Erev Shabbos Nachamu was my second challahversary. In my journal I wrote about what I learned from two years of challah baking.
Challah baking taught me how to be flexible and work my schedule to accommodate challah week after week. It showed me how efficient and competent I can be and feel, being able to work challah into my busiest weeks.
It helped me prioritize and focus on the essence of what I wanted — to do a mitzvah — and to let go of the rest.
It showed me that I can stick with something for the long haul, through ups and downs.
It showed how time could expand to make room for something important.
It allowed me to feed people, my deeply held desire.
It gave me community.
It created rhythm and routine to ground me in happy and painful times. It gave me a place to come back to when I needed to breathe, to cry, to get my hands into something sticky and warm.
Challah braids together so many themes — nourishment, patience, transformation, ordinariness, transcendence, womanhood. When 40 women come together to bake as a zechus for someone, challah is an embrace, love, kindness. When Shabbos people eat challah on Friday night, challah is mesorah, eternity, oneg.
And I love it.
And I hope to continue baking challah.
You are beyond incredible. Your writing is gorgeous and makes me want join you.
Oh thank you 🙂