Commentary on Parashat Emor, Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Every week, Julie Seltzer, artist and Torah scribe, bakes a challah depicting an aspect of the week’s Torah portion.
And you shall count for yourselves, from the morrow of the rest day from the day you bring the omer as a wave offering seven weeks; they shall be complete. (Leviticus 23:15)
וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם, אֶת-עמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה: שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת, תְּמִימת תִּהְיֶינָה
In Parashat Emor, the Torah commands us to count the period from Passover to Shavuot. This period is called the “omer” and it is seven weeks long. The challah array depicted here represents all 49 days of the Omer period. The lone poppy-seeded roll indicates the day of the omer counted at the time the challah was made (counting from the right, it looks like it was the 20th day of the omer).
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challah
Pronounced: KHAH-luh, Origin: Hebrew, ceremonial bread eaten on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
Torah
Pronunced: TORE-uh, Origin: Hebrew, the Five Books of Moses.
