A year or two ago, the haredi magazine Yated published an article in its family section about the plight of the haredi woman in her forties. With a large number of children of different ages, she has to worry about shidduchim (match-making), teenage ups and downs, and elementary school issues. She may even have younger children who wake up at night. She is likely working full time, and might have responsibility for her elderly parents. Yet according to the author, all of this is nothing—not when compared to the biggest challenge of all: Getting along with her new sons- and daughters-in-law. The Mishnah touches on the difficult position of a new daughter-in-law in a discussion of the … [Read more...]
Goy Returns Chametz
April 26, 2011 by 14 Comments
Last week I reported on the hametz that was given to a non-Jew by the rabbi. Today Rafi reports that the non-Jew called and offered to return the hametz, and suggests that the whole thing was a setup: Rafi writes: Upon reflection, the rabbi probably told the non-Jew to do this whole thing, just to impress upon the people that their "gift" or "sale" is a real business transaction and change of ownership and not just a fictitious loophole. Some questions remain: Will any of these people do this again, giving it as a gift rather than as a sale, now that they realize they can easily lose it all? Does their regret have any ramifications as to the efficacy of their gift, or even a … [Read more...]
Goy in Jerusalem Runs Off with Hametz at Start of Passover
April 21, 2011 by 12 Comments
Update: Goy Returns Hametz This amazing story appeared in the Haredi website, Kikar Hashabbat. There is a long-standing custom to sell hametz, the leavened foods forbidden during the Passover holiday. According to the Torah, one can't own any hametz during the week of the holiday. But because food businesses would suffer a great loss from disposing of so much of their stock, the rabbis developed a means of selling the hametz to a goy (non-Jew) to avoid the issue. Many rabbis permit individuals to sell theirs as well. Usually the Jew empowers the rabbi to sell the hametz on his behalf. The non-Jew makes a down payment and agrees to delay transfer of the goods until after the holiday, … [Read more...]
State of the House, Passover 2011
April 18, 2011 by 10 Comments
What's Wrong with this Picture? The above picture appeared on the cover of Friday's alon, Matzav Haruach. Anyone notice a slight problem? My husband is convinced Israelis don't realize that the holidays are mentioned in the Torah portion of Re'eh in Devarim (Deuteronomy), as well as in Shemot (Exodus). Outside of Israel, the section from Re'eh is read in the summer and three times a year on the last day of Pesach, Shemini Atzeret, and the second day of Shavuot. In Israel it's not read on any holiday. You can just imagine what the editor was thinking when he or she presumably "corrected" the reference.* Rabbi Yuval Cherlow once mentioned that "people" don't know that the holidays are … [Read more...]
Passover Seder in the Israeli Army
April 16, 2011 by 28 Comments
My son won't be home for the Passover seder this Monday. Instead, he'll be leading the seder for about 30 fellow soldiers on his army base. After my son and another soldier (were) volunteered to run the seder on the two neighboring bases, they got to attend a hishtalmut in a nearby city for supplementary education—training in how to effectively lead the event. One of the other soldiers pointed out that my son got a good deal. Not only did he get off part of the day last week for the hishtalmut, he won't get guard duty during the seder. But my son said he won't be exempt from a shift later the same night. The army takes the Passover seder seriously. Every base holds a seder and … [Read more...]
Video: Kasher the Kitchen for Pesach in Two Hours
April 8, 2011 by 15 Comments
One of the things that I missed during shiva was our annual discussion here about Pesach preparations. At least we covered the Pesach babies, and I hope readers will update as they give birth. I wrote a draft on epidurals, and perhaps I will get it out in time for some of you. Kasher Your Kitchen in Two Hours, with English Subtitles This humorous Israeli video, explains how to kasher your kitchen. Click on the link above the video to watch with English subtitles as I couldn't embed it. What I like about it is that there are no chumras (stringencies)—it's intended for someone secular making a kitchen kosher for Passover for the first time. They don't buy or replace items: … [Read more...]
Making a Dishwasher Kosher for Passover
March 25, 2010 by 10 Comments
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 week'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 … [Read more...]
Shmura Matza Forgery Warning
March 24, 2010 by 8 Comments
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 … [Read more...]
Bug-Free Lettuce: Not Necessarily Bug-Free
March 18, 2010 by 18 Comments
Kosher consumers don't just worry about mixing meat and milk, or avoiding meat that hasn't been slaughtered according to Jewish law. The Torah also forbids eating insects. Israel, with its warm climate and location at the crossroads of three continents, has a large variety and I have found them in almost every food at one time or another. Grains and leafy vegetables, most likely to attract bugs, are often not eaten at all. Romaine lettuce, served as a bitter herb at the Passover seder, has tiny green insects that cling to its leaves. Around twenty years ago, farmers in Gush Katif, the region of Jewish settlement in Gaza, developed techniques to grown produce with a minimum of insects. … [Read more...]
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