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What is a practical way of burning the Challah portion that is removed from dough? Wrapping it in foil and leaving it in the oven would produce too much smoke for my house.

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6 Answers

up vote 1 down vote

If you can't handle the smoke, get it out of your kitchen! That is, tell your local Kohein that you hold like Maharam of Rothenburg who, as quoted in Sefer HaParnas (written by one of his students) 111, was particular to burn the separated Challah portion in the house of a Kohein only. So now, dealing with the excess smoke is his problem burden familial responsibility.

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up vote 1 down vote

If you live in a place with enough sun, consider putting a small 'solar cooker' on a window sill (or porch, if you have one). Consider whether the (albeit brief) smoking will draw concern and attention.

Solar cookers can even be built make-shift, if you need.

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Cool! (So to speak...) – Dave Aug 28 '12 at 17:44
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related judaism.stackexchange.com/q/10462/759 – Double AA♦ Aug 28 '12 at 22:58
up vote 2 down vote

If you're not in E. Israel, you can bake it and give it to a Sepharadic Cohen who dipped in a mikveh. (Shulchan Aruch YO"D 322:4-5)

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or a katan below 9. – Double AA♦ Feb 13 '12 at 23:24
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Is it that a ashkenazi can give it to a sephardi kohein, or a sephardi could give it to an ashkenazi kohein? Ie is the ashkenazi minhag an issur of giving or receiving? – Double AA♦ Feb 13 '12 at 23:29
Couldn't you also give it to a Kohein's wife whilst she is pure? – Double AA♦ May 5 at 3:40
up vote 6 down vote

My wife usually just saves them throughout the year, and then I burn them with the chametz.

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I assume you keep them in the freezer (or in formaldehyde). The problem with saving them is the concern of תקלה (if it's not destroyed, someone might use it). – Dave Jul 7 '11 at 5:18
@Dave: yeah, in the freezer. They're lumps of dough; it's not that likely that someone is going to go and eat them by mistake. – Alex Jul 7 '11 at 14:06
So would you think it's ok to keep it in the freezer for 5 years? 20 years? If the halacha is to burn it, logically you should do so as soon as possible. If keeping it in the freezer is good enough, you should be able to keep it there (or anywhere, for that matter) forever. It's not like this is some kind of "mitzvas sreifah" that you perform whenever you're in the mood. – Dave Jul 7 '11 at 14:29
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@Dave, I guess then the question is whether indeed the halachah is that it must be burned and there's no other alternative, or whether perhaps that's just the fallback position because we have no kohen to eat it. I see where Aruch Hashulchan 322:10 mentions a case of challah from chutz la'aretz that was brought into E.Y., where indeed one should wait till erev Pesach to burn it with the chametz, because to do so earlier would be degrading to it. Granted that we don't apply that rationale in the usual case, that still may indicate that there's no overarching mitzvah to burn it immediately. – Alex Jul 8 '11 at 14:00
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@Alex besides, perhaps we will have efer parah before next biur chametz, and some lucky cohen will get to eat it! – Baal Shemot Tovot Apr 18 '12 at 0:51
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up vote 8 down vote

Aside from the foil or the above mentioned grill you can also sear it on a stove top burner. Alternately since it is so small simply place it in the oven while cooking the loaves. It need not be reduced to a cinder, simply rendered inedible. If you are getting smoke you have typically already passed the point of it being "burnt" and now you are starting to carbonize it.

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Wouldn't it be a problem of "reycha" to bake it together with other loaves? – Dave Aug 9 '10 at 3:12
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This is from the OU's website: May I use my oven while the Challah is burning? If the challah is completely wrapped up, one may bake other items in the oven while the challah is burning. However, if the challah is uncovered, it is best to avoid baking anything else in the oven while the challah is burning. [Footnote -The Shach (Yoreh Deah 108:1) quotes from the Issur V’heter that one may bake bread in the oven while the challah is burning. However, the Aruch Ha’shulchan (108:9) and others disagree and feel that the oven should not be used at all if the challah is uncovered.] ... – Dave Aug 9 '10 at 18:34
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[cont.]... If one accidentally did use the oven while the challah was burning, one may eat the food. [Footnote - See Rema Yoreh Deah 108:1.] From oukosher.org/index.php/common/article/8981 – Dave Aug 9 '10 at 18:36
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The Shakh only briefly discusses it at the end of his comment: גם באו"ה כלל ל"ט דין כ"ד כתב דחלה שלנו שהיא מדרבנן מותר לכתחלה לאפות עם הפת עכ"ל משמע דאיסור דאורייתא כחוש אסור לכתחלה וז"א והכי מוכח נמי להדיא מתשובת ר"ת וראבי"ה שבש"ד סי' ל"ו ובתשו' מיימוני המ"א סי"ו ובמרדכי פכ"ש וברוקח סי' רצ"ב ע"ש וכ"נ מדברי מהרש"ל פג"ה סימן ט"ו וע"ש: The idea is that without a Temple in Eretz Yisrael, and in all of Hutz La'Aretz since Hala is only M'D'Rabbannan there should be no problem. – Rabbi Michael Tzadok Aug 9 '10 at 23:36
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The cited Arukh HaShulhan also is only speaking of cooking an unkosher meat with a kosher product: כל הגדולים הסכימו דאפילו לשיטת האוסרים בבשר שחוטה ובשר נבלה שצלאו יחד וכן לשיטת המתירים מיהו לכתחלה אסור כמו שנתבאר זהו הכל כשאחד מהם שמן אבל בשניהם כחושים מותר אף לכתחלה [ט"ז וש"ך סק"א ופר"ח וכרו"פ ע"ש] – Rabbi Michael Tzadok Aug 9 '10 at 23:51
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up vote 2 down vote

Find someone with an outdoor grill, and put it under the metal, with the coals (or natural-gas briquette thingies).

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How long would that typically take? I once tried something like that and it took forever (~1.5 hours). – Dave Aug 9 '10 at 1:13

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