"Chanukat Ha-Kitchen"

There's a Jewish custom to have a "Chanukat HaBayit" when moving to a new home. When my neighbor had a new kitchen installed, she had a Chanukat Ha-Kitchen.

Another neighbor came in and did a Torah-inspired presentation about baking challah and Hafrashat Challah.

I haven't baked challah for years. And in my challah baking days, it wasn't such a spiritually charged event. Now women (and some men, actually my youngest son used to be my challah baker until we went into the army) use the mitzvah to ask G-d for important things for family and friends. There are all sorts of things to say during every stage of the challah preparation, from sifting the flour onwards.

When we sift the flour, we're to ask G-d to sift out all of our faults, like imatience, jealously etc.
When the challah is rising, we're to concentrate on things like fertility.

Here are some of the pictures: