Rosh Hashanah Fruit Head 5780

This 5780 year's "may you be a head, not a tail" looks a bit like a 1960's hippy. In 5779 I celebrated my 70th birthday, and I guess I'm still partying. The "crown" is the security bracelet from the very first United States 4th of July Celebration in Jerusalem.

May 5780 be filled with joy, health and wonderful surprises for all.

Don't let Holiday preparations stress you out. Take the easy path, so you can enjoy yourself. Love to all, and Gd willing see you next year...

How are You Preparing for Rosh Hashannah?

We've done shopping, since we must eat festive meals on Rosh Hashannah. And we have freshly picked pomegranates, too.

And for the second time ever, I've attempted to cook lamb. I managed to cut the leg of lamb into two giant pieces, without harming myself. I seasoned and wrapped them in foil. Then I baked them in a hot oven until the entire house smelled "lamby" and fat escaped the wrapping.

My favorite pre-Rosh Hashanah activity is going to Tefilat Chana, Hannah's Prayer at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh.

I joined women, young and old, praying and enjoying the scenery. Of course, for me it was especially easy to get there, since I live in Shiloh.

The main speaker, and only guest speaker this year, was Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi, who was super inspiring as usual. The musical entertainment was the Yonina Duo, a very talented young couple, who encouraged everyone to sing along.

There were stands selling jewelry, clothes, food and Judaica. Also, besides the usual public toilets, there were enough of the "portable chemical" ones, so there weren't long lines at all.

Shiloh Hakeduma, a recognized archaeological site, is open all year, except for Shabbat and Jewish Holidays. There are always special activities on Chanukah and the Intermediate Days of Succot and Passover. I highly recommend visiting. There are attractions for all ages.

Gmar Chatima Tova, Next Week is...

I feel so relieved that this Rosh Hashannah is over. Getting ready for it was pretty stressful for me, but once it began, it was truly wonderful. I enjoyed the dovening in our shul, and also the main Shiloh Synagogue modeled after the Biblical Tabernacle. And I enjoyed the neighbors we ate with, in their homes and ours. It really was a pleasure spiritually and socially and everything.

my homemade challah
bli neder, I'll post about the special foods I made

Of course, I ate too much. But tomorrow is Tzom Gedalya, which is a fast day, dawn to darkness. And next week is already Yom Kippur. That's a bit hard to get used to. We had Rosh Hashannah right after Shabbat, less than 24 hours after Shabbat ended we were already lighting the Holy Day candles. And by the time we break the Tzom Gedaliah fast, we have to start preparing for Shabbat. So, yes, the fall Jewish Holiday Marathon has begun!

Yes, I know that it's more complicated out of Israel. In Israel, the Jewish Holidays are National Holidays, so we aren't missing work and school. Jews out of Israel are supposed to observe an extra day of "yomtov," which means that they have even more Jewish Holidays than we do. And they are in countries that do not celebrate Jewish Holidays. They frequently find that pretty much all or most of their paid vacation days go to celebrate Jewish Holidays.

In Israel Friday has become a day off or a half day for many. I work in a store and we close it early enough for everyone not only to get home, but to do a lot of the pre-Shabbat or pre-holiday preparations.  To me that's more important than a "sunday." I want my Shabbat to be a Shabbat and cannot imagine how to get everything done if you're rushing home barely in time to light candles.

Enjoy the Holy Days!! And have an easy fast, if you're fasting.

For a Very Healthy and Happy 5776!

The new Jewish Year is about to debut in a few hours. This year's model "head" has been posing very cooperatively for me, and I'd like to post some of the photos.

Yes, I don't use animal heads, neither fish, fowl or mammal. For twenty-five 25 years I was a vegetarian and during that time I came up with the idea of a Fruit Head. It's healthy, edible and creative which should be what a good head/year will bring us.

Gd willing we should be a head and not a tail!

You can vote for which version you like best. Have a Wonderful Blessed Year everyone!!!

Chag Sameach

Gmar Chatima Tovah

Greetings for the New Jewish Year, 5776!

