Euphonic Friday: Yearning For Hashem’s Salvation Edition

In light of recent events, the conclusion of Yaakov Avinu’s blessing to his son Dan in Parshat Vayechi perfectly encapsulates Am Yisrael’s collective mood – especially here in Eretz Yisrael:

“לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִיתִי ה’.”

“For Your salvation I yearn, Hashem!”
(Breishit 49:18)

Shlomo Katz recently released a hauntingly beautiful rendition of this pasuk:

From Shlomo Katz’s new “Likrat Shabbat” album

שבת שלום וחודש טוב!

Shabbat shalom, and may the coming week and month be filled with besurot tovot, yeshu’ot v’nechamot (good tidings, salvation, and consolation) for Am Yisrael!

Oy, Meh Hayah Lanu!

Almost exactly 76 years ago, on June 29, 1938, Shlomo Ben-Yosef HY"D of Rosh Pina was hung by the British.

He was the first of the Olei HaGardom (also known as the Harugei HaMalchut) – the twelve Jewish men whom the British sentenced to death in the pre-State era.

In response, two days later, on Rosh Chodesh Tamuz 5698, Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlap zt"l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, wrote a letter of chizuk to his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.

This afternoon, Rav Gidon Binyamin shlit”a, the Rav of Nof Ayalon, read an excerpt from that letter at the funeral of Naftali Fraenkel HY"D.

(An English translation follows below.)

א' דראש חודש תמוז תרח"צ

בני יקירי, ורעיתך היקרה, והילד היקר - ד' עמכם.

אמנם המחשבות סוערות מאוד מעליית לגרדום אחד מבני ישראל על לא דבר. לא הועילו כל ההפצרות, לא הועילו כל ההתחננות. גם כל חלונות השמים נסגרו. כל התפילות, השוועות, הזעקות, והתחינות לא בקעו את העננים.

אשרי לאיש הזה שעל ידו נתעוררו כל כך הרבה הרהורי תשובה. אשרי לו שעל ידו נתאחדו לנקודה אחת כל ישראל. אך אוי מה היה לנו, מדוע שתם תפילתנו, אבל ביטחוננו בו יתברך שמו כי ינקום נקמת דם עמו לעינינו, ובמהרה נראה בבנין ציון וירושלים, ובבנין בית מקדשנו וכו'.

אביכם המעתיר בעדכם ומברך אתכם,
יעקב משה

Rosh Chodesh Tamuz 5698

My dear son, your dear wife, and the dear child,

May Hashem be with you.

Indeed our thoughts are in great turmoil after one of Bnei Yisrael was sent to the gallows for no reason. All the entreaties were to no avail. All the supplications were to no avail. Even all the windows of Heaven were closed. All the prayers, the outcries, the shouts, and the pleadings did not pierce the clouds.

Fortunate is this man, who because of him, so many were roused to contemplate repentance. Fortunate is he, who because of him, all of Israel was united as one. But woe, what has befallen us! Why were our prayers unrequited? But our trust is in Him, blessed is His Name, that He will avenge His nation’s blood before our eyes, and we will speedily witness the rebuilding of Tzion and Yerushalayim and the rebuilding of our Beit HaMikdash, etc.

Your father who bestows abundance upon you and blesses you,
Yaakov Moshe

May we continue to relish the beautiful achdut (unity) of the past two and a half weeks; may the three bereaved families be consoled among the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim; and may the memories of Eyal HY”D, Gil-Ad HY”D, and Naftali HY”D be blessed.

Flag Friday: 5774 Edition

As veteran Our Shiputzim readers know, Flag Friday (i.e. the first Friday after Rosh Chodesh Iyar) is the day we here in TRLEOOB* decorate the house and car in honor of Yom HaAtzma’ut.

This year Prime Minister Netanyahu decided to get in on all the fun:

Have you put up your flags yet?

שבת שלום ומבורך!

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Important posts

Chodesh tov!

In a stunning display of hypocrisy, inconsideration (schools and businesses across Yerushalayim were forced to close early, and thousands upon thousands of Israeli citizens were greatly inconvenienced), vindictiveness ("you push us, we'll push back," a chareidi MK reportedly said about his fellow religious Jews), ingratitude, and baseless hatred, chareidi MKs and community activists organized a mass rally/protest against military/national service today.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time for a full-length post, but I would like to share several important points.

Please click on the following links for details:

1) Serving in the IDF is a mitzvah. Period.

