The Shape of the Challa Bread

Is there any meaning to the shape of shabbos challahs

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

The traditional shape of Challa bread is that it is formed into a loaf by braiding together several strips of dough. This is intended to resemble the shape of a canoe which was said to be the shape of the “Showbreads” (the Lechem Hapanim) that were in the Beit Hamikdash.

There is also a further custom to specifically use six strips to form each loaf of Challa in order to recall the twelve Showbreads. How does this recall the 12 Showbreads? At every Shabbat meal we begin the meal by reciting the blessing on two Challas. If each Challa is made up of 6 strips, one has a total of 12 strips in one’s hands! Each strip, to some extent, is its own bread. Furthermore, the shape of a Challa resembles the Hebrew letter “vav” whose numerical value is 6. When one holds two Challas in one’s hands, one is holding 2 “vavs” symbolizing the number 12 further invoking the 12 Showbreads.

It is interesting to note that there are some who actually do have 12 Challas at their Shabbat meals, usually by supplementing the 2 main loaves with 10 other smaller ones.

There is a widespread custom is to shape the Challas round during the High Holiday season. The round shape is intended to symbolize our hopes that just as something round has no end, so too, we should be blessed with a year of goodness that has no end. Some also add raisins to the High Holiday Challas in order to further symbolize sweetness and our hopes for a sweet new year.

Menachos 94b; Elya Rabba 167:2.