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Aruch HaShulchan 167:31 and Be'er Hataiv 167:22 both say that it is forbidden to throw the (Challah) bread. I have heard that there are some people (I heard that there are some Rabannim who do so) that have a Minhag to throw the bread when passing it around Friday night. Is there a source for this Minhag? What is the reason? How does it circumvent the problem of throwing bread?

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My grandfather and father in law, both sefardim (persia and lebanon) throw the bread, both shabbos night and day. Both have told me that it is forbidden to pass bread from hand to hand (with vague mention of a relation to customs for the deceased) no halachic source, just minhag avoseihem – nikmasi Jan 17 at 15:02
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@nikmasi judaism.stackexchange.com/q/16063 – msh210♦ Jan 17 at 15:08
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My father does not pass from hand to hand either, however neither does he throw it. He places it down on the table, and the one next to it takes it and passes it on in the same manner. – Gershon Gold Jan 17 at 15:15
my own theory is that in certain countries they did not eat together at a single table but each person had their own small table (I believe this was true in the times of the gemarah) so passing a plate or whatever wasn't really feasible – nikmasi Jan 17 at 15:37

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I was told orally that the Noda Bihudah, if I recall correctly, defends those who have such a practice as we seek to make our tables similar to the Mizbeach, and the meat that was to be placed on the fire on the Mizbeach (altar) in the Temple was thrown (past a gap between the ramp and Mizbeach).

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Can you source this answer? – Gershon Gold Jan 17 at 15:36
   
Shalom, if there was a gap between the ramp and the altar (which I don't recall ever hearing before), that surely wasn't the reason for throwing: after all, kohanim regularly stepped over it (for nisuch hayayin for example per maseches Tamid). – msh210♦ Jan 17 at 16:09
Isn't throwing bread more stringent than throwing other types of food like meat? – yydl Jan 18 at 18:36

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