The Reluctant Balebusta
So I have this friend. Her name is Meredith. She wrote a book about Shabbat.
And in this book, she guides the reader through making challah from scratch. It sounds so…easy. So doable.
And she’s been pestering me to just go ahead and do it.
I was going to do it last Monday figuring that my housekeeper would be around in case I got into some real trouble. But then everyone was home sick and that would just have been a very bad idea.
Then I realized that I didn’t even own a mixing bowl large enough to handle 8-10 cups of bread flour (um…had no idea that there was a special bread flour. Mrs. Milligan certainly failed to mention that important tidbit in 7th grade Home Ec.). So I borrowed one from the shul — only to discover AFTER I dropped the minivan at the shop this morning that the mixing bowl was in it. Oops. Turns out that a punch bowl works just as well 😉
The recipe:
3/4 cups sugar
2 cups lukewarm water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 TB salt
3 large eggs
3 envelopes yeast
1.4 C lukewarm water
8-10 C bread flour
Pretty straightforward ingrediants. Just a quick trip to the market to pick up the yeast and bread flour. And everything was going along swimmingly until I had mixed in about 5 cups of flour and didn’t remember cracking open any eggs. UGH! So in go the eggs.
I have heard it said of kneading dough that it can be quite the stress-reliever and I must agree. There was something hypnotic. Almost thereputic about pushing and stretching the dough over and over again.
Then the dough has to rise. And now I understand matzah…
Knead again and then…challah is taken.
Ever seen those words on the side of a matzah box and wonder “what do they mean by that?” Challah refers not only to the delicious egg bread we enjoy each Shabbat but to a small piece of dough that is traditionally separated from the rest of the dough before braiding. The taking of challah is one of three commandments specifically reserved for women. (Lighting candles and mikvah are the other two.) Back when the Temple was standing, this portion of dough was set aside as a tithe for the kohanim (see Numbers 15:17-21). With the Temple no longer standing, the custom of taking challah is a symbolic act, reminding us of our ancient obligation. A blessing is recited before the dough is separated and the dough is then either thrown into the oven or discarded.
Having never baked anything other than dessert, there had been no opportunity to observe this mitzvah. Until today. Like many observances in Jewish life, I had wondered about this one but honestly never gave it a great deal of consideration. But I figured that since I was doing something that just seemed so Jewish, I ought to try out the mitzvah as well.
Let me first start by saying that nothing is ever that easy. See, I was only making a couple of loaves of bread. 8-10 cups of flours is equal to somewhere around 2 to 2.8 pounds. And a minimum of 2.11 pounds must be used for challah to be taken (and the blessing is only said when using at least 3 pounds 10.8 oz of flour). Is this commandment only for professional bakers??
I know enough about Jewish Law to know that just because something is not required does not mean that it is not permitted. So, I took challah. Just a small, round ball of it. I said the blessing, separated the dough, wrapped it in foil, and tossed it in at 350 F. I am not exagerating when I tell you that it was great. It really was. Standing in my kitchen, kneading the dough, saying the blessing… I felt connected to generations of Jewish women who have gone before me.
Really.
As the house was filled with the smell of baking bread, I waited anxiously for the arrival of the judges.
“We love it!” exclaimed Beernut and Poppyseed.
Success.
Meredith was right. Challah baking is completely doable. Even for a reluctant balebusta.
Look here for more Challah secrets!
Newsworthy
“The big bad Israelis do this….the big bad Israelis do that…” and it goes on and on.
So how come no one ever reports on the good things that the Israelis do?
President Bush seems to have just noticed that there is a humanitarian crisis in Darfur and says that the world must respond.
Well, we have responded!
More than 600 Sudanese refugees have just received their identity cards!
How come no one tells about this??
Leap Year Special!
Chag Purim Sameach!
Sort-of.
You see — this is leap year on the Jewish calendar. Because of the solar-lunar structure of our calendar, we require an additional month to be added to the normally 12-month calendar in order to keep our festivals in their proper seasons. The lunar year is approximately 354 1/3 days while the solar year is about 365 1/2 days. So you see there might be a problem without some type of adjustment. Sadly, there exists nothing as simple as adding -an-extra-day-every-four-years thing for us. Nah…let’s just go ahead and make it really, REALLY hard.
