Braided Stories - One

Challah Diplomacy™ - Uber-Style

Eilish Garvey for Unsplash

Sharing challah that I’ve made ranks as one of my all-time favorite activities. To spend time making something with my hands and then sharing the product with someone is a gift unto itself. I call it “Challah Diplomacy”.

My friend Meredith also shares her challah with others. Meredith inspires me with her advocacy on behalf of children, through an organization that she co-founded called PAVe (Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes), and she inspires me with her challah practice. She told me though that sometimes challah diplomacy requires a bit of divine intervention…or at least a thoughtful Uber driver, to make it happen!

One Friday night in NYC, she got into cab.  She was rushing to a friend’s home with a freshly-made challah in tow, ready to share her still warm bread with a friend.  A friend who needed the uplift that a warm challah can bring. For as many of us know, challah both nourishes us spiritually as well as physically nourishes us.

Example of challah wrapped as a gift, ready to be shared.

Alas, as she entered her friends’ home, she realized she that had accidentally left the challah in the car. A frantic phone call later, Meredith reached the Uber driver, explained how important the challah was, and – miraculously – he quickly volunteered to deliver it on her behalf. He told her how wonderful it smelled, and wanted to play his part. While he didn’t know necessarily about  Challah Diplomacy™, he clearly sensed the importance of the act.

Sometimes it takes a little extra effort, and the generative spirit of others to help in an emergency! And because it’s always worth sharing a challah with others.