Separating Challah
This introductory article by Rabbi Mendy Hecht explains the commandment of ‘Hafrashat Challah’ (‘separating challah’), complete with the English transliteration and
How to Separate Challah: Sephardic & Ashkenazi Customs
This excerpt from “The Secret of Challah” by Shira Wiener & Ayelet Yifrach provides clear and concise directions for both Ashkenazim and
Reform: How to Recite the Blessing Over Children (Audio & Text)
This instructional post provides the Hebrew audio and the Hebrew, English and transliterated text of the blessing over the children according to
Modernizing Birkat HaMotzi: A Feminist Spiritual Approach
This excerpt from Marcia Falk’s “The Book of Blessings” discusses both the significance of Birkat HaMotzi (the blessing over the bread) as a
Why We Cover the Bread During HaMotzi
This article from Chabad.org provides biblical, Talmudic and halachic reasons for the custom of covering the challah before and during the HaMotzi blessing. In
Friday Night & Beyond: Insights on the Blessing Over the Children (Plus Text & Audio)
This thorough excerpt from “Friday Night and Beyond” by Lori Palatnik explains the biblical origins of the ritual blessing over the children
Why We ‘Scratch’ the Challah before Bircat HaMotzi
This article from Chabad.org discusses the halachic (legal) and Kabbalistic (mystical) explanations for ‘scratching’ the Challah before the blessing over the bread on
Aish: How to Make HaMotzi
The following responsum, written by Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld for Aish.com’s Ask The Rabbi, column, describes how to perform the blessing over the
Why We Dip the Bread in Salt During the HaMotzi Ritual
This responsum from Chabad.org discusses the origins of dipping bread into salt before eating it as part of the HaMotzi ritual. Rabbi Yehuda