Growing up I thought I knew the scoop on L’ag B’Omer . The story I was told was about Rabbi Akiva’s students who disrespected one another and then died in a plague. On L’ag B’Omer (the 33rd day of the Omer count which spans from Passover until Shavuot) they stopped dying and we celebrate. Now that I lived in Israel … Continue reading
Yes, it is time to bake a challah in the shape of a key . This is the way I did it-play doh style but remember this is an Ashkenazi minhag, a custom, not a halacha so you have more wiggle room. Any key will do- a skeleton key, a house key, a safe deposit … Continue reading
Did you know that the Purim miracle really occured during Pesach? Well it did. Esther actually fasted on Pesach, which isn’t ordinarily permitted -we Jews don’t fast on festivals, but with Haman’s genocidal threat in the air the Rabbis allowed the fast.And it worked The nation united, Hashem heard our plea and Haman went to the … Continue reading
Believe it or not, the Talmud says that that garlic is an aphrodisiac. Yes, that is a fact. Here’s a quote from the Babylonian Talmud (from Gil Marks‘s Encyclopedia of Jewish Food) “Five things were said of garlic. It satiates, it warms the body, it brightens one’s face, it increases semen and it kills intestinal … Continue reading
Ah the joys of being a culinary anthropologist. When I discovered that the Sephardim insert hard boiled eggs into a bread to represent Haman’s eyes, I had to try it. The custom is to gouge out the eye/eggs at the Seuda. And who says that being Jewish isn’t fun? If this doesn’t appeal to a … Continue reading
Lamed is for Lukshen When I was a kid I loved to peer longingly into the window of the now defunct Meal Mart kosher takeaway store on Broadway and 77th Street. There were all kinds of intriguing things: roasted chickens, potato kugels, chopped liver but what caught my eye was the savory salt and pepper … Continue reading
One of the nice things about doing this blog is that I get to learn so many new and wonderful things. Take this week, Shabbat Shira. I’m a day school grad-12 years, plus sem courses , plus hours and hours of listening to Torah lectures on CD and MP3. Never until this week did I … Continue reading
Being a born and bred Ashkenazi, I’d never heard of svinge, but then my daughter told me that was the Hanuka treat her Morrocan born mother in law was raised on. That naturally picqued my curiosity and when I saw a recipe for Svinge in the Modia kids section. I had to try it. Svinge … Continue reading
More than the Jewish answer to wontons, kreplach are a kabalistic food, A krepl (singular for kreplach which is plural) is an edible soft sculpture expressing the nature of Divine judgment. The dough represents Divine mercy (Midas Harahamin) while the meat filling stands for Divine justice (Midas Hadin). Traditionally we float kreplach in the chicken … Continue reading
Don’t try to blow this. The Shofar Challah isn’t my invention. I got it and the other Challah shapes from Rabbi Dovid Meisel’s wonderful book “Rosh Hashana Secrets.” (Israel Bookstore Publisher). Best wishes for a sweet and wonderful new year. .
