Shabbat Traditions: How to Prepare, Decorate & Bake Perfect Challah | Step-by-Step Guide from Israel

Curious how to celebrate Shabbat at home?
Join Rivki from Lev Haolam as she takes you deep into the traditions, beauty, and rhythm of Shabbat — filmed right in the heart of Israel.
In this warm and inspiring video, you’ll discover:
✔️ What Shabbat really is — and why it matters
✔️ What’s essential (and what’s not!) when preparing for Shabbat
✔️ How to decorate your table with soul and meaning
✔️ The full recipe for a fail-proof, soft, golden challah — with a secret technique you won’t want to miss
Whether you’re a longtime observer or just getting started, this video will help you bring more peace, beauty, and joy into your Shabbat.
🌿 Learn the traditions.
🥖 Bake with love.
🕯️ Light up your home with the spirit of rest.
🎁 And see how every detail — from the candles to the challah — becomes a gift of connection.
💌 Brought to you by Lev Haolam — a subscription box supporting small Israeli artisans
and sharing the treasures of the Land of Israel with families around the world: https://tl.levhaolam.com/yts 🔥 [Click on Show More]

👇 Chapters
00:00 Intro – Welcome to Shabbat in Israel
00:43 What is Shabbat?
02:00 Core Traditions (candles, kiddush, songs)
03:39 Step-by-Step Challah Recipe
20:27 How to Decorate a Shabbat Table
22:42 Reflections
30:13 How Lev Haolam Brings Israel to You

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📝 Ingredients for Challah
Dry ingredients:
1 kg all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp 424 Dead Sea Salt (or regular salt)
2 tbsp dry yeast
Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil (or Lev Haolam olive oil for extra flavor)
2 cups ice-cold water

Shabbat Shalom!

#Shabbat #ChallahRecipe #ShabbatTraditions #JewishHolidays #HowToShabbat #TableDecor #LevHaolam #SupportIsrael #ShabbatPrep #ChallahTutorial

This is your invitation inside Shabbat. Today, wherever you are in the world, we over here in Israel are going to do our best to share a little bit of the behind the scenes of Shabbat, some of the traditions of Shabbat, some of the wonderful elements of Shabbat, a little bit of the rhythm of the day. So, I hope that you’ll join us and discover more about this beautiful day of rest. You know what? If God rested, then I then I’m going to rest. That’s true. Don’t skip. It’s Shabbat. I literally walk in the footsteps of my creator. Here is our finished product. And okay, we’re ready. Rock and roll. Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest. And it begins at sundown on Friday night and it ends at sundown on Saturday night. It’s called Moz Shabbat. Shabbat is a time when we pause from the mundane activities of the busy work week and we take time actually to remember the week of creation that for six days our creator created and on the seventh day our creator rested. And so on Shabbat we rest. On Shabbat there are things you do and there are things you don’t do. Keeping Shabbat is more than a tradition. It truly is a gift. It is a day of rest. You know the um Jewish poet Ahad Haam once commented, “More than the Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.” Our tradition for thousands of years have taught us that there are 39 categories of creative work from which we pause on Shabbat that are forbidden to us on Shabbat. Things like lighting fire or writing or building and more. And you know what’s interesting? Those still form the core of traditional Shabbat observance today. Everything begins with candle lighting. Usually, it’s the women who light the candles, letting the beautiful glow fill the room and marking the moment when Shabbat truly arrives. For me, this is both an ending and a beginning, a chance to set aside the rush of the week and welcome peace into my home. Next is Kdish. this special blessing over a cup of wine. We gather close around the table and the head of the household raises the kdish cup and says the blessing on the wine. And for Shabbat, we of course all say amen to the blessing. It’s a simple act, but it transforms an ordinary evening into something holy and set apart, reminding us that this time is a gift. Then comes the Shabbat meal, and with it the real joy of Shabbat. We sit around the table surrounded by friends and family and loved ones sharing a delicious meal together. Laughter, traditional songs, and of course, words of Torah are spoken. For a few precious hours, it feels like the world outside just melts away. And last, but absolutely not least, kala bread. Two beautifully braided loaves, golden and soft at the center, of course, of the table. Shabbat is so much more than bread. It’s a tangible reminder of the blessing of a double portion of mana in the desert. Which brings me to something special. Because right now, we want to show you how to bake kala so that you can experience a taste of Shabbat in your own home, too. I am standing in Cafe Rennell with Renell who is an expert calaba and she is going to take us through the steps of how to make perfect fluffy golden sweet delicious hala so that you can bring this exquisite tradition I think the best part of Shabbat right into your own home. Real thank you. Thank you very much, Ricky. Before we get started, I just actually do have a question. How many colors do you think you have made in your whole