2) Of course, learning Torah is a mitzvah too. But that’s just one of the many reasons that - as Shiputzim family friend David Weinberg explains - the recent spate of attacks on the hesder program is particularly shocking.

3) Much of what is being said about the IDF and religious soldiers can best be described as misrepresentations, slander, and outright lies.

4) As Rav Natan Slifkin writes, many feel that those behind today’s demonstration do not seem to care about Am Yisrael as a whole.

May we all be privileged to remember that
“kol Yisrael areivim zeh l’zeh”
(literally, “all of Israel are guarantors for each other”),
and may we soon enjoy
besurot tovot, yeshu’ot v’nechamot
(good tidings, salvation, and consolation)
for Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, and Torat Yisrael,
speedily and in our days.

!חודש טוב ומבורך

Tales of a Chatan Kol HaNe’arim’s wife

Warning: Although it’s now Rosh Chodesh MarCheshvan, which – according to every opinion – falls firmly within the “acharei hachagim” (literally, “after the holidays”) parameters, the following post pertains to Simchat Torah. (Hey, if Israeli gannanot can celebrate Simchat Torah after the fact, so can I…) Proceed at your own risk.

The main problem with shamelessly neglecting one’s blog is that there’s no clear protocol when it comes to resuming one’s blogging activities. Do you apologize? Pretend that you never left? Offer a long-winded explanation/excuse for your absence?

Which is why I’m just going to jump right back in with the following news item from TRLEOOB (=the real life equivalent of our blog):

YZG was our shul’s Chatan Kol HaNe’arim (i.e. CKH in OurShiputzim-speak) on Simchat Torah.

In many congregations, CKH is sold to the highest bidder. However, in our shul, the gabbaim award it to someone who is very involved in the shul and the community, and as those of you who know YZG in real life are aware, this was certainly a well-deserved honor.

Here are three things I learned in my role of CKH’s wife:

1) It seems that proper Simchat Torah etiquette teaches that both the CKH and the CKH’s wife deserve hearty “mazal tovs.” I confess that I never knew this before, but I quickly got into the swing of things and made sure to say mazal tov to the Chatan Torah, the Chatan Breishit, and their respective spouses…

2) It turns out that there’s no statute of limitations when it comes to corny CKH-related jokes. Sample groan-worthy fare: “If your husband is a chatan, that makes you a kallah! Shouldn’t you be wearing white?” {cue: canned laugh track}

3) And finally, I discovered that in our shul, the CKH’s wife is in charge of distributing candy bags to all the kids. (Fortunately, the shul covers the cost; someone else volunteered to do the shopping; and assorted neighbors helped the Shiputzim kids stuff the bags.)

Which means that within two minutes of Kol HaNe’arim’s conclusion, the CKH’s wife (that would be me in this case, for those just tuning in at home) is suddenly beset by nearly 200 (BA”H) overtired, hyped-on-sugar (in our shul, Kol HaNe’arim takes place AFTER the communal kiddush), impatient kids.

Ah, good times. Good times…

How are Chatan Kol HaNe’arim, Chatan Torah, and Chatan Breishit chosen in your communities?

Euphonic Friday: Hitna’ari Edition

With Yom Yerushalayim fast approaching, now’s the perfect time to listen to Udi Davidi’s stunning “Hitna’ari” (“Shake Off Your Dust”):

The beautiful lyrics are available here.
Update: An English translation of the lyrics is now available here.

Speaking of Yom Yerushalayim, don’t forget (Emunah/Faith, this is for you… ;-)) that there are two white shirt days next week IY”H: Yom Yerushalayim on Sunday and then Rosh Chodesh Sivan on Tuesday.

And finally, in case you’ve missed them before – or even if you haven’t… - be sure to check out my in-laws’ incredible pictures of the Kotel from the summer of 1967.

.ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון ברחמים

“May our eyes behold Your return to Tzion with mercy.”

(From the Amidah prayer)

!שבת שלום ויום ירושלים שמח

Dig, dig, dig, dig your shovel deep

Note: If you’re looking for an intelligent analysis of yesterday’s shakeup of Israel’s political landscape, you’ve come to the wrong place. (I suggest you check out Jameel’s list of winners and losers instead.) Because the only thing I have to say on the subject is that it’s quite disappointing. I mean, here in TRLEOOB*, we were really looking forward to having a day off… :-)

***

It was Monday, the second day of Rosh Chodesh Iyar, and I was busy patting myself on the back over a job well done.

You see, the Iyar Challenge was underway, and by all indications, it was going to be a huge success.

