From dishwashers to microwaves to automatic coffee-brewers, technology has revolutionized the modern kitchen. The time- and energy-saving devices are no doubt a boon, given today's hectic lifestyle. Yet for the kosher consumer, every new technology introduced brings with it a host of halachic concerns: According to Jewish law, may I kosherize my dishwasher? May I kosherize the microwave between milk and meat?
One day, early in my career in kosher supervision, I arrived at a bakery certified by the O.K. and proceeded to inspect the facility. Looking around, I was puzzled by the presence of a certain skid. The product inside was encased so well by the plastic wrapping that I could not identify it. I thought I had discovered something amiss. Clearly the bakery was hiding something from me. Here was my chance to impress my employer at the O.K.!
A select number of Torah commandments are categorized as t’luyos ba’aretz, directly connected with the physical Land of Israel. Challah, the separation of a portion of dough, is among these commandments. The Torah states: “You shall offer up a loaf (challah) from the first of your dough as a gift” (Numbers 15:20). This loaf is among the twenty-four gifts that G-d awarded to the kohanim, the priests.
How Much to Separate?
The Torah does not specify an amount that must be separated for challah, bikkurim, or terumah. By contrast, it does specify that one-tenth of the crop is given to a Levi as ma’aser. The Sages determined that a professional baker separates one out of forty-eight parts, while a lay baker separates one out of twenty-four parts.