A recent discussion on a social media group caused some controversy as many Jewish women did not know the true facts about challah.
Someone asked where to buy challah..... and people responded by naming several local bakeries, one of which was not a kosher bakery and which was operated by a non-Jew.
So here are the facts.
Challah must be made by a Jewish person, and there is a very valid reason for this. The literal meaning of challah in the Torah refers to the commandment of hafrashat challah—setting aside and consecrating a small portion of dough to G-d before baking. Only a Jew can do this setting aside and consecration of the small portion of dough.
We separate challah dough to fulfill a biblical commandment [mitzvah] that originally provided a portion of bread dough to the kohanim [Jewish priests] serving in the Holy Temple. Because the Temple no longer stands, we now set aside and burn a small piece of the dough in remembrance of this practice, symbolizing that our sustenance comes from G-d and is not for our use alone.
A non Jewish person does not have this obligation, and therefore even if they do it - which is highly unlikely as they probably don't know - it is not acceptable and does not fulfill the commandment. Only a Jewish person can make real challah. Any other challah originating from a source that is not Jewish is not acceptable.
If you didn't know this, and have been buying your challot from a bakery where the baker is not a Jew, then don't worry, because you can rectify this situation by fixing the problem and going to a Jewish bakery. By doing this, you will have done teshuva, and your past sin of buying the wrong [fake]challah will be turned into a mitzvah, because you have rectified the problem.
As Rebbe Nachman said: "If you believe you can damage, then believe you can fix.... if you believe you can harm, then believe you can heal." That quote is at the top of my blog, although it is hard to read now, a bit blurry, but it's there.
Even non-Jews, Bnei Noach, who make a blessing over challah on Shabbat, should adhere to this rule, otherwise their challah is fake challah.
According to traditional Jewish law [Halacha], a non-Jewish person cannot perform the religious separation of challah [hafrashas challah], and any separation they attempt is considered invalid. Furthermore, dough that belongs to a non-Jewish person is exempt from the obligation of challah separation entirely.
I hope no-one takes offence to anything written here, it is Torah, and there is no need to be offended.
