Challah for Parashat Ekev
The seven species.
Every week, Julie Seltzer, artist and Torah scribe, bakes a challah depicting an aspect of the week's Torah portion.
A land of wheat and barley, and vines [grapes] and figs and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and [date] honey. (Deuteronomy 8:8)
אֶרֶץ חִטָּה וּשְׂערָה, וְגֶפֶן וּתְאֵנָה וְרִמּוֹן; אֶרֶץ-זֵית שֶׁמֶן, וּדְבָשׁ
The shape of the challah is of ancient Israel. Though you can't tell by looking at it, the dough was made with all seven species.
Julie Seltzer is a scribe, baker, and artist. She began creating challah art at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut, where she lived until recently. Julie now resides in the Bay Area, where she is writing a torah scroll at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.
