Challah cover

A 'challah cover' is a special cloth used to cover the two braided loaves (Hebrew: חַלָּה, challah; pl. Hebrew: חלוֹת, challot) set out on the table at the beginning of an Ashkenazi Shabbat or Yom Tov meal. While its appearance lends a decorative and ceremonial aspect to the set table, its presence serves both a halakhic and symbolic function.