A reader asked me how she can cook for Shabbat in two hours or less. I referred her to my tips for winter Fridays. Today I’ll describe what I actually do most weeks.

The biggest revelation for me was that I could serve the same thing both on Friday night and Shabbat morning. My kids are all happy with chicken and potatoes, so I make up a tray of cut-up chicken for the oven and fill the pressure cooker with potatoes, which I scrub and don’t peel. If sweet potatoes are in season I add some, leaving them whole because they cook faster than white potatoes.

Keeping the kitchen cool on Shabbat can be a challenge. Hot food has to be set up before Shabbat and kept warm, in a kitchen that may have seen a lot of cooking that day. And most people like to have warm food for Shabbat lunch too–most rabbis agree that it’s a halachic requirement. Here are some tips for keeping the kitchen cool over Shabbat. As a bonus, keeping the kitchen cool usually means saving on your energy bill.

Read more on Shabbat Meme: Challah, Yevamot, and Naomi’s Stomach…

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This is Part III of a series on pashkevilim, the anti-establishment wall posters hung in large haredi neighborhoods. The series is based on a talk by Tzuriel Rashi of Michlelet Lifshitz and Bar Ilan University.

Read more on Pashkevilim: Wall Posters in Jerusalem Part III, Spoofs and Cellphones…

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The holiday of Shavuot begins Thursday evening. Known in English as Pentecost because it takes place fifty days after Passover, Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. The two main customs associated with the holiday are serving dairy foods and staying up all night to study Torah. Staying up all night only became popular once coffee became readily available in Europe.

Read more on Shavuot, Eruv Tavshilin, Recipes and Carnivals…

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Glossary below.

Two holidays are so special that the preceding Shabbat has special significance: The Shabbat before Pesach is known as Shabbat Hagadol, and the Shabbat before Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shuvah. The rabbi always gives a special shiur on the other two special sabbaths. Tomorrow he will be speaking on the approach to Torah study of Rabbi Schneuer Zalman of Liady, author of the Tanya.

Read more on Pre-Shavuot Shabbat…

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chicken casserole

I am enjoying Mimi’s challenge of cooking with whatever she has in the house. As food manager of a large family I have had to learn to keep well-stocked, but when I run low I try not to run across the street. We shop at a large grocery every three weeks or so, the shuk for produce once a week, and daily at the makolet (corner store) for bread and milk . I’ve talked with my husband about buying produce once in two weeks, but he fears we don’t have enough room.

Read more on Creative Cooking Using Leftovers: Chicken Casserole…

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Chanting the Torah takes skill and preparation, so traditional synagogues assign someone to chant the weekly biblical portion. Sometimes members take turns, while some synagogues hire a professional. Lion of Zion is one such professional who often writes about the intricacies of the cantillation symbols.

My husband has been chanting, or “leining” as it is known in Yiddish, since before his bar mitzvah. He has prepared every portion at least once and tries to review each week, since he never knows when he will be called on in a pinch.

A few weeks ago he arrived in the synagogue to learn that the neighboring synagogue sought him as a last-minute replacement. My husband declined, as he was scheduled to read in ours. But when the rabbi got up to speak before the Torah reading, my husband decided to check if he was still needed. He asked our son to run and get him as soon as the rabbi finished.

He got to the second synagogue just as they were taking out the Torah scroll. They were glad to see him. I don’t know whether he speeded up his pace or not [he just told me he did], but he returned in time to catch the last twenty minutes of the rabbi’s speech.(*) Fortunately the rabbi has what to say.

(*)Depending on the length of the weekly portion, reading can take 20-40 minutes.

Read more on A long speech and a double-duty Torah reading…

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Our Shiputzim posted a letter about army chaplains accompanying soldiers to the Gaza front. The letter’s author, YAR, and YAR’s brother, one of the chaplains, are relatives of “Our Shiputzim.”

I’ll wait while you read it.

On Shabbat, our rabbi spoke about this incident and the question of Sabbath observance by chaplains. He maintained that there was absolutely no question that the chaplains were permitted to accompany the soldiers, Shabbat or not. Apparently the army employed Druze drivers (not mentioned in the letter quoted in Our Shiputzim) to minimize the violation of the Sabbath by Jews. The rabbi insisted that this was unnecessary.

Let us pray for the day when we will no longer need to ask this type of question.

Unfortunately, I have needed to post an updated list of injured soldiers and victims, including additional names. Thanks to those who have sent updates and corrections; I passed them on.

Read more on Israeli Army Chaplains and Sabbath Observance…

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More posts on efficient Shabbat cooking:

Ilana-Davita posted recipes for Egg Curry and Swedish Chowder.

Mrs. S. over at “Our Shiputzim” shares her ideas. Don’t be put off by the title of her blog–she warns you when she is going to write about home renovations. Here’s how she makes freezable potato kugel.

Last but not least, Beehive shares her ideas on Shabbos Preparations.

Read more on Easy Shabbat Links…

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