just for jewish?

Question

why people cover the hala bread on kidush,(shabat)what is the real meanning of covering the bread?

Answer 1

I'm not Jewish, but I have Orthodox Jewish In-Laws and a niece who goes to a Jewish High School and the family keeps shabbat:

The simple reason why the Challah is covered at the beginning of the Shabbat meal is actually based on some very technical rules governing the various blessings recited over food.

Not only do different types of food require different blessings, but there is actually a hierarchy when it comes to these blessings so that if one intends to eat many different items in one meal – each one requiring its own blessing – one must take care to bless and eat those foods according to the protocol of kedima (literally: "priority" in Hebrew).

The food which has the highest priority of all is – wouldn’t you know it? – bread, the quintessential staple food, the proverbial “staff of life.”

At the beginning of the Shabbat meal, we recite the Kiddush prayer, officially announcing the sanctity of the day and thereby fulfilling a positive Biblical commandment to “remember” the Sabbath.

Answer 2

There are a few reasons. I'll list two:
1) To represent the manna which had a covering.
2) To prevent "embarrassing" the challah. Since challah is normall blessed and eaten first, but there we make kiddush first. (This is more of a philosophical and mystical concept. I don't claim to understand it, but you can try to figure it out like me!)

cheerio

Answer 3

Generally speaking, the blessing on the challah should precede the blessing on the wine. However, on shabbat, since the main commandment is sanctifying the day, and that is done with the wine, the order of the blessings is reversed.

Therefore, so as not to 'embarass' the challah, so to speak, it is covered until the blessing on it is completed.