Here’s what we’ve got:
A discrepency between the solar and lunar years that adds up to 207 days every nineteen years.
Rabbis thought “hey, lets add an entire MONTH to the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th year of a 19 year period.”
I know. I would voted against it too.
Anyway, this is a leap year and in a leap year, we add an additional month of Adar. But in order to keep Purim where it is supposed to be, the extra month is technically Adar I.
Starting at sundown tonight, we entered the 14th of Adar I. Though it is the same day of the month as Purim, it is not exactly like Purim. So we call it Purim Katan or “little Purim.” On this day, Jews refrain from saying Tachanun, no eulogy would be offered at a funeral, and no fasting is permited. At least according to my friend Joseph Caro.
No groggers. No megillah. No costumes.
But otherwise…be happy, it’s Adar!!
“To Bigotry No Sanction, to Persecution No Assistance.”
These words, written by President George Washington to Congregation Kahal Kadosh Yeshuat Israel, better known as the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island (now known as Touro Synagogue) in August 1790, were seen as a promise by the newly-elected President of the United States. A promise that we would finally live as a free people in this new land.
It was on this day in 1732 — wait a minute! It was not on this day. It was on February 22nd that our first President was actually born. So what gives??
It all started innocently enough. Due to the high rate of employee absenteeism, in 1870 four bank holidays were approved for governmental workers: New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. A few years later, Senator Steven Wallace Dorsey (R-Arkansas) proposed the addition of “citizen” Washington’s birth date, February 22, as the fifth federal holiday. Long an unofficial celebration, this idea was signed into law on January 31, 1879, by President Rutherford B. Hayes. Within just a few years, this holiday was extended to federal workers in the thirty-eight states.
So far so good.
Prior to the year of my birth (1971 for those of you keeping track), Washington’s Birthday was one of nine federal holidays celebrated on specific dates. Like the Jewish holidays seem to do (but don’t really!), these fell on different days of the week each year with one exception. Labor Day. Labor Day has always been on a Monday. Then along came the Ninetieth Congress. These visionaries felt that a uniform system of federal Monday holidays would bring peace and harmony to the families of our great nation. See for yourself:
“Three-day holidays offer greater opportunities for families—especially those whose members may be widely separated—to get together. . . .”
“The three-day span of leisure time . . . would allow our citizens greater participation in their hobbies as well as in educational and cultural activities.”
“Monday holidays would improve commercial and industrial production by minimizing midweek holiday interruptions of production schedules and reducing employee absenteeism before and after midweek holidays.”(Congressional Record, 05/06/68)
Interestingly, the revamped holiday system was enthusiatically endorsed by such business-related organizations as the U.S Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Travel Organizations, and the National Retail Federation.
Hmm…..
In the end, Congress voted to shift three existing holidays (Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day) to Mondays and expanded the number further by creating one new Monday holiday — Columbus Day on the second Monday in October. An interesting side-note: this bill moved Veterans’ Day to the fourth Monday in October but in 1980 was returned to its historical Armistice date of November 11, thanks to veterans’ organizations. Some of you may recall that switch-a-roo.
Back to our story…
There had been an early attempt to rename the day “Presidents’ Day,” but this proposal was quickly shot down. One representative even went so far as to convince the other lawmakeers that should Washington’s birthday be celebrated on the third Monday it would be alright because [February 22] in many cases will be the third Monday in February. It will also be celebrated on February 23, just as it is at the present time when February 22 falls on the Sunday preceding.”
Um…wrong. That is just plain wrong. February 22 can NEVER fall on the third Monday. It can fall on the fourth Monday but never on the third Monday. Two representatives from Virginia (Washington’s home state) saw through this ruse and countered
“Now what that really means is never again will the birthday of the Father of our Country be observed on February 22 because the third Monday will always fall between the 15th of February and the 21st of February.”
Right on!