I had calculated the optimal time to do laundry during the week; each of the kids knew which shirt to wear each day; and I had even managed to convince a certain young man of my acquaintance not to wear a certain shirt from his collection…

And then… [cue: dramatic music] one of the Shiputzim daughters (henceforth, OOTSD) walked in the door.

She needed a few things for her school’s upcoming Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAtzma’ut ceremony, she told me.

Still deep in the throes of congratulating myself, I wasn’t concerned.

“Bring it on!” I may even have said.

And so she did…

Her class was dramatizing Yoram Taharlev’s “Ein Kvar Derech Chazarah” (“No Way Back Anymore”):

The lyrics are available here.

OOTSD was supposed to dress up as one of the Bilu’im, and her costume had to include a checked shirt, a straw hat or a kova tembel, and a farming or work tool.

Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling so confident anymore…

Because while we had no trouble finding a suitable shirt and hat, I had no idea how to approach the third item on the list.

After all, we’re not exactly the kind of family that just happens to have spare agricultural implements lying around.

Especially since not just ANY agricultural implement would do. It couldn’t be valuable, because OOTSD was taking it to school. It couldn’t be too heavy, because she was going to be dancing with it.

And, most importantly, it had to pass muster with OOTSD’s discriminating teenage sister…

But fortunately, YZG – aka He Who Successfully Built a Model of the Mizbei’ach in Just a Few Hours – once again stepped in and saved the day.

After grabbing a cardboard tube and some heavy duty aluminum foil, he produced this:

Amazingly, not only did the aforementioned teenage sister approve, but when OOTSD brought the shovel to school, her friends said that it was “magniv” (loosely, cool).

Which, by all accounts, is very high praise indeed…

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Minchah PSA

Reason #7112 for making aliyah:

Starting today (Rosh Chodesh Shvat 5772), there will be a daily minyan for Minchah – 15 minutes before sh’kiyah (sunset) - at every gas station along Kvish 6 (the Trans-Israel Highway).

For more information about this great initiative, do a search for “תפילה בשש” on Facebook.

!חודש טוב ומבורך

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P.S. Speaking of Facebook, don’t forget to “Like” the Our Shiputzim FB page, in order to receive Our Shiputzim updates.

Two weeks to go

Here’s what’s been going on in TRLEOOB (=the real life equivalent of our blog) lately:

1) On Sunday, Rosh Chodesh Kislev, I happened to be doing some shopping. (Did I mention that we’re IY”H making a bar mitzvah in a few weeks?)

At the first store, I was trying to figure out if a certain item was machine-washable or not, and so I asked the seemingly-secular saleswoman about the fabric content.

But before I had a chance to explain why I was asking, she immediately responded, “Don’t worry. It’s not shatnez. There’s no wool in it…”

And as I was leaving, she wished me a “chodesh tov” – as did the dreadlocked cashier in the next store.

Five words: Reason #3721 for making aliyah…

2) Have you ever dreamed of writing a guest post for one of the J-Blogosphere’s biggest, most important, most influential, and most widely-read blogs?

Well, I can’t help you there, but as per reader Faith/Emuna’s excellent suggestion, I am offering you the chance to write a guest post for this blog.

If you’re interested, please email me at OurShiputzim at gmail dot com.

3) The other day, YCT (who’s always been like a brother to me) asked me over the phone why I hadn’t written a post about the “extremely cool and sophisticated” – okay, maybe those weren’t his EXACT words… :-) - Access database I designed and used for each of the Shiputzim kids’ bar/bat mitzvahs.

BTW, if you’re making a simchah and would like a copy of the database’s schema, I’d be more than happy to send it to you. It works for bar and bat mitzvahs and, with a bit of minor tweaking, could be easily adapted for weddings as well. </offer you can’t refuse>

In response, I explained to YCT that the reason I haven’t blogged about my database is that I don’t like to show off.

“I can see that,” he replied, clearly much struck by what I had said. “Because, after all, referring to one of your own posts as ‘history in the making’ is the absolute height of modesty and humility…”

!שבת שלום ומבורך

National Parks: Beit Guvrin Edition

Warning: The following post may exceed the recommended daily allowance for other people’s vacation pictures. Proceed at your own risk.

Think of it as the antidote to our Neot Kedumim trip.

Because unlike the Neot Kedumim trip, our second chol hamo’ed tiyul on Succot was planned well in advance, began first thing in the morning, and – most of all – involved a national park.

