Cohn, Jacob. The Royal Table - VWC: Faculty/Staff Web

120 THE ROYAL TABLE
The minimum amount of dough which must be kneaded
at one time in order that the separation of challah be obligatory
is a volume equal to that of forty-three and one-
7
fifth eggs. This is the legal definition of the omer, which
which must be kneaded before
is the quantity of dough
the law becomes operative. Another expression for this volume
is three hundred cubic "finger-breadths," which in
modern measurements amounts to approximately 240 cubic
inches, Challak must be taken only from dough prepared
from the five kinds of grain, wheat, barley, oats, rye, and
millet. Flour prepared from other grains is free from this
obligation. 8
Dough made from a mixture of rice-flour and
flour of any of the obligatory kinds of grain is exempt if the
taste of the obligatory flour is disguised; but when the
taste is discernible, challah must be taken regardless of the
ratio of the quantities of each type of flour present. 9 A
mixture of all the five kinds of grain which possesses the
requisite volume, or five small portions of dough, each of
another kind of obligatory flour, individually kneaded but
later put together and found to possess the required vol-
ume, fall within our law, and the dough portion must be
separated from them. 10 When the small portions, each of
which contains less than the required volume, are not
worked into one homogeneous mass, but pasted together
loosely, a rather complicated set of rules operates with re-
spect to the manner in which they combine to form the
obligatory volume. Wheat combines only with millet; rye
combines with barley or millet, but not with wheat or
oats; barley combines with all except wheat; oats com-
7 Y D. ibid
8 Mishnah ChaUah I, 1; Menachoth 70a; Y. D. 324, 1.
' Mishnah Challah m, 7; Y. D. ibid. 9.
10 Mishnah ChaUah I; Jerushalmi ad loc.; Y. D. ibid. 2, Tan
ad loc.