Gd willing this new upcoming year will be a wonderful one for all of you and the Jewish People and the State of Israel and thereby the entire world.

May the people in power be gifted with true wisdom, both the politicians and the media...

May we all learn how to put things in the right proportions and not get all hassled by irrelevant stuff.

May procrastination and overeating be a thing of the past...

I hope you like my "Fruit Heads," I put one together every year instead of serving a fish head or sheep head or whatever most other people do for Rosh Shanna. These fruit heads are from previous years; it's too early to do one for this year. I wait until the last minute, so it will stay fresh and perky throughout the two day Holiday. 

There's the growing tradition to make up lots of punned blessings to expand on the classics:

• יהי רצון Be a head not a tail. (Said over the "head" on the table.)
• יהי רצון Have a sweet year, (Said over the apple dipped in honey.) 

What are your favorites or new ones? I invented a new one for this year:

• יהי רצון that we learn to grin and "beer" it. 

Yes, I bought some beer for that one!

Serving Beer at the Amber Beer Tasting at Doug's. Photo by Mike Horton

Shanna Tovah uMetukah!

Have a Good and Sweet Year!!

Reflecting on those three days away from "the world"

Rosh Hashannah 5775
Have a healthy year
fruit head

The Jewish Calendar has some interesting quirks. One of them is the "three day yontiff/holiday" which is actually an oxymoron. It's actually a two day Holiday immediately followed by Shabbat. In Israel this only happens when Rosh Hashannah is a Thursday-Friday, but out of Israel when Succot, and Pesach begin and end with two day holidays, three day Holiday weekends are more common.

For those of us Jews strictly Torah observant we must learn how to be organized. We can't suddenly go shopping on days like Rosh Hashannah, Shavuot, first/last days of Succot and Passover in addition to Shabbat. On Shabbat we can't cook or boil water either. So today, when a neighbor suddenly decided that she wanted coffee and didn't have an urn of hot water, she came over, and I made her some.

Yesterday after synagogue services I was asked to have someone for a meal, and I had to refuse, since I had cooked just enough food for me and my husband. Especially since we both "watch our weights" and don't want to gain what we lost, I only serve/heat up exactly what we can eat.

Of the six main meals over the three days, two on each day of Rosh Hashannah and two more on Shabbat we had one meal at neighbors and two meals we hosted friends. The other meals we were alone, just the two of us.

Over Rosh Hashannah, I was amazed at how tired I was. I not only dozed off into deep sleep while reading, but I didn't wake up at my usual early time. On the second day of Rosh Hashannah, my husband woke me up, which almost never happens. Usually I'm up early, leisurely drink my morning water then coffee and end up the first woman in shul/synagogue. On the second day of 5775 I didn't even start my day with coffee!

I began to get very worried. Rosh Hashannah is traditionally thought of as a hint of what to expect the upcoming year. I didn't want to look forward to exhaustion. Thank G-d Shabbat was much better. I slept deeply, without any of the peculiar dreams which had been ruining my sleep or painful muscle cramps. And I woke up nice and early feeling energetic and alert. That's more the "me" I want to be this year.

G-d willing 5775 will be like the first Shabbat was and not like Rosh Hashannah.

Have a Sweet, Healthy, Joyful and Successful Year 5775

There's a custom to serve many symbolic foods on Rosh Hashannah and make up puns to use as good wishes. Some people decorate their holiday table with a fish head or even a sheep's head, so they'll be "heads" and not "tails" in the new year. My custom is to make a fruit head.

Each year our head is different. We shouldn't be bored, should we?

I haven't yet made the latest one. That will be closer to candle-lighting time. Our Rosh Hashannah meal is full of blessings, not just "be a head not a tail."

Many English speakers serve raisins, so they will have a "raise in" salary.

There are families that have dozens of foods on the table these blessings.

