Challah for Parashat B’midbar

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

And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the pans, and the bowls, and the jars wherewith to pour out; and the continual bread shall remain thereon. (Numbers 4:7)

וְעַל שֻׁלְחַן הַפָּנִים, יִפְרְשׂוּ בֶּגֶד תְּכֵלֶת, וְנָתְנוּ עָלָיו אֶת-הַקְּעָרת וְאֶת-הַכַּפּת וְאֶת-הַמְּנַקִּיּת, וְאֵת קְשׂוֹת הַנָּסֶךְ; וְלֶחֶם הַתָּמִיד עָלָיו יִהְיֶה

This challah is the “eternal challah,” the lehem hatamid, placed on the table of showbread in the sanctuary. Kind of like the ner tamid, the eternal flame, only edible. For this challah, I made a bread starter, pictured in the bowl at the center, with the intention to use this starter for my challot, eternally. It was a good plan, but unfortunately the starter died soon thereafter!