Braiding the Parashah

By Rabbi Jill Crimmings with Eric Bressler

Rabbi Crimmings, our congregants who know you well or follow you and Bet Shalom on social media are aware that this Jewish year you've been baking challah every week that's shaped and braided to represent symbols or ideas in the Torah portion. The weekly photos and short d'vrei Torah are all on your website, www.braidtheparashah.com.

This is clearly a labor of love that takes a lot of time. How have you motivated yourself to continue every week? 

At this stage, I’m still highly motivated by the project, but it does sometimes get tricky and stressful to find ways to fit it in. There have been times I’ve had to adjust my routine and get creative with my calendar in order to get it done in time for Shabbat.  I’ve made dough at 5:00 am and 11:00 pm and I regularly find myself wrapping up the writing at exactly 4:59 before transitioning to Shabbat mode.

I recently had to figure out how to handle my time in Israel, knowing there would not be an opportunity to make challah on an organized trip.  I ended up making all the dough for two shabbatot on the Wednesday before my trip, but since I was leaving the next day I didn’t want to bake it.  I made my design, then destroyed it, put it back in the bowl, and gave it to the preschool so the kids could braid and bake the challah in class.  I ended up getting a few grateful responses from parents, so it worked out nicely but was a big work-around just for the photos!

Which are your three favorite braids and why?

Based on designs alone I’d go with Vayechi (Joseph’s bones), Ki Tisa (Moses smashing the tablets), and Shemini (an owl representing kashrut). These were all challenging to map out and relied on different styles of braids; I’m proud of how they turned out, and equally importantly I connected with the message for each one.

Though I wouldn’t consider it a favorite braid, I felt moved to create the AR-15 a few weeks ago for Bechukotai following the shooting in Uvalde, Texas. I spent a lot of time debating whether to take something I considered sacred (challah) and braid it into something disturbing.  My interpretation centered around the idea of reward and punishment and that our actions and laws have consequences.  Though the challah was initially stark to see, the power in this braid was the message that, as our Torah warns, there are consequences for our behavior.

As you explained in the January 28, 2022 article in the Star Tribune, interpreting the weekly Torah portion (parashah) and creating an artistic interpretation in challah lets you pursue your passions for baking and parshanut at the same time. Now that you've been at this since October, how have those passions influenced and changed each other?

 There are two styles of Torah interpretation, exegesis and eisegesis.  Exegesis is when you start with the text, and you see what comes from it.  Eisegesis is when you have a moral lesson in mind and you read into the text the message you want to deliver.  This project has been an interesting blend of the two approaches that has developed over time as I’ve gotten into a practice of braiding and interpreting each week.  It used to be that I started with trying to identify something in the Torah portion that I thought I would be able to easily create.  From there, I’d study the text and write a D’var Torah to accompany the design.  Over time, I’ve found myself in a bit more of a back and forth between the design and the text, where the two play off each other and are influenced by each other.

How has the project changed you as a person? And as a rabbi?

This is the first time in my life that I’ve had a truly regular weekly practice, both regarding the baking, and in the delivery of a formal, written D’var Torah.  Through my work as a rabbi I’m obviously deeply engaged in Torah study and teaching, but since I am part of a clergy team we rotate teaching and the delivery of d'vrei Torah. This project has “forced” me to take on a regular spiritual practice that I have never missed, even on vacation, and even when traveling on a congregational trip to Israel.

Don’t get me wrong, doing something occasionally is still incredibly meaningful, but it is not the same thing as having a disciplined regular practice. I’ve found power in the regularity of the study and the baking, and it has helped me have a deeper appreciation for those who engage in other types of regular spiritual practice, like daily prayer, meditation, or study.

I now feel more firmly connected to the pulse and rhythm of the Torah cycle, which is something I appreciate beyond the project itself. 

What's the feedback been like from congregants? Have you made new relationships or deepened some you already had as a result of the project?

I’ve been blown away by the feedback I've received from congregants and people I’ve never met.  It has opened the door for me to deepen many relationships with congregants. Many people have wanted to talk to me about the baking, sharing recipes and tips.  Every time someone sends me a photo of a challah they baked, it is a beautiful point of connection I would never have had if not for this project.  I’ve also enjoyed more back and forth with congregants on my d'vrei Torah.  Without a doubt I am reaching and connecting with more people through this project than I have with my d'vrei Torah from the pulpit on Friday nights.

Are any other people baking creative challahs along with you?

I have several friends around the country, many rabbis and Jewish professionals, who bake challah every week and post on social media.  Some of them do basic braids and some will occasionally braid in a fun way based on a holiday or something significant going on in the world.  A number of my friends recently participated in a project to braid their challah with a braid that aligned with the week of the omer, culminating with a 7 braid challah the week before Shavuot.

I follow many amazing challah braiders on Instagram who I don’t know personally.  Most are professional bakers who bake challah as part of a business, but there are a few who are doing something like me.  I try not to look at Instagram on Fridays before I post because I don’t want to be influenced by what someone else braids.  Occasionally I’ve come up with the same general concept as another braider, and it is interesting to see what we did with the same concept.

Which recipe did you start with, and how has that evolved? 

I probably tried close to ten recipes over the period of the pandemic.  The one I use is my own, but it is inspired primarily from a recipe that was posted without attribution in Minnesota Mamallehs!  I am still trying to find out who I can properly  give credit to!!

Molly Bryant