Challah For Parashat Vayishlah

Every week, Julie Seltzer, artist and Torah scribe, bakes a challah depicting an aspect of the week’s Torah portion.

And Deborah, Rebecca’s nurse died, and she was buried below Beit-El under the oak; and it was called Allon-bakhut–The “Weeping” Tree. (Genesis 35:8)

וַתָּמָת דְּברָה מֵינֶקֶת רִבְקָה, וַתִּקָּבֵר מִתַּחַת לְבֵית-אֵל תַּחַת הָאַלּוֹן; וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ, אַלּוֹן בָּכוּת

The first time we hear of Deborah is at her death. The tree is named for her, or rather, for those that weep for her. The type of tree depicted here (Weeping Willow) reflects its Hebrew name.