lifetime? Well, I’m 60 years old, so I don’t think we should try and count. But what we can count today is this is the first time on camera, so it’s a first. Well, let’s get started. Okay, everybody, let’s start. We start with the flour, white flour, and we’re going to put it through the sift. [Music] And next we have the 2/3 of sugar. Then we’ve got the two tablespoon of yeast. And then we have the 1 tbsp of salt. Then we just mix everything together. Make sure that it’s nice and mixed. And then what I like to do when we go to the wet ingredients is make a little bit of a hole here in the middle. After we’ve made our little hole, I start with my ice cold water. We put in two cups. And Relle, I see that this is so important that you got a new fresh cold bottle out the fridge. Needs to be ice cold. This is the secret. And when we start working with a dough, you’ll see the difference that it creates in the dough. It’s really amazing. Okay. And then we do eggs. We check our egg that it has no blood inside. [Music] And then we do our/3 cup of canola oil. If you love olive oil, you’re welcome to replace it. Then we mix this mixture all together. [Music] When we start mixing all your ingredients together, you’ll feel it’s nice and cool on your hands. I put on my gloves because I also don’t like to work with hot hands with the dough. You can also put it in your machine in your mixer, which is preferable because this you have to going to mix for 10 minutes. It has to be mixed very very well. Reel, why is hala such an important element of Shabbat for you? Cuz I know it is spiritually deep for you. For me, it’s in a sense Shabbat to me is walking literally walking in the footsteps of the creator. Our creator created the world in six days and on the seventh day he rested. And we need to remember that. And by doing Shabbat, by honoring Shabbat, by sanctifying Shabbat, for me, I literally walk in the footsteps of my creator. It’s very beautiful. How does kala making kala connect for you? The the spiritual part. What makes Shabbats special to me is that you take everything that you do normally in the week. We bake bread in the week. I have a cafe. I bake bread every day. We make food every day. We um read our prayers every day. But on a Shabbat, you take that what you do every day and you elevate it. You make it a little bit higher, a little bit more special. And that’s what you do with a kala. Now I can stop because I need olive oil on my hands. You’re going to put some on me? Yes. Okay. So, I’m going to put it in the machine now and then I think that’s enough of this. When you say put it in the machine, you mean like the my bread machine. Okay, great. Otherwise, it’s very sticky. Yeah, I can see having a second person in the kitchen can always be helpful. Absolutely. So, husbands and wives together, mothers and children. Absolutely. So, I’m going to take this to the machine. Okay, Brenell. Truth or myth? You can only have two kalas on your Shabbat table. No, actually, you can have two or you can even have 12 kalas. 12 on your um Shabbat table. The 12 kalas reminds us of the 12 showbreads that was in the temple. Amazing. So two or 12? I’m going to go with two. I think that’s enough. Enough to keep you busy. What about wine? Truth or myth that you have to drink wine on Shabbat? No, it’s not the truth. It’s um you can do kdush on wine, but you can also drink grape juice. But we can have wine. to that. Israeli wine. So guys, this is after the first raise. It’s come out now. It’s risen beautifully. You can still see that it’s got rise in it because it needs more rise. This 1 kilo of dough I’m going to divide in 12 small um buns. Those buns is the 12 reminds us of the 12 showbreads that we had in the temple. Like me and Rifka said to you before, you take the ordinary. This is dough and you make it you elevate it. So by just taking this and dividing it in small in 12 small buns, we’re elevating it to remind of us of the showbread in the temple. Okay. So we’re going to make 12 small buns. So, we need to divide this first in three. I’m never very good with dividing. One always gets to be more unless it’s all good. It’s like life. Never perfect. Nothing is perfect. Nothing is perfect. Okay, there’s one. [Music] I see why you wear the gloves. Yeah. Yeah. It’s just um easier to work with it. Mhm. Uh Rifka, do you see the texture of this? Yes. This is amazing. This is what your cold water does to it. Wow. Okay. It’s just a different texture and the 10 minutes working with it also helps it a lot. Okay. You can see this little bicki looks a little bit smaller, but we’ll do with it. Okay. So now you want three different breads. So this needs to be divided into another four. Okay. So one, two, three, four. Why are we dividing it into four? Because we’re going to have four strands. Oh, we’re going to braid it. We’re going to braid it. Okay. Yes. Yes. So this is step one of braiding, basically. Yes. This is preparing your dough, but you’re going to leave it after you’ve prepared it also to get a little bit of rice out of it. Again, not long. 5 minutes is good. Also, look at your weather. We’ve got a warm day. Um, if it’s very warm outside, you must always check your bread. Don’t overrise it, but if it’s a cold day, it needs a little bit of more time. Don’t be scared to work with a dough. It’s very