What, why and when is a key challah (Shlissel challah)?

Forget boring braids, it’s all about key-shaped challah this Shabbat!

Shlissel challah, Yiddish for “key challah,” is a post-Passover tradition symbolizing unlocking prosperity for the coming year. Think of it as a bread-y good luck charm! Go ahead and sprinkle on some poppyseeds too, to remind us of the manna that fell in the desert starting in the Hebrew month of Iyar, which comes after Passover.

So why the key? Our ancestors relied on God’s manna during their desert wanderings...