And proposed an ammendement to retain Washington’s actual birth date as the national holiday. Which failed.
So here we are celebrating two birthday observance that can have as few as two days separating them or as many as eight. Like this year — Lincoln’s birthday is actually February 12th. And we honour Washington today — the 18th. That’s just 6 days.
And then there is the name. Lincoln is not a federal holiday. And though a majority of the states shifted the date of Washington’s Birthday to correspond to the third Monday in February, some states choose to rename it “Presidents’ Day.” Not only could crossing state borders on Washington’s Birthday could lead to holiday title confusion, but advertisers have just added to the confusion.
And I personally have found it confusing that we call Lincoln “Honest Abe” while we tell the midrash of Washington and the cherry tree as a way to exemplify his honesty.
Am I the only one???
Never-Ending
What are the odds that I’ll emerge healthy? I have been surrounded by sickies all week. Last week, both Beernut and Poppyseed developed what we though was a 24-hour thing. Symptoms: fever and lethargy. But back to normal — or so we thought.
And you may recall that poor little Peach went into the weekend with a double ear infection as well as conjunctivitis in both ears.
Things then took a turn for the worse. Waaaaaaay worse!
Monday
At 4:11pm, when he scheduled to be on a plane to Vegas for MAGIC, PC called to say that he was deleriously ill and was going straight to the Urgent Care clinic.
Diagnosis: sinus infection
Meanwhile, the J called late that
afternoon to report that Poppyseed was running a fever. So off I went to collect her.
By the time we got home, both Poppyseed and Beernut were feeling pretty awful.
Pharmacy — 2.5 hours to fill PC’s DXs. Rxs.
This week was not shaping up well.
Tuesday
Dropped off the big kids at MomGiraffe’s, took Peach to daycare, and hurried into work. Good thing too because PC called later that afternoon needing a ride to the ER! Yup — his temperature kept climbing and he was feeling really, really ill. Swapped cars with DadGiraffe (so that he could get Peach), drove home, and spent the next FIVE hours in our local ER with PC.
Diagnosis: bad bronchitis
Pharmacy — dropped off the DX Rx and then went to fetch kids. This was at 10:00pm, by the way. DX Rx still not ready when I returned at 11:30pm!
Wednesday
PC home, two big kids with MomGiraffe, and Peach at school.
Thursday
PC and Beernut still home but Poppyseed well enough to return to school. By the late afternoon, Peach was running a temp. Nisht gut!
Friday
PC and Beernut home, though PC thought Beernut was OK. And Beernut thought that he was OK. Begged to return to school. But my Spidey-senses were tingling and I just had this sense that Beernut was still sick. Rushed Poppyseed to school in order to get Peach to the doctor.
Diagnosis: influenza.
Did you know that there is a test they can do for this? A simple nose-swab and a strip that strangely resembles a home pregnancy test. Anyway, the doctor returned and announced triumphantly, “it’s pink!”. And she then told me that it was pretty likely that influenza was the culprit behind everyone else’s ailments. And THEN she asked how I was feeling!!!
Shabbos
PC is feeling a little better. Peach slept for a good part of the day. And, poor little Beernut! He conked out on the couch for almost the entire day. We woke him to drink a Jamba Juice (immunity boost) and then he asked if he could go to bed for the night. This was at 6:15pm.
Upshot: if I had wanted to spend this much time around sick people, I would have gone to medical school.
Anyone thinking I will emerge unscathed? Anyone??
What do you get when you mix a “Q” and a “Fiddler”?
Avenue Jew!!!
Featuring the Broadway casts of “Avenue Q” and “Fiddler on the Roof“, this short spoof was written and performed for Easter Bonnet 2004, an annual benefit put on by BC/EFA – (Broadway Cares – Equity Fights AIDS).
