Recently I was invited to give a very special challah show to a group of visiting ladies from South Africa. What made this show even more unique – and moving – is that they specifically organized to have it done by the home of the late Henny Machlis a’h (see the book Artscroll put out about her amazing chessed and hachnosas orchim called Emunah with Love and Chicken Soup by Sara Yocheved Rigler.)
The idea was that the challahs we would bake together would then get put away to use for their hundreds (and this is NOT an exaggeration!) of Shabbos guests that week and perhaps also for Rosh Hashana!
Here’s all of us crowded into their tiny living room:
One of the Machlis’ sons addressed us and explained his mother’s incredible Ahavas Yisroel attitude towards one and all.
When he told the group that in this very living room they have over 100 -150 people PER MEAL and EVERY Shabbos (!!) they gasped. Where do you put them all, was the main question?
Both he and his sister demonstrated how they squeeze in long tables, at least 10 such tables with at least 10 people per table…and as everyone stared in disbelief he insisted – like my mother a’h always said, when there is love in the heart, there is room in the home.
Henny Machlis a’h is still touching thousands of people as her family continues their amazing Shabbos hospitality every week – with all the children and her husband all pitching in.
Then we did our challah show together. Here you see me with the ladies, our Incredible Challah Dough recipe cards, and our dough:
The main focus for the whole group was the mitzvah of being mafrish challah with a bracha and all the heartfelt tefillos and prayers that followed. The time of doing this mitzvah – right after the dough had the hafrasha and bracha done on it — is a very powerful time for prayer, all the more so, when a group is praying together.
At last year’s Shabbos Project challah bake in Jerusalem that I was a part of with the ELC, we had a really incredible time during the prayer part of it. And here too, I know the ladies flew a very great distance for the experience of being in Israel for their packed week of learning and this was very much a highlight…we also each prayed for each other. And as a merit for the soul of Henny Machlis, a’h.
May our Father in Heaven accept all our prayers l’tovah and send all of us and all of the Jewish Nation the yeshuos we seek – and the closeness with Him that we are so much in dire need of!
Then we shaped challahs!
One of the Machlis’ sons addressed us and explained his mother’s incredible Ahavas Yisroel attitude towards one and all.
When he told the group that in this very living room they have over 100 -150 people PER MEAL and EVERY Shabbos (!!) they gasped. Where do you put them all, was the main question?
Both he and his sister demonstrated how they squeeze in long tables, at least 10 such tables with at least 10 people per table…and as everyone stared in disbelief he insisted – like my mother a’h always said, when there is love in the heart, there is room in the home.
Henny Machlis a’h is still touching thousands of people as her family continues their amazing Shabbos hospitality every week – with all the children and her husband all pitching in.
Then we did our challah show together. Here you see me with the ladies, our Incredible Challah Dough recipe cards, and our dough:
The main focus for the whole group was the mitzvah of being mafrish challah with a bracha and all the heartfelt tefillos and prayers that followed. The time of doing this mitzvah – right after the dough had the hafrasha and bracha done on it — is a very powerful time for prayer, all the more so, when a group is praying together.
At last year’s Shabbos Project challah bake in Jerusalem that I was a part of with the ELC, we had a really incredible time during the prayer part of it. And here too, I know the ladies flew a very great distance for the experience of being in Israel for their packed week of learning and this was very much a highlight…we also each prayed for each other. And as a merit for the soul of Henny Machlis, a’h.
May our Father in Heaven accept all our prayers l’tovah and send all of us and all of the Jewish Nation the yeshuos we seek – and the closeness with Him that we are so much in dire need of!
Then we shaped challahs! 
