Posts Tagged "Dates"
The 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 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...
Read MoreSymbolic Sephardic Foods For Rosh Hashanah
Published in the Philadelphia Jewish Voice The Sephardic communtiy has a unique mystical tradition for Rosh Hashanah. Symbolic foods are served at a Rosh Hashanah Seder. Some of these foods are also puns, and are called “simanim,” or “signs.” Special blessings called “Yehi ratzones,” Ladino Hebrew for “May it be God’s will,” are chanted over these dishes. Here are some of them, and the traditions associated with them. Black-Eyed Peas And Fenugreek Black-eyed peas are called “ruvia” in Aramaic. ”Ruvia” is like the Hebrew word “rov” which means most or many. Fenugreek is...
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