By: The OU Kosher Halacha Yomis Team
A Small Piece Of My Challah Broke Off. Can It Still Be Used For Lechem Mishneh?
Ideally, one should use challahs that are completely intact. If a challah is missing a small piece, less than one part out of forty-eight, there is a disagreement as to whether it is still considered whole (see Shaarei Teshuva 274:1). Many poskim are lenient (Minchas Yaakov, Machatzis Hashekel). The Aruch HaShulchan (274:5) writes that if one has no other bread, they should still use two loaves, even if they are both missing more than a forty-eighth.
If one can attach two halves of a loaf with a toothpick so that it appears that it is one complete loaf, then this may be used for (one loaf of) lechem mishneh as well (see Magen Avrohom 168:4).