It begins with Trekkie Monster playing the opening strains of Fiddler on the Roof on a fiddle, which he proceeds to eat and destroy after playing a few sour notes. In a sort of epilogue to Tevye’s story, Tevye, his wife Golde, and his two remaining unwed daughters arrive on Avenue Jew, an area inhabited by Jewish puppets (the Q cast played Jewish versions of their usual characters). Avenue Jew is also home to some human Jews such as Brian and Hannukah Eve. The human Jews are fed up with the puppet Jews upstaging them constantly. Jewish-American Princeton arrives asking “What do you do with a B.A. in Yiddish?” One of Tevye’s daughter’s, Shprintze, falls in love with Princeton, but Tevye forbids their union. The Matchmaker sets up Rod with Lazar Wolf (“I’m a lonely man, Tevye.”). After a brief interior monologue, Tevye finally consents to Princeton and Shprintze’s marriage. Rod and Lazar Wolf also wish to be wed, so they decide to ask permission from the Tsar, who happens to be a puppet Bush, who forbids gay marriage. Ben Brantley interrupts, asking who the real Jewish people in the cast are, and the company finish with a rousing finale, telling us that “everyone’s a little bit Jewish” and “in theatre you can be whatever you want to be.”
Thanks Jessie!!!
Unleash your inner Cirque de Soleil
Ever dreamed of running away with the circus and becoming an aerialist?
Here’s your chance to make your dream a reality!
Reminds me of my Purim Costume (Jerusalem 5765) when I dressed up as a “Flying Patach” (Hataf Patach). Which seemed incredibly funny and clever to a first year Rabbinical student, deep in the examination of Biblical grammar, and now seems just the slightest bit silly.
Make Lemonade
Check out The World on your local NPR station today for a piece on Israeli-French sensation Yael Naim!
She’s gorgeous.
She’s got a great voice which is featured in a commerical for the MacBook Air laptop.
Gotta love the fact that her boyfriend broke up with her, she wrote a song about it, and it’s now featured in a commercial!!
The Make-Up Test
Every so often, someone shares something with me that really causes me to stop and think. Wanting to share this with you, I received permission to post it.
Remember that every thing we do can bring either light or darkness to our world. So choose wisely!!
Chad and his three friends were college seniors doing well in their classes. Even though the final physics exam was scheduled for the following Monday, Chad persuaded his buddies to take a weekend trip several hundred miles away. He told his worried friends they could study in the car and when they got back Sunday night. Instead, the boys partied all weekend and by Sunday night they knew they weren’t ready for the exam.
Chad, an A student, told them to relax. He had a plan. He called the professor at home Monday morning and told him they were on the road and ready to take the final. But they’d had a flat tire, didn’t have a spare, and couldn’t get help. Chad convinced the professor to let them take a make-up exam.
When they showed up to take the exam, the professor placed them in separate rooms and handed each a test booklet. They were relieved that the first problem, worth 5 points, was simple. They were less pleased when they read the second problem, worth 95 points: “Which tire was flat, and what time did the repair truck finally come?”
Chad’s exam had an additional note: “Chad, I just received a reference request from Harvard. How you do on this exam will determine how I fill it out.”
Then he added a P.S.: “You took two exams today. One was on physics, the other was on integrity. It would have been much better if you only flunked physics.”
Kids will be kids, but all choices have consequences. Chad and his buddies took one risk by not studying, but they took a much greater risk when they made up a phony excuse.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
(c) 2008 Josephson Institute. Michael Josephson’s commentary is reprinted with permission. To receive Michael’s free weekly commentary e-newsletter, please visit www.charactercounts.org”
***UPDATE***
I usually check things out on Snopes to see if they are true. Given that this was posted on a site about character, I naively assumed that it was true story.
Probably more like an embellishment of what once was a true story.
Read here for details.
You’re right…and you’re right!
PC thought it was an ear infection.
I thought it was conjunctivitis.
I don’t think either one of us feels any sense of satisfaction of being right.
Peach has it all — conjunctivitis in both eyes and ear infections in both ears.
Sad baby…
[but still managed to stick with our new sleep program :)]
Recheck in three weeks. Time to get the referral…
Frume Sarah is Shabbos-observant -- in a Reform way, that is. Please note that from Friday afternoons until one hour after sundown on Saturday evenings, Frume Sarah will be unavailable, in observance of the Jewish Sabbath.
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