Located not too far from Beit Shemesh, the Beit Guvrin-Mareishah National Park contains numerous man-made, limestone caves and includes the ancient cities of Mareishah (see Yehoshua 15:44) and Beit Guvrin (from the time of the Second Beit HaMikdash and the Bar Kochva Revolt).

And now, without further ado, the aforementioned pictures:

First, the requisite shot of the price list, in order to show how much money we saved as a result of our National Parks Authority membership:

Next, the entrance to one of the caves:

The sign says that the narrow, one-way, 20-meter-long tunnel leads to the columbarium and that flashlights are recommended.

An underground olive oil press:

Interior of one of the caves:

An opening to another cave:

A view of the “Bell Cave”:

As always, feel free to click on any of the pictures for a closer look.

!חודש טוב ושבת שלום ומבורך

Rosh Chodesh Elul

In honor of Rosh Chodesh Elul (and dedicated to אבי מורי, my father, who would sing this song to me when I was little), here’s R’ Shlomo Carlebach singing “Borchi Nafshi” (Tehillim 104) – which is recited on Rosh Chodesh:

!חודש טוב ומבורך

P.S. The latest Kosher Cooking Carnival is available here. Special thanks to Batya for including my waffle post.

Herzl’s address

114 years ago today, on 1 Elul 5657 (August 29, 1897), the First Zionist Congress opened in Basel, Switzerland.

The Congress was convened by Theodor Herzl, who delivered the opening address.

Here are a few translated* excerpts from his speech:

“…And in this period - which is, by and large, extremely inspiring – we see and feel ourselves surrounded everywhere by the ancient hatred. Anti-Semitism is its modern name…

“Modern, enlightened Judaism – which had left the ghetto, which had been weaned off petty trade – was stabbed in the heart. We can say this today in complete serenity, without arousing suspicions that we are attempting to play on our opponents’ tear ducts. Our conscience is clear.

“From time immemorial, the world has had faulty, distorted and slanted information about us. The sense of affiliation and collaboration – of which we have been so frequently and so acrimoniously accused – was in the process of disappearing, when we were beset by anti-Semitism...

“One can say that we have returned home. Zionism is a return to Judaism, even before a return to the Land of the Jews…

“Zionism has already managed to achieve something amazing, which was previously considered to be nearly impossible: the strong bond between Judaism’s most modern elements and most conservative. Inasmuch as this matter has occurred – without the need for either side to make unseemly concessions or emotional sacrifices – it is further proof, if further proof was necessary, of the fact that the Jews are a nation. This type of union is only possible against the background of a nation...

“Such a large popular movement will inevitably be attacked from many sides. Hence, the Congress will also concentrate on the spiritual means of reviving and fostering Jewish national consciousness…

“We have no intention of compromising on even the slightest bit of the culture which we have acquired for ourselves. Instead, we intend to continue to expand this culture…

“This movement must become greater, if it is to exist at all. A nation can only help itself. And if it cannot do so, no one should help it. But we Zionists wish to inspire the nation to self-help…

“Open dialogue and loyal conduct are needed in order to gain the confidence of the government with which we must negotiate about large-scale Jewish settlement…

“There is only one matter which must be accepted as an inviolable law: the agreement must be based on our recognized legal rights and not merely on benevolent sufferance. We have had more than enough experience with toleration and a conditional Judaism-of-patronage…”

After the Congress ended, Herzl famously recorded in his diary: “In Basel, I founded the Jewish State.”

!חודש טוב ומבורך

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*The above translation is courtesy of the Official Our Shiputzim Hebrew-English translator. Please note that she’s available for translation work. For more information, contact me at OurShiputzim at gmail dot com, and I’ll gladly forward all serious inquiries to her.

Fine Arts Friday: 5772 Calendar Edition

As you may recall, every year my mother prepares a beautiful family calendar.

And so, in honor of Rosh Chodesh Tamuz, here are the Shiputzim kids’ contributions (in ascending order, according to the young artists’ ages) to the 5772 calendar.

As always, please click on the pictures for a closer view:

September 2011 (roughly corresponding to Elul 5771)

July 2012 (roughly corresponding to Tamuz-Av 5772, including the Three Weeks)

!שבוע טוב וחודש טוב

The Iyar Challenge

Whew!

That was close!

But, B”H, I think we did it. Another (more or less) successful Iyar Challenge has been completed…

{catches breath and heaves a huge sigh of relief}

What’s that you say?

You’ve never heard of the Iyar Challenge?

