Rosh Hashanah is coming! Are you ready?
There are a lot of things I’d rather be writing about today, but I can’t avoid the subject any longer. I’m talking about Rosh Hashanah, less than three weeks away beginning Wednesday evening, September 9. Not only is the two-day holiday followed immediately by Shabbat, making it a “three-day Yom Tov” even for those of us in Israel—it’s early and if the last few weeks are anything to go by, it’s likely to be exceedingly hot as well. Of course it rained last year, so one can hope.
Having reached the limits of my refrigerator’s capacity for withstanding the heat just with regular Shabbat cooking at the height of the summer, I am wary. I can’t possibly see cooking food for Shabbat on Wednesday and having it last until Shabbat. And how could I cook it all on Wednesday even if I wanted to? Well I probably could, but it wouldn’t be wise.
(For readers unfamiliar with Jewish law, one may cook on Rosh Hashanah itself with few restrictions, namely no electric appliance unless it is for cooking and can be set up in advance with or without a timer. One can only cook for the meals of that day, i.e. no preparation for the Thursday night meal until after dark. So it’s best to prepare as much as possible before the holiday. One can cook and heat up food for Shabbat (beginning Friday evening), if one has made an eruv tavshilin (Google it). No cooking is permitted on Shabbat. I’m leaving out a lot of detail.)
Here are some of the ideas I’m playing with:
What creative ideas can you suggest? We need input from the “chutznikim” for whom a 3-day yom tov is a regular occurrence.
Note: My other site CookingManager.Com is intended for a general audience. I’ll be posting some Rosh Hashanah recipes but I don’t plan to go into halacha (Jewish law) over there.
Related:
More recipes:
You may also enjoy my article about Rosh Hashanah cooking for Food.com (formerly Recipezaar)
Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War. The last verse of this song was added by the song’s author Naomi Shemer to mark the first time since 1948 that Jews could visit the remains of the Holy Temple in the Old City of Jerusalem.
In this version sung by Ofra Haza at Israel’s 50th Independence Day celebration in 1998, the last verse is placed as the second verse, but with incorrect English translation. (Thanks to reader Ruth for pointing that out.)
For the first time that I can recall, Lag Baomer might get rained out.
Jews pray for rain immediately after Sukkot in the fall. On Sukkot we eat outside in booths covered with branches, so we need it to stay dry. On the first day of Passover, we stop asking for rain and request dew instead. Just to keep things moist. That was a month ago. Rain at any other time of year is considered a curse, because it’s bad for certain crops, like wheat that needs to be cut. But it’s not that unusual. It even rained once in mid-summer.
Today it drizzled, and rain is predicted for tomorrow and Sunday. I am not sure how the farmers feel about it, but the lakes, streams, and groundwater could sure use some help.
The people who will be most upset by the rain are those planning bonfires for the main observance of Lag Baomer. Tomorrow night is the 33rd night of the Omer, the end of the semi-mourning period we’ve observed since Pesach. Families and groups of teens build bonfires on every available spot of land. You close your windows and shutters to keep out the smoke, bring in your laundry, and wrap cooked potatoes in foil to toast in the ground near the fire.
Rain would also put a damper on the central celebrations in Meron, where Chassidic boys who recently turned three get their first haircut. Last year 300,000 people visited Meron on Lag Baomer.
As for me, I won’t complain about the rain. Just drive carefully, especially if you’re headed up north.
How Lag Baomer is not the only Jewish holiday for pyromaniacs.
State of the house on Erev Pesach, 2010.
In other news: One of my sons helped kasher the kitchen on the army base. They finally went to sleep at 4 a.m., to be woken up a half-hour later because they hadn’t kashered their (plastic) water bottles. The fire for heating the water had gone out in their dining room, so they had to go to another dining area. Eventually the commanders realized it was taking too long so they sent them back to sleep.
Wishing all my readers a wonderful and calm Passover.
From Shabbat be-Shabbato
There are two times a year I love having a dishwasher: The evening of Yom Kippur, when we are rushing to clear the table and get to shul; and after the Pesach Seder, when the dishwasher runs on a timer. When I mentioned that I use the dishwasher on Passover several people asked about it.
The above article (Hebrew) by Rabbi A.M. (R’EM) HaCohen of Otniel appeared in last w eek’s edition of the alon “Shabbat be-Shabbato,” published by the Tzomet Institute. Rabbi HaCohen considers the late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein’s requirement to use boiling water, but rules that running it on the highest setting is enough. Rabbi HaCohen also allows keeping the same racks year-round, maintaining that modern dishwashers remove remainders of food during regular cleaning. He adds, “The Torah has pity on the money of (the nation of ) Israel.”
I translated Rabbi Cohen’s conclusion from the last paragraph:
Clean the dishwasher well, especially the filter and the sprayers (by taking them apart). To clean, it’s recommended to use a scale remover (instead of regular detergent) and run the machine. Let the dishwasher sit for 24 hours, then run it [again] on its maximum setting. One who is stringent will run it a second time, to clean it in cold water.
Preparing the dishwasher took me at least 3 hours. Before you take it apart, make certain you can put it together again and draw a diagram if necessary. Sephardi Lady told me she puts dishwasher parts in the washing machine, but the dirtiest parts of mine wouldn’t fit. I’ve decided the effort is worth it, as we’ll run the dishwasher seven or eight times during Passover.
Related:
Pesach Crisis Cleaning Checklist
Why the Average Haredi Family Goes to a Hotel for Pesach
Passover Recipes and Cooking Techniques
What Defines Israeli Parenting?
According to the letter from the rabbinate, signed by Rabbis Yaakov Sabag and Rafi Yochai, the packages of hand matzahs pictured above were made in a factory without supervision. Flour was not sifted, “challah” not taken, the equipment not cleaned, and there was actually chametz in the factory. The matzah was sold at “discount” prices, and even distributed to the poor. The labels contain forged certification by Rabbi Dov Leor and the Badatz Yoreh De’ah, and Rabbi Yitzchak Amrabi and the Badatz Bet Yosef. The rabbis were not involved it the matzah’s production or supervision. The packages are pictured above.
Last week I wrote about lettuce that is not always “bug-free,” despite certification as such. One type that did not need to be checked, Yevulei Hanegev, contained high levels of pesticides including one that is illegal. The rabbinate warned the public not to buy Yevulei Hanegev products, which are apparently still on the shelves.
I would still like the rabbinate tocomplete laboratory results and not just the conclusions.
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