Book Review: “When God is Near: On the High Holidays”

Shanah tovah!

I hope you too had a wonderful Rosh Hashanah.

The honor of writing the first Our Shiputzim post of the year goes to the one and only YZG (aka “Mr. S.”) – known to veteran readers for his Solomonic wisdom, his erudite halachic discourses, his ability to replace gas oven ignitors, and his previous book review.

Take it away, YZG!

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“When God is Near: On the High Holidays”

by YZG

“When God is Near: On the High Holidays” is an incredible collection of sichot (talks) that were delivered by Rav Yehuda Amital zt”l - one of the two founding Roshei Yeshiva of the world-famous Yeshivat Har Etzion and a renowned Jewish thinker of the previous generation - over the course of 40 years.

The sichot, which were given during Elul and the Yamim Nora’im in the yeshiva, were collected and adapted by Rav Amital’s son, Rav Yoel Amital, a ra”m at Yeshivat Shaalvim.

Maggid Books recently released an English translation of the collection. Since I received a review copy of the book just before Rosh Hashanah, and since I want to publish the review before Yom Kippur – i.e. while it’s still relevant - this review will be fairly short.

Many of the nearly 50 sichot were published elsewhere – in particular, on Yeshivat Har Etzion’s website. However, this is the first time that they appear together.

Each of the sichot offers a glimpse at Rav Amital’s unique style and worldview, and the book’s essence is captured by the younger Rav Amital’s introduction. As he writes:

“My father’s sichot are distinguished by their ability to penetrate the heart while at the same time appealing to the intellect.”

For example, one of the sichot on the Slichot prayer provides food for thought by explaining why prayer involves praising God as well as making demands and requests of God. Rav Amital’s intriguing approach gives meaning to Slichot in particular and prayer in general.

One of Rav Amital’s primary themes is that this time of year is about finding ways to improve ourselves - both in terms of our service of God and also in terms of our service to the Jewish community as a whole. I also appreciated his insights on the Biblical sources used to develop his ideas.

I highly recommend this book. Not only will it make the Yamim Nora’im more meaningful, it will greatly enhance the reader’s understanding of what God expects of us.

Note: I was not paid to review this sefer, but we did receive a review copy from Maggid Books.

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Great job and thank you, YZG!

Erev Rosh Hashanah 5776

.תהא שנת עליה וגאולה
May 5776 be a year of aliyah and redemption.

As you may recall, every year my mother prepares a very special family calendar. Here is a certain Shiputzim daughter’s beautiful contribution to the 5776 edition:

Parshat Trumah – February 2016
(Roughly corresponding to Shvat-Adar I 5776)

לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום!

May you and your families have a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous, and sweet new year!

Fine Arts Friday: 5775 Calendar Edition

Warning: The following post may exceed the recommended daily allowance for maternal boasting. Proceed at your own risk.

So, in case you were wondering – and I can’t imagine that you weren’t - here’s the thing about neglecting one’s blog:

It turns out – and yes, this came as quite a surprise for me, too - that when one allows days weeks months to go by without making time for blogging, one finds oneself with a rather extensive collection of partially-written posts.

I mean, consider the following images, which have been rattling around my Drafts folder since before Rosh Hashanah.

As veteran Our Shiputzim readers will no doubt recall, every year my mother puts together a family calendar, and the various grandchildren prepare the artwork.

Here are the Shiputzim kids’ beautiful contributions (I warned you that there would be boasting… :-)) to the 5775 calendar:

Parshat Shmot - January 2015
(Roughly corresponding to Tevet-Shvat 5775)

Bikurim (Shavuot) - May 2015
(Roughly corresponding to Iyar-Sivan 5775)

As always, please be sure to click on the pictures for a much better view.

Stay safe, warm, and dry, and have a wonderful Shabbat!
!שבת שלום ומבורך

Vegetarian Vegetable Quiche

In the wake of the three-day Rosh Hashanah weekend and bored – as we all were - by our usual yom tov fare, the Studentit graciously offered to make something “different” as a side dish for lunch on the first day of Succot.