Well, then, I suppose I’m going to have to write a post about it. (And look! By a fortunate coincidence, this post’s title is all about this very topic… ;-))

I should begin by explaining that the term “Iyar Challenge” suggests different things to different people. For instance:

• For cheesecake fans, it refers to counting Sefirah with a brachah every night until Shavuot.
• For Israeli kids, it implies collecting ridiculous amounts of wood for the Lag BaOmer bonfire.
• For Israeli teens, it alludes to the odd custom of staying out all night - right in the middle of bagrut season.

But as parents of Israeli schoolchildren are well-aware, the real Iyar Challenge is ensuring that one’s offspring have enough white shirts to make it through the first week of Iyar.

Because after all, the beginning of Iyar is essentially one long kacholavan day - including most of the following:

• Two days of Rosh Chodesh
• The day before Yom HaZikaron (i.e. the day when many gannanot celebrate Yom HaAtzma’ut with their young charges)
• Yom HaZikaron
• Yom HaAtzma’ut, at night (assuming, that is, that the Yom HaZikaron shirt is no longer, um, as white as it could be…)
• Yom HaAtzma’ut, during the day
• One or two Shabbatot (depending on the year)

In other words, we’re talking about a minimum of 5-6 white shirts per child – and, usually,  a great deal more than that – within a 7-8 day span!

Furthermore, remember that the Iyar Challenge comes right on the heels of Pesach and the countless white shirts that it entails…

Note: The jury is still out on whether school uniforms are helpful or a hindrance in this regard. On one hand, the overall white shirt supply is increased. But on the other hand, most of the white shirts can now only be worn on Shabbat and Yom HaAtzma’ut itself. </note>

Thus, as you can see, the Iyar Challenge is extremely demanding.

Oh, and to those who would insist that the Chidon HaTanach is the real Iyar Challenge, all I can say is: You obviously aren’t responsible for your family’s laundry…

How do you handle the Iyar Challenge?

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P.S. The latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Susan for including my tribute to my grandmother z”l.

Spring JPIX

The latest JPIX carnival is available here.

Special thanks to my friend Ilana-Davita for including my Heichal Shlomo post and also my Ein Chemed post.

!חודש טוב ומבורך

The clothes make the post

Back in June, when I first wrote about school uniforms (i.e. tilboshet achidah, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you), I assumed that I’d basically covered (no pun intended) the subject.

But as it turned out, school uniforms proved to be an endless source of blogging material.

For instance, they inspired a dinnertime Heblish post and served as the basis of a pseudo-American post.

In addition, they made a cameo appearance in a binder post and starred in an unintended consequences post.

Not bad for a collection of colorful cotton t-shirts, huh?

And in fact, that’s only the beginning.

Because by the time you finish reading this post, those seemingly-ubiquitous tops will have induced me to add a new entry to the Official Our Shiputzim Adar Lexicon:

(Hint: A quick review of the original Adar post might be helpful at this point. Go ahead and read it. I’ll wait...)

Takanon (תקנון) – Literally, a charter or a set of rules/bylaws. Mainly applicable in elementary schools, it refers to a list of “laws” enacted by the sixth graders (and approved by the administration).

The takanon usually remains in effect for the two weeks between Rosh Chodesh Adar and Purim and includes rules such as:

• “No tests.”
• “The students may eat during class.”
• “If the teacher comes late, the students get a free period.”

This year, however, the typical takanon also featured a day when uniforms were not required. (In some schools, the teachers were supposed to “wear” the uniform shirts instead.)

Needless to say, this new edict was a huge hit with  the elementary school crowd, who naturally appreciated the rare chance to pick out their own clothes.

But as far as I’m concerned, the best part of the exercise was that it allowed me to produce an entire post out of, um, whole cloth…

Euphonic Friday: Fasuliah edition

Shavua tov and chodesh tov to all!

In honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar II, we interrupt this blog to bring you yet another one of our family’s favorite obscure songs from the late 1970’s/early 1980’s.

“Shoshi B’Agaf Sheva” (“שושי באגף שבע” – literally, “Shoshi in Ward 7”) was the name of an album recorded inside a Be’er Sheva prison by a group of inmates, including soloist David Shoshi (hence the album’s name).

“Fasuliah” (literally, “beans” or “bean stew” in Arabic) comes from that album:

Lyrics by Dudu Alharar; music by Chanan Yuval.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Our Shiputzim fare of lizards, Chodesh Irgun, citrus fruit, and Heblish*…

 

!שבוע טוב וחודש טוב

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*And speaking of Heblish, watch this space for a special Purim edition…

Kosher Cooking Carnival: Mi’shenichnas Adar Edition

Shavua tov and chodesh tov!