flexible and you can work with it. Um, also over time you learn to feel your dough and to know when it this is perfect. This has really gone out very very well. Our water was cold enough. Oh, this is lovely. Okay. And Rell, for people doing this at home, do they need to oil the countertop or I don’t. Um, I don’t. Some people actually throw um some flour, but I don’t know. I don’t know. This recipe doesn’t need it. Okay, great. And now these guys, we leave them for 10 minutes and they rise a little bit more. Okay. Okay, guys. So, you see here we’ve got 12 little buns that we made round and they’re going to be left alone now for 10 minutes to rise. But before they do that, we will separate them in groups of four because every kala is going to have four strands. So there you see that’s our three kalas that we’re going to make. Amazing. Perfect. Yes. What about laundry? Can you do laundry on Shabbat? No to da. We don’t have to do laundry. We can have one day without laundry. Amazing. I support this. What about showers? I heard you cannot take a shower on Shabbat. You cannot take a shower on Shabbat. So, please enjoy the last shower that you have before Shabbat and make it a spa moment. Friday spa day. Friday spa day. [Music] So, now you can see our little buns is a little bit bigger than when you saw it the last time. Doesn’t have to go a lot, but a little. Okay. And now we’re going to start preparing our kala. I just push it down like this. Yeah. And then I take my roller pin. [Music] Just take your hand and do that. You can feel the the air in it. Oh wow. It’s not tight. It’s airy. So by doing this, you almost also give the bread the opportunity to have the the air inside, right? You don’t just take the ball and make a roll. You spread it out and then you roll it to put air inside. Okay, everybody. Now we’re ready to do the braiding. And I’m sure like any anything Jewish, there’s a few reasons why we braid. For me personally, I braid because to me it’s like the interconnection of any everything. Everything is one. Everything is hashem ain’t odor. It’s just that togetherness that I feel. Okay. What I do, you have your four strands here. I connect first the middle two. Mhm. Then that one. Then that one. Okay. Okay. Now we start with the two in the middle. Do it tight. Okay. Don’t do it too loose. Okay. So you cross the middle two. I cross the middle two. And then I take this one over and I cross it. So you take the outside one all the way over. And then the middle two again. Okay. And then this one over there. Okay. Now I’ve got two middle ones again. Over. Mhm. And over two middle ones again. Over and over. Okay. Two middle ones again. Two middle ones again. Two middle ones. Okay. So, the pattern I see is it’s the middle ones that guide the braiding of the color. The middle ones cross and then the outside one comes all the way over. Middle ones cross outside one all the way over. Okay. And there’s your kala. That’s beautiful. Why do we have to have two kalot on our Shabbat table? It is to remind us that when Israel were traveling through the desert, they received mana from Hashem to eat every day. But every day, they were just allowed to gather the amount of mana that they could eat on that day. But on a Friday there fell enough mana that they could gather for both the Friday and the Shabbat. And the secret was on any other day if they did that it went off. It went bad. But on the Friday, Hashem kept it. So when we have our two kalas on our kala table, it reminds us that we are cared for by Hashem and we receive our daily mana from him. Amen. [Music] Is it true that you are not allowed to turn lights on and off on Shabbat? That’s true. But so you sit in the dark? No. We have something like timers and our lights go on and it go off on the timer. So I have light if I need light and when I go to sleep I have no light. What about fish? Do you have to eat fish on? You can eat whatever you want as long as it’s kosher. And if you have a great Moroccan fish recipe from your sofa, yes, it’s fish. Or gafila fish recipe. Final one. Reel. Myth or truth. You cannot go online on Shabbat. That’s a truth. A wonderful truth because it’s a day when you connect with family and friends and not with your device. Amazing. Well, there you have it. The truths, the myths busted by Renael. All done. [Music] Okay, everybody. And here our kalas are almost ready for the oven. First, we want to coat it with some egg. And that will make it nice and golden when it comes out of the oven. Ah. And then we’re going to Wow. Don’t let the egg um collect in your uh in there because then it’s it’s like egg on there. Make sure that you rub it in good. So today we are very blessed to have a extra special kala topping that was in the surprise box for all the beautiful lea members. And this is what we’re going to use to make our kala extra special. I like to put on a lot. Mhm. You know, don’t skimp. It’s shabbat. [Music] So hot from the oven, everybody. Here is our finished product. Our two baked kalas. Rifki, what does it smell like? Oh my gosh. All I can say everybody is this is I’m sure what heaven smells like. Yeah. The smell of Shabbat. The smell of Shabbat. Wow. Shabbat shalom. [Music] I think for me the most important thing is to plan ahead. Your week are busy. You run around, but to know that at the