The first food that the Gemora mentions is gourds, or "K'ra." The word "K'ra" sounds both like the word for "read/proclaim" and the word for "tear." When we eat the gourd, there are two possible "Yehi Ratzons" that can be said. The first goes "Yehi Ratzon milfanecha... _sheyikaru'u lifanecha zechuyo'seinu" "May it be your will Hashem that our merits _ be read/proclaimed_ before you." The other is"...sheyikora g'zar de'nainu." "...that the decree of our sentence should be torn up." There are varying customs as to this Yehi Ratzon, and a prevalent custom is to recite both endings together in one Yehi Ratzon. (Torah.org, read more)

Israel Forever

Others make one food dish that combines many of the foods. You can actually do that with a fruit head or even the meal's main course or interesting salad. These are all customs, so do what's best for your family and guests.

Tell me about your family's food customs in the comments here, thanks. Although my husband and I have been married married forty-four years, we're still building ours.

Shannah Tovah and Chag Sameach!

Dry Bones, Happy 5775

Real Rosh Hashannah New Year's Cards!

Decades ago, tables like this one were all over the streets of Jerusalem:

RonAlmog, The Four Species Market

This holiday card business is a lot easier as a seasonal Holiday business than selling etrogim and the rest of the "four species." Just pack them up and sell again next year.

Decades ago, when I first came to Israel, before the science fiction idea of "email" and internet, there weren't even phones in every Israeli home. Cards just like these were mailed, and the mailmen brought them to every building. The boxes bulged with New Years greetings.

This woman is stationed on King George Street, not far from the "old Hamashbir." She's near where Carvel used to be and, yes, across from where Richie's Pizza was. Hmmm... now how can I describe it in today's terms? In the plaza under the steps to Lev Yerushalayim, sort of across from Hahistadrut Street.

The card designs are in the classic style, so why not buy some, give to friends and they can use them to decorate their succah or just enjoy. She also has calendars.

Rosh Hashannah Food! For A Healthy Year part 1

pre-Rosh Hashannah

post-Rosh Hashanah

As most of you may already know, we don't do the animal or fish head thing on Rosh Hashanah.  I (or one of the kids if they're around) decorate a fruit so not only will we be "a head and not a tail," we should also be healthy.  And this guy's mouth got smaller and smaller as the three day "yonitff" marathon dragged into Shabbat, so I told our Friday guests that it symbolizes lessening of lashon haraa, evil speech.  Now his mouth is barely visible, which has its problems. I didn't know that yams had so much water in them...

Here are a few of the vegetables I made for Rosh Hashannah.

This is a version of "musakka." Instead of using ground meat, I used sliced turkey breasts, usually used for making schnitzels. 

I layered the onions, eggplant, turkey, squash and pepper.  On top I put some canned crushed tomatoes and baked it all in a hot oven.  Our two guests, plus my husband and I polished the entire dish off.  In addition, I served two different raw salads, rice and cooked vegetables.  So it must have been good.

Here's this year's tsimmis, just before the water was added.

cooked tsimmis

I combined  prunes, raisins, cinnamon sticks, carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, ginger and brown sugar.  Just boil it up, simple as anything can be.

Have a Wonderful, Healthy, Enjoyable, Successful and Joyful Year 5774.

Only in Israel-

• I love the fact that Israeli public transportation, the Egged Bus Line, programs בברכת שנה טובה B'birchat Shanah Tovah, With Blessing for a Good Year on its buses, inside and out.

• Schools started the year extra early in order to give the kids lessons about the Chaggim Holidays before Rosh Hashannah.

 

I haven't yet made this year's "fruit head," but this should give you an idea of how cute they can be.  Not only do they symbolize "be a head not a tail," but they are intrinsically a blessing for good health and a strong sense of humor to all.

We must learn to make the best of what we have.  Of course we pray for prosperity, but as it is written in Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers:

Ben Zoma says:
Who is rich?
The one who is appreciates what he has…
(Talmud—Avot 4:1)

credit

Yes, we must always try to do better, but we shouldn't eat ourselves up  in frustration and anger if we don't achieve every dream. G-d gave us Free Will, but He retained Veto Power and can override all controls.

