This shlissel challah thing has been spreading like wildfire this weekend. I got an email about it on my local communityshuls mailing list. It's supposed to be a segulah for parnassah, yada yada.
I don't want to be accused of being a spiritual grinch, but can someone please explain to me the mechanism of segulahs like this? Why do we need these token gestures to persuade G-d to improve our lives? Isn't sincere, heartfelt prayer sufficient? Does G-d really go, "Oh, well, you went and put the key in the challah-- all right! Now, I guess I'll send you some more parnassah..."
It's hard for me to envision a G-d who operates like that, subject to such whimsicalities. Maybe it's the Litvak in me.
I posted about some of the origins of the tradition last year.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I actually bake a real key into the challah.
ReplyDeleteThis shlissel challah thing has been spreading like wildfire this weekend. I got an email about it on my local communityshuls mailing list. It's supposed to be a segulah for parnassah, yada yada.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to be accused of being a spiritual grinch, but can someone please explain to me the mechanism of segulahs like this? Why do we need these token gestures to persuade G-d to improve our lives? Isn't sincere, heartfelt prayer sufficient? Does G-d really go, "Oh, well, you went and put the key in the challah-- all right! Now, I guess I'll send you some more parnassah..."
It's hard for me to envision a G-d who operates like that, subject to such whimsicalities. Maybe it's the Litvak in me.
i heard about for this first time this year.
ReplyDeletei'm with nice jewish guy on the segulah thing
That looks so yummy! I want some, please.
ReplyDelete