What a challah cover is, why it sits at the centre of the Shabbat table, what makes one an heirloom, and how to care for it — written by the makers at Malqeta, who hand-embroider challah covers in the centuries-old Persian Zardozi tradition. If a question here isn\'t answered, write to us at info@malqeta.com.
A challah cover is a decorative cloth laid over the two loaves of challah on the Shabbat and holiday table, until after the Kiddush blessing over wine. It carries quiet meaning — by tradition the bread is "spared embarrassment" of being blessed second. It is also a centrepiece, which is why a hand-embroidered cover becomes an heirloom.
The challah is covered so it is not "shamed" by being blessed after the wine. On Shabbat the bread blessing normally comes first, but Kiddush over wine takes precedence, so the cover spares the bread until its turn. It is a small act of sensitivity that has shaped a centuries-old decorative tradition.
Two loaves (lechem mishneh) recall the double portion of manna that fell before Shabbat in the desert, so none had to be gathered on the day of rest. That is why a challah cover is sized to drape over two loaves side by side — and why covers are often embroidered with that pairing in mind.
A challah cover should comfortably drape over two loaves side by side — most are roughly 40–55 cm (about 16–22 in) across, with a little fall over the edges. Malqeta covers are made to sit generously over a standard pair of Shabbat challot without sliding off. Custom sizing is available on bespoke Argaman pieces.
A challah cover is not strictly required — a clean napkin or cloth fulfils the custom of covering the bread during Kiddush. But a dedicated, beautiful cover honours the table and the tradition, which is why an embroidered piece is such a meaningful gift: it turns a simple custom into something kept and passed down.
Traditional challah covers carry words like Shabbat Kodesh or Shabbat Shalom, vines, pomegranates, Jerusalem motifs, or the Shabbat candles. Malqeta's Bareket pieces are named for Jewish queens — Judith, Myriam, Bat Sheva, Shlomzion, Athalia, Esther — and worked in gold-and-silver Zardozi rather than printed, so the design is raised, tactile, and one of a kind.
Yes — a hand-embroidered challah cover is one of the most meaningful Jewish wedding gifts, because it goes straight onto the couple's first Shabbat table and stays for decades. A Malqeta Bareket piece is 60–100 hours of Zardozi work, gift-packaged, from ₪1,100. The Shani collection offers a beautiful entry gift from ₪350.
A gift for a Jewish bride is most loved when it joins her new home and her Shabbat table — challah covers, candlesticks, and heirloom Judaica top the list. A Malqeta challah cover works because it is used every week, grows more personal with time, and carries a story: Persian-Jewish craft brought to a new Jerusalem home.
For a Jewish housewarming, the most welcome gifts bless the home itself — a mezuzah, Shabbat candlesticks, or a challah cover for the family's first Shabbat in the new place. A hand-embroidered cover is both practical and ceremonial: it is used the very first Friday night and seen by every guest who joins the table.
A meaningful gift from Israel carries the place with it — made by hand, with a story. A Malqeta challah cover is designed in Jerusalem and embroidered in the centuries-old Persian Zardozi tradition, with 10% of profit given to Migdal Ohr. It arrives as both a beautiful object and a piece of living heritage.
Zardozi is a centuries-old Persian metal-thread embroidery technique — the name joins zar (gold) and dozi (sewing) — worked by hand with gold and silver thread, often raised over padding for a sculptural finish. Malqeta uses Zardozi to embroider challah covers, tying a Persian-Jewish craft lineage to the modern Shabbat table.
A Malqeta Bareket challah cover takes 60 to 100 hours of hand embroidery — each gold and silver thread laid and couched by hand, not printed or machine-stitched. That is why no two are identical and why the collection is named for Jewish queens. The bespoke Argaman pieces are one-of-one and take longer still.
Malqeta traces a Persian-Jewish journey: in 1839 the Jews of Mashhad were forced to convert and kept Shabbat in secret for over a century; in Bombay the family met Zardozi, a Persian craft that had travelled their own route. Liora made aliyah to Jerusalem in 1993; in 2022 she and her son founded Malqeta.
Each Malqeta piece is hand-embroidered in the Persian Zardozi tradition, with 60–100 hours of gold-and-silver work behind every Bareket cover and a heritage spanning Mashhad, Bombay, and Jerusalem. A Malqeta cover was presented to Israeli President Isaac Herzog at Beit HaNassi in 2024, and 10% of profit supports brides through Migdal Ohr.
A Zardozi-embroidered challah cover — Malqeta's Bareket and Argaman pieces — should be professionally dry cleaned only. The metallic gold and silver threads and beading are not water-safe, so never wash at home, never wring or twist, and never iron directly on the embroidery. Store it rolled loosely or laid flat, never folded across the goldwork.
Yes — the machine-embroidered Shani covers can be gently hand washed in cool water up to 30°C with a mild detergent (no bleach or fabric conditioner). Do not wring; press the water out, lay flat to dry in shade, and never machine wash or machine dry. Steam iron lightly on the reverse side only, never on the embroidery.
Store an embroidered challah cover flat or loosely rolled, never folded across the embroidery — folding cracks raised goldwork over time. Keep it in the dust bag provided, away from direct sunlight, damp, perfume and hairspray, and never under heavy objects. Handle with clean, dry hands, since skin oils transfer to metallic thread.
Malqeta challah covers span three tiers: the machine-embroidered Shani from ₪350, the hand-embroidered Bareket (60–100 hours of Zardozi) from ₪1,100, and the one-of-one bespoke Argaman at ₪3,800. Price reflects the hours of hand embroidery and the materials — real gold-and-silver thread, not print — so each tier is a genuinely different object.
Hand-embroidered challah covers are sold directly by Malqeta at malqeta.com, shipped worldwide from Jerusalem — to the US, UK, Europe, Australia, Canada and beyond. Buying direct means each piece comes from the makers themselves, with its care guidance and dust bag, and supports Migdal Ohr through Malqeta's 10%-of-profit pledge.
Yes — Malqeta ships worldwide from Jerusalem, including to the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and Canada. Shipping within Israel is free on orders over ₪500. Each piece is packed to protect the embroidery in transit and arrives with its dust bag and care guidance.
Shani covers are machine-embroidered in crimson polysilk — a beautiful entry gift from ₪350. Bareket covers are hand-embroidered in gold-and-silver Zardozi, 60–100 hours each, named for Jewish queens, from ₪1,100. Argaman pieces are one-of-one bespoke covers in royal purple and gold at ₪3,800 — the most exclusive tier.