Buying food from out vs buying challah

amother

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 5:44 pm

Shavua tov, Chag Sameach!

Ladies I have a question for you.. would like to hear everyone’s opinion.

My Rebbetzin has said multiple times in many of classes how important it is for women to cook Shabbat/chag meals themselves and not buying food from out while saying if they want they can buy challah from out and that’s not such an important thing to make challah every week.

On the other hand I recently went to a Suri Jaroslawitz Challah bake where she said we woman can order food from out but the beautiful mitzva of making our own challah and bracha should be done by the woman of the home and to try not to buy challah from out.

Now I’m so curious what has everyone else heard? I’m assuming it’s probably ideal for a woman to do both (make her own homemade food and make homemade challah) but I’m curious is there a source for either of these? Does one really out way the other?

Really wondering about these two differing ideas and what most people hold by or have heard of? Is there even a strong source for the importance for women to be making home cooked meals instead of ordering from out? (Besides for health reasons or kashrut reasons).

amother

Bluebonnet

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 5:49 pm

I don't know of any sources that say you can't or shouldn't buy whatever kosher food you want to enhance your meals. With challah, you have the chance to make a bracha when taking challah, and I've heard it's an auspicious time for davening. That being said, there's no reason you must do it or should do it if it will be stressful for you.

amother

Hyacinth

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 5:49 pm

Baking challah is a special Mitzvah women have. It's one of just three that are only for women. I would say there is something to baking challah and buying takeout.

But realistically we enjoy my food more and I prefer to buy challah. It is also the cheaper item to buy.

amother

Dustypink

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 6:18 pm

I make my own challah but almost never make enough to be mafrish challah. It’s unfortunate but just too overwhelming for me to always make such a huge amount at once. I make my own challah still because I much prefer the taste than to store bought. I don’t worry about it

amother

Wine

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 6:31 pm

Bqking challa is the most beautiful mitzva we got. I do it on my own time . Usually goes in freezer. Except this time of yr no longer pays to freeze been making fresh batches before each Yom tov and uts all gone.
I can bake when house is quiet daven think cry....
Both store bought food and challa are very expensive it's not something we usually ever do

Raizle ↓

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 7:10 pm

She's wrong.
She has missed the forest for the trees.
There is a mitzvah to "take" challah.
There is a mitzvah is to eat certain foods on Shabbos and yomtov and there is also a mitzvah to enjoy Shabbos.
For some the last one means buying the food/ paying someone else to bake.

I've heard of places that even sell dough so you can do the mitzva without the hassle.

There is no mitzva to make the food yourself as opposed to buying it. There is no mitzvah to give yourself extra work if you have another option.

I actually find your rebbetzins attitude irksome. For some people buying food makes the difference between having the energy to host guests or not. If that's what you had to do to host then it would be better to buy then make.
Hachnosos orchim is also a mitzvah.

She seems to have missed the point, or is tied up in old fashioned ideas.
She's imposing her own ideology.

tweety1 ↓

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 7:29 pm

For me personally buying challah is the first thing if I need to cut corners. For me making challah is a huge huge job and makes a humongous mess. So unless I have challah in the freezer the bakery it is. The next thing is potato kugel. The next biggest mess after challah is potato kugel. Certain things though I alway always make heimish even if my baby is 2 days old. Chicken soup and chulent. I need my own chicken soup, and dh and the kids need the heimish chulent.

↑ Raizle ↓

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 8:13 pm

tweety1 wrote:

For me too. Its cheaper to buy challah then to buy ready made food and I prefer to have home made food mostly.
However for someone to specifically tell the OP it's more of a mitzvah to make food then to buy it, even to the point of prioritizing it over making challah, it's just way off base.

Ema of 5 ↓

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 8:23 pm

amother OP wrote:

I don’t know what I’ve heard, but I don’t buy food for shabbos/Yom tov (my family won’t eat it) and my husband makes challah, not me.

ShishKabob ↓

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 9:31 pm

Of course it's very special to make challah each week. Very few people can swing it especially with little children and working and what not.
Some women make challah and take challah with a brocho every few weeks since they don't use up such a big batch either way.
Cooking lekovod shabbos is a very special thing. Especially if you say Lkovod Shabbos Kodesh. It puts kedusha into the food, which doesn't have that if you are buying takeout.
However, every situation needs to be analyzed separately. You can't make a blanket statement when you don't know the specifics of each person.
Of course if a woman has full time help with cleaning and with the children and she just buys take out because she is lazy then of course she should bake challah and cook the food for Shabbos.
However, most people don't have that so you have to take each situation and see what works best for you.
Hugs, I hope you find clarity with this.

↑ tweety1

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 9:44 pm

Raizle wrote:

Very true. However, I do want to say, I have a neighbor that Bakes challah every single week. She Bakes more challah than her family uses. She distributes it to other people the ones she's doesn't need. She does it for the mitzvah. This is going on for years. I find it amazing.

↑ Raizle ↓

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 9:55 pm

ShishKabob wrote:

Why SHOULD she?
I think it's kind of rude to call it lazy. Maybe she's a bad cook, maybe she doesn't like her own food, maybe she rather spend her time playing with her kids, maybe she wants to support someones business. I can't wrap my head around a woman being told she should make the food herself and not buy it.
I really would like to see a source of anyone is going to suggest this.

I don't think there is any SHOULD in this situation.

↑ ShishKabob ↓

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 9:59 pm

Raizle wrote:

I'm sorry that you got triggered by this.
Cooking Lekovod Shabbos is a very special thing and it's a huge mitzvah. You can still play with your children, support someones business and manage to cook for Shabbos. Maybe you don't want to cook the entire Shabbos, but for sure some cooking for Shabbos should be done. I'm sure that there are tons of sources for this. I'm not sure where you are coming from but I guess this topic upsets you tremendously.

↑ Raizle ↓

Sat, Oct 19 2024, 10:05 pm

ShishKabob wrote:

It upsets me when people are told it's a mitzvah to do things that may be physically hard or draining on them without providing a source.

"I'm sure there are lots of sources" is not a source.

I cook myself for financial reasons but it causes me physical pain. So yes it triggers me. I know I'm not the only one who has a hard time with being in the kitchen