A Lesson in Leadership from the Challah

Rabbi Maury Grebenau

In Pirkei Avot (5:22) we are taught that we should continuously overturn the Torah again
and again since it contains everything. I find this to be particularly true when I try to analyze
ideas which I learned when I was young. Things which I accepted with all the critical thought an
eight year old can muster, frequently yield rich ideas when I think about them again as an adult.
The Kotzker Rebbe is quoted as saying that we must continue to analyze the narratives of the
Torah again and again as we grow or we will end up as a fifty year old with an eight year olds
relationship to the Torah. Certainly this is true of the narrative of TaNaCh and this can be just as
true of halachic ideas as well.
As young children we witness that the Challah is covered at the Shabbat table. We learn
at a young age that the reason is so that the Challah should not be embarrassed since really it
usually come first as a food1 and here we are first making Kiddush on the wine. As we mature
and learn more we may find out that this is one of a number of reasons given2. We might also
begin to wonder about the feelings of the Challah and press a little deeper.
At one point in my adult life I matured to the point of saying that perhaps the Challah
itself is not embarrassed but that Chazal are trying to teach us a lesson about how careful to be
about other peoples feelings and so they ascribe feelings even to inanimate objects. This is
certainly true and we find this in other areas such as the feelings of the land of Israel when
lashon hara is spoken about it3 and Moshe wanting to show proper appreciation to the Nile and
the ground4 among others. Recently, I gave some more time to considering this idea and was
rewarded with a new level of insight.
What exactly do we mean that the Challah is embarrassed? What is so embarrassing
about not being first? The idea is that bread takes on a central role in a meal and should in theory
do so for the Shabbat meal as well. In fact, in theory we could even make Kiddush on the
Challah5 and it could retain its leadership role in an even more heightened way. Instead, the wine
makes an appearance and takes on the leadership role at this meal. Chazal inject a powerful
lesson here about using ones potential to lead. When the Challah does not live up to its potential
it must hide under a cover for this is truly embarrassing.

There is a clear order of brachot when a person has a number of foods before them and bread has top billing
It may also be to show that all of the food including the Challah is for the honor of Shabbat and is covered until the
Kiddush has been made to establish the meal as a meal of Shabbat. Another suggestion is that it is to commemorate
the cove above and below the Mannah which fell in the desert between two layers of dew.
3
See the Gemara (Eruchin 15a) which says that if the Meraglim were punished for saying Motzei Shem Ra (untrue
gossip) about trees and stones then how much more so must we be careful in speaking about living feeling people.
4
See Rashi (Shemot 7:19 & Shemot 8:12)
5
See, for example, Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 271:12)
2

What an amazing lesson! We might be tempted to say that no harm has been done. After
all, perhaps the Challah did not fulfill its role but the wine stepped in and all worked out well in
the end. But the idea of the Challah being embarrassed tells us that this is nothing to be glossed
over. We should regret not filling our potential. If we can lead, if we can make a difference and
we dont that is more than just a missed opportunity, it is shameful. The next time we are faced
with a situation where we need to dig a little deeper in order to get done what needs to be done,
remember the Challah. The Challah does not step into the leading role and so it must remain
huddled under the covering, but we can act differently. Cast off that cover and lead!