Baking Challah for Shabbat
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Question
Hello, dear Rabbi, Is there a mitzvah to bake challah for Shabbat? Or can one buy good challah from the bakery?
Answer
Hello and blessings,
The Rema wrote that it is a mitzvah to bake in honor of Shabbat.
The poskim mention several reasons for this. A. The honor of Shabbat, as it is baked in its honor. B. A rectification for the sin of the Tree of Knowledge. C. To avoid eating 'pat palter' [bread baked by a non-Jewish baker] on Shabbat.
The third reason does not apply where there is a Jewish bakery. The first reason does not apply if the challah from the bakery is good and tasty. However, the second reason is relevant even in our times.
Therefore, it is written in the name of the Gaon, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, that it is advisable to bake at least once in a while.
Source
Rema Orach Chaim, Siman 242, Mishnah Berurah there, Se'if Katan 6.