Challah for Parashat Pinhas
The laws of inheritance.
Every week, Julie Seltzer, artist and Torah scribe, bakes a challah depicting an aspect of the week's Torah portion.
If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall pass his inheritance to his daughter.
אִישׁ כִּי-יָמוּת, וּבֵן אֵין לוֹ--וְהַעֲבַרְתֶּם אֶת-נַחֲלָתוֹ, לְבִתּוֹ
And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.
וְאִם-אֵין לוֹ, בַּת--וּנְתַתֶּם אֶת-נַחֲלָתוֹ, לְאֶחָיו
And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers.
וְאִם-אֵין לוֹ, אַחִים--וּנְתַתֶּם אֶת-נַחֲלָתוֹ, לַאֲחֵי אָבִיו
(Numbers 27:8-10)
This challah is an inheritance chart, according to the Torah text. The challah shapes are the official genealogical symbols:
square = male
circle = female
x = dead
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.
