Posts Tagged "barley"
Bake Your Own Matza in a Pop-Up Passover Tabun
In my family, the Passover celebration begins long before the Seder. Preparing for our festive meal is a big part of the fun. One of my favorite traditions is our annual matza baking party. My husband Howard designs and builds a temporary cinder-block tabun (Biblical oven) especially for the occasion. I aspire to bake a matza with a really authentic flavor. In order to get that, I look for flour milled from heirloom seeds that were native to Ancient Egypt.How does Howard build the tabun? He uses dry, fireproof cinderblocks, aluminum sheets, and ceramic tiles. His design protects the surface beneath the oven.Oven-building and matza-baking instructions after the...
Read MoreThe Philadelphia Tu B’Shevat Adventure
Published in The Philadelphia Jewish Voice What do April 15th and Shevat 15th have in common? Both are tax days! Two thousand years ago, the 15th of Shevat was when the twelve Hebrew tribes paid tithes to the Levites in Jerusalem. Tu B’Shevat, the fifteenth day of the month of Shevat, is described in the Mishnah as the New Year for Trees. During the times of the Temple, fruit tithes would be calculated beginning on Tu B’Shevat. Fruit that grew on trees after the fifteenth day of Shevat was counted for the tithes that were due the following year. These tithes supported the Levites, helped feed the poor, and paid for Tu B’Shevat festivities in Jerusalem. Following...
Read MoreSukkah Decorations From Nature
I think the most beautiful sukkah decorations come from nature! It is traditional to display the Seven Species of the Land of Israel: Wheat Grape Fig Pomegranate Olive Date Barley The local fruits and flowers that are in season also add to the beauty of the sukkah. In Pennsylvania we have the following: Gourds Mums Indian Corn Cranberries Of course, the sukkah must have the Four Species. Lulav The frond of a date palm tree Hadass Branches from the myrtle tree Arava Boughs from the willow tree. Etrog Fruit from the citron tree. With so many beautiful colors and textures to work with, all you need to do is unleash your...
Read MoreBreaking Bread in the Sukkah
Published in The Philadelphia Jewish Voice What is the most important dish to serve in the Sukkah? Great Aunt Gittel’s stuffed cabbage? Bubbe’s stuffed peppers? Thankfully, for the preservation of peace in the sukkah, neither one! Bread is the only food that the Talmud specifically instructs one to eat in the sukkah. After giving thanks for the fall harvest with the appropriate blessings, heritage foods from Ancient Israel may be savored, and the competition between the stuffed vegetables will commence! In the Mishna, Maimonides explains that one is required to eat in the sukkah only on the first night of Sukkot (Hilkhot Sukkah 6:7). In this section of the Laws of...
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