Chazal tell us that when Adar begins, our joy increases.

And what better way for me to celebrate the start of the month of Adar Aleph (aka “Adar - Take One”) than by hosting My Very First Blogging Carnival^TM?

The Kosher Cooking Carnival (“KCC”) is a monthly blog roundup which includes all aspects of kosher food - from Jewish law and customs to recipes and restaurant/cookbook reviews.*

So, here goes:

Tu B’Shvat

Needless to say, the holiday of Tu B’Shvat figured prominently in the J-Blogosphere last month.

Basically, Tu B’Shvat is all about the fruits of Eretz Yisrael. Balashon discusses the etymology of the word p’ri (fruit), and Ruti writes about the spiritual wonders of food preparation in Israel.

Baroness Tapuzina bakes a tamarind date cake; Phyllis gets into the holiday spirit with a tree-shaped challah; and Leah has fun with edible Tu B’Shvat crafts.

Mimi serves an eggplant filled with bulgur and dried fruit and then uses the leftover dried fruit for chocolate fruit-nut clusters.

Gloria Kobrin suggests a quick and easy Tu B’Shvat entree: chicken cutlets with caramelized onions, spiced apples and currants, and the Shiputzim kids mix up a batch of lemonade.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Apparently, Shvat was International Mock Chopped Liver Month. :-) Don’t miss either Miriyummy’s version, which calls for peas and caramelized onions, or Leora’s version, which includes zucchini.

Meanwhile, Ilana-Davita continues the mock theme and prepares mock gravlax.

Shabbat

Laura shares an interesting challah recipe, and Batya experiments with a low-carb side dish.

BookishIma stuffs her vegetables, and Miriyummy puts her own spin on a traditional Hungarian favorite.

In addition, while sneaking a secret ingredient into her Mexican-style chicken, Miriyummy features yours truly. {blushes modestly}

Be sure to check out G6’s mouthwatering melaveh malkah buffet.

Desserts and snacks

Leora pops up some spicy popcorn (i.e. pope-korrrn pikanti, for the Hebraically-oriented among you), and Sarah Melamed whips up some chocolate pudding.

G6 takes the best of both worlds and ends up with a yummy chocolate tart.

Jennifer reveals the secret to really good brownies and also makes her pareve eclair baking debut.

Restaurant reviews

Ruti recommends a new Yerushalayim restaurant; Batya enjoys a tuna-bagel sandwich; and Yisrael Medad is amused by a surprise ending.

Everyday meals

The Rebbetzin's Husband seeks new crock pot recipes. Can you help him out?

Batya packs lunch; Ilana-Davita finds a great source for kosher, organic ingredients; and the Hip Hostess tosses a healthy salad with roasted butternut squash.

Jennifer “doubles” her hearty winter soup, and one of Hannah’s readers cooks creamy parsnip soup.

…And that concludes the Adar I 5771 Kosher Cooking Carnival.

!בתאבון

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* Miriyummy takes the reins the kitchen utensils for next month’s KCC. Don’t forget to submit your posts using the submission form, and please contact Batya if you’d like to host an upcoming edition.

What’s the rush?

Some of you may have thought I was exaggerating when I reported that many Israeli yeshiva high school seniors don’t make up their minds about their future plans until the very last minute.

Well, consider the following exchange, which took place here in TRLEOOB (=the real life equivalent of our blog) on Shabbat:

The CTO: {mentions that one of his former classmates is visiting our community}

Me: {casually} Oh? That’s nice. What’s he doing this coming year?

The CTO: {nonchalantly} He hasn’t decided yet.

Me: {flabbergasted} Um, isn’t Rosh Chodesh next week?!

The CTO: {shrugs} It’s not like he doesn’t know at all! I mean, he HAS narrowed it down to a few choices…

!שבוע טוב

Have a wonderful week!

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The latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Eric for including my take on shopping in Israel – aka everyone’s favorite game show, Name Thaaaat Country!

Mazal tov: Engagement edition

מזל טוב

to Our Shiputzim guest blogger Malke and her family on their son’s/brother’s engagement!

May the chatan and kallah be privileged to build a bayit ne’eman b’Yisrael, and may our two families continue to share many, many future smachot!

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And in unrelated news:

1. The latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Phyllis for including Heblish: Around the Dinner Table Edition.
2. The latest Kosher Cooking Carnival is available here. Special thanks to Batya for including my tuna croquette recipe.

Shavua tov and chodesh tov to all!