end of the week you have a day called Shabbat. And on that day, you want to make your table extra special. So, make sure that your tablecloth is washed. Me personally, I don’t mind ironing. I actually enjoy the ironing. It’s part of the process for me. I like to do everything. I like to have a um a cloth, tablecloth, nothing plastic. I like to have a real napkin and I like love my kala cover. So, me personally, I like to match everything on my table. My kala cover, my tablecloth, my napkin. If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to do it. It’s your table. Make it your table. You want the people who you invite to come and sit around your table to recognize you in your in your table to feel you in the table. So there’s no rule. The rule is one, you have to cover your table. Why do we cover our table? Why is it important on Shabbat that you cover the table? Because this same table are being used throughout the week for children eating something quickly, for just quick meals. But on Shabbat, it’s a different table. So you take a piece of cloth and you separate it from the rest of the week. You elevate it. You make it more beautiful. You make it more special. That’s why we put on a tablecloth. We have the napkins. Mine, like I said, matches my kala cover. For me, I like everything to be the same. After you’ve done your tablecloth, you chose your napkins, you chose your um kala cover, you make sure that there’s salt on the table for your kala. You make sure that there’s a beautiful um kush cup. You’ll see ours is nice and big because my husband does the kush and he needs a nice big cup of wine to serve all the children. And then we have wine glasses and of course always flowers. After a week of screen times, phones ringing, computers, meetings with your boss, hustle, bustle, schedule, errands, noise. The 25 hours of Shabbat are bliss. It’s more than just a pause. It is a divine invitation to true rest and recovery. I think now more than ever, we all need Shabbat. We need time to focus on what matters the most. To sit and have a special meal with friends and loved ones. To take a moment to reflect on the lessons from the week’s Torah portion. To take time for one another. to take time for our lives. That is the gift of Shabbat. And no matter who you are, that gift is more relevant today than it’s ever been. [Music] What do you think is the difference between a day of rest and a day off? A day off work. Yeah. Okay. First of all, the day of rest, this Shabbat is a commandment by our creator. That’s a big difference. It’s been commanded to us where a day off is your choice. You take a day off because you’re tired or you want to go somewhere. Shabbat is something different. It is a commandment. And that makes it very, very different. It’s a it’s a step of obedience. And I really believe that our creator would not create something that is not good for us. It’s good for us. Yeah. I know for myself, you know, on a on a day off, a regular day off from work, if I’m stressed out about something or worrying about something or anxious about something, that goes with me into my day off, I’m driving my car to wherever, running my errands. Whereas I find on Shabbat regardless of what’s happening in my life and it’s been very notable over these um last you know almost two years in Israel where we have had things on our mind all the time but I I found that those from the moment I lit candles it became almost like a refuge. Yes. because that just kind of fell away and the day just became about me and connecting with what truly truly matters. It’s really amazing, isn’t it? It’s a creation of of um time and space that are very different from your dayto-day. If you are religious and you put off your phone and you don’t drive and you don’t work, it really it creates a space different from all the busyiness of the rest of the week. And I really think we need it and I think we need it more and more. Yeah, I think so too. I certainly feel like anybody can take this this day of rest. You know, I’ve I’ve read of many people who are not, you know, religious in any way, shape, or form, but who are choosing to take a day where they step away from social media and they step away from their phone or the computer or those types of pressures. And I I really think that were not for Shabbat, it wouldn’t give people the idea or the permission to do that. You know, I mean, Hashem gives us the example I’ve already mentioned to you that he rested on the seventh day. the creator. You know what? If God rested and then I can rest. That’s true. That’s true. And we invite our community that you rest also. Amazing. Reel, in your home, what does Shabbat day look like? The day or the preparation for the day? The day itself. The day itself. Yeah. When you’re in Shabbat. Okay. We go into Shabbat always with a kabang. Getting showered, getting ready, getting dressed. Yeah. is always like a it’s a nice busy. It’s a little bit of a crazy busy making sure everything’s ready, the timers are on and this is on and this is done. The coffee um kungum is ready to give us nice hot coffee through the through the day and then we have this tradition and I can still do it is that my one daughter stands on my left hand side. It’s the same daughter every time. And my other daughter stands at my right hand side. And