Q) I forgot to take challah in the dough stage. What should I do now that the bread is already baked? And what would happen were I only to realise this on Shabbos?
A) Although ideally challah should be separated as soon as a dough is formed[1], if one forgot to separate challah at this stage, one must separate challah after baking[2]:
- The procedure of taking challah is the same as during the dough stage, and one should make a brocho if applicable.
- One should state explicitly before taking challah that the hafroshas challah should also include all bliyos that have been absorbed into the baking tray and/or oven while baking.
- All the loaves of bread should be placed together, and one takes a piece from one of the loaves and this will rectify all of the loaves.
If one forgot to separate challah before Shabbos, one may not take challah on Shabbos[3].
- In chutz lo’oretz one is allowed to eat the bread on Shabbos without taking challah – taking care to leave a piece of bread over. Then, after Shabbos one must take challah from the remaining piece[4]. (I.e. one separates part of the leftover piece as challah on the rest of the piece)
- In Eretz Yisroel it is prohibited to eat from the bread before separating challah[5]. Therefore, if one forgot to take challah before Shabbos – the bread is forbidden to be eaten on Shabbos.
Even if one separated challah after baking, the loaf of bread that has had a piece removed from it (as challah) is still considered a sholeim and can be used for lechem mishna[6] – provided that the piece taken as challah is small (i.e. less than 1/48 of the loaf).
[1] ע’ שו”ע יו”ד שכ”ז ב’ וג’
[2] שם סע’ ה’
[3] משנה ברורה של”ט ס”ק כ”ו
[4] שו”ע יו”ד שכ”ג א’
[5] שם
[6] ע’ שע”ת רע”ד א’; שש”כ פ’ נ”ה ח’