Blessings to All

Shannah  Tovah u'Mevorachat

Last Full Day of 5773, Blessings to All

About a month ago I went to the bank to make sure we had enough money available to pay for some wedding expenses.  For decades I had been pretty phobic about dealing with the bank and had let my husband handle it all, but a couple of years ago we had a change in "jobs,' and the bank became mine.  I had actually found the clerks to be very nice and helpful, pretty much like I try to be at work when helping customers.  I walked out of the bank with tears in my eyes. Not of fear nor anger, but because I was overwhelmed by the sincere blessings the middle-aged clerk and I exchanged for more wedding for our children and other singles in need of a suitable spouse etc.  It was so "only in Israel."

This time I had a long discussion with a different clerk, a bit younger, more my daughters' age.  At first she got me nervous, because she seemed annoyed at all my questions, but once she understood how my mind was working, she began to enjoy helping me through the muddle.  And when I finally got up to leave, she stood, shook my hand, told me that she enjoyed talking with me and we wished each other שנה טובה ומוצלחת Shannah Tovah u'Mutzlachat, A Good and Successful Year.  I told her that I really enjoy visiting that bank, because I leave with blessings and tears in my eyes.

This has been quite a year, especially the past few months.  In less than two months, my mother passed away and my youngest child got married.  Cousins of mine lost both parents in just over half a year, plus a first grandchild was born to one of them, just weeks after my uncle, who would have reached the status of great-grandfather passed away.  There have been some major changes in the clan as you can see.

Now we're getting to the deadline to say farewell to the Jewish Year of 5773 and to welcome 5774.  May the good overwhelm the bad.

Dry Bones

And a healthy year to one and all...

That's why I make a Holiday "fruit head."

Getting Ready for Rosh Hashannah, What Can we Make with These?

Ahhhh... pomegranates

 

 

Almonds...

Apples...

I may not feel ready for Rosh Hashannah, but the local trees are.  These pictures were all taken in Shiloh where I live.

Jewish Holidays are all on various harvest seasons, when the new fruits are ripening.  In Biblical times, the Kohen, Priestly Tribe was supported by agricultural tithes delivered in time for the Chaggim,  Festivals/Holidays by pilgrims to the Mishkan, Tabernacle in  Shiloh and later the Beit Hamikdash, Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

For decades we had the custom of waiting to eat pomegranates until the second night of Rosh Hashannah to say the Shehechiyanu blessing on it as a new fruit.  Maybe we'll do that again, since we're home alone the first night, but I don't know if our second night's hosts serve them.  Since I'm in the year of mourning for my mother, I can't say Shehechiyanu on new clothes, which was an easy way to be "covered." 

There's a problem with second day Rosh Hashanah in that it's halachikly, according to Jewish Law, like a new day/holiday, not considered a continuation of the first day.  Our local rabbi insists that you can't start heating up food for the meal until after candle lighting, so when we eat that meal at home it's our fish night, which doesn't require long heating which meat or poultry requires.

Chag Sameach and Shannah Tovah to All

Dancing Up a Storm, Aish's Rosh Hashannah Video, "Get Clarity"

Aish.com's latest holiday video, "Get Clarity," is full of good music and fantastic dancing with the backdrop of the Jerusalem City Walls.  Enjoy and have a wonderful day!

Big Day Tomorrow in Shiloh

Women are invited to come to Shiloh HaKeduma, Tel Shiloh for tours, prayers, shiurim, Torah talks, music and more! Tomorrow night, Wednesday, August 28, 2013, the 22nd of Elul 5773.

The official program is in Hebrew, but the experience, our prayers and more are in all languages.  There's food, crafts, jewelry, clothes etc for sale.  But the true focus of the event is prayer, women's prayer at the site of the ancient Mishkan, Tabernacle.

 

 

 

 

For at least the third year in a row, the amazing and mesmerizing Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi will be the featured speaker.

Rabbi Shmuel Yosef and the very popular singer Etti Ankori are also on the program.

Each year the crowds get larger, because the program is so spiritually thrilling and successful.  Women and teenage girls return year after year.  Many girls high schools take advantage of the T'fillat Chana event as their annual Elul Teshuva-repentance program.

Join us!  For travel information check out Egged buses or see if there's a bus from your area  by calling  02-994-4019 or 08-9712348.

The photos are from those I took at last year's T'fillat Chana.