of course, if you have guests or you have other people, but we stand and we bring in Shabbat with the blessing of Shabbat. And that moment I really can’t describe for anybody that moment when the candles are lit and we look at each other and we can say Shabbat shalom. So that’s with what it starts. And then um Ysef go to synagogue. We get busy with preparing all the little stuffies for the table. We set the table and uh when the men gets back, we sit down. He blessed us the kush, the blessing of the wine, the blessing of the kala. Um he blesses me. He blesses the children. And then we have a feast. We have a feast. And everybody’s got something. Everybody’s got something. We’ll ask, did you learn something this week? Is there something you can share about the parasa? And everybody’s got something. And I love that. I love to see it. Sort of shows you where each one around the table are. As a mother, you realize where your children are. And if they have something to share, I’m happy because it means they are involved and they are connected and they are learning and I love it. And then we go to bed and we sleep. Ysef and I wake up always quite early. And then it’s the Shabbat day. Um I since I broke my foot, it’s a little bit hard for me to walk up. Yeah. But Ysef walks up to synagogue and if the boys are here, they walk with him. He comes back. Um, sometimes we do a small kush and we stretch the Shabbat a little bit. Um, all depends on who’s with you. Um, how hungry the children are and then it’s your second meal which is the same. It’s uh, um, coming together and just look each other in the eye. Afterwards, some people go and rest a little bit. the children don’t want to the small children grandchildren wants to play games so they play games and yeah and then you have a small third meal and then you have a tala and I must confess to you something that I really still struggle with is that the minute that candles are out it’s as if the days the next week are starting I still always try to take a breather until Sunday morning but it doesn’t always happen like that In Israel, it’s it’s not like that. It’s immediately this is a a nation of action. Then you start to clean, make sure everything is on its place. Yeah. [Music] We filmed this story here in Israel. It’s such a beautiful country and it’s as complicated as it is beautiful. And so when we were getting ready to film, we did not want to take any chances. Rather than filming in public places where things are unpredictable and out of our control, we were very happy to be able to come to the farm of Renell and Ysef Barack and film here in their home in their cafe. You can support families like Renel’s and Ysef, small businesses in the heartland of Israel when you partner with Lev Haam. So, just click the link to find out how you can do more for Israel and also how you can receive a box filled with this gorgeous Israeli atmosphere and of course with beautiful, unique handmade items that are made right here in the Holy Land and sent from our homes to yours with so much love. So, click the link and join us today. [Music] And for you, I know you spend it alone many times. So sometimes I spend it alone. Um, sometimes I travel to friends like when I come to visit you and yourself, which is really nice. It’s interesting because I have found that sometimes I just sort of can’t wait for that quiet even though just generally speaking you do kish with friends and family sometimes I actually just do opt to do it myself in the quiet with people. Yeah. And I find it’s like um soothing, healing, and for me it really is that moment where I connect um with my creator cuz I am busy during the week. I feel like there’s a lot of go. So for me it’s that moment of like really connecting with God and I love it. So I guess that’s the beauty of Shabbat. It’s really no matter who you are, where you are. Exactly. Shabbat meets you where you are. I like that. Meet you where you are. Yeah, it definitely does. You just you just need to make the decision to have it. Yeah. I have many friends who are slowly slowly starting to do it, right? And it’s wonderful for me to say to see how Shabbat meets them where they are and they still have an wonderful experience. Amazing. So, a beautiful community. I would love it if you would um share with us just where does Shabbat meet you? what is special about Shabbat for you? Because I think it’s lovely to hear the different experiences that each one of us has with this gift of a day of rest. Thank you so much for caring about Israel and taking some time to learn about our traditions. I would love your support in the way of likes or comments or shares for this video so that we can continue to share more Israel with you. Wherever you celebrate Shabbat from all of us in Israel, we bless you that you will have a beautiful Shabbat. Shabbat shalom from Israel. Welcome to Cafe Ronell. I have no idea what I’m supposed to say. Oh my go. No, I’m a mitchy matchy mitchy. What? Mixy match. Mixy match. Mix and match. Mix and match. No, guys. I’m sorry. You can also drink um grape juice. Grape juice. Let’s please do it again. Thanks for watching. If you’d like to see more stories, places, and flavors from Israel, give this video a like and subscribe to our channel. There’s more to discover and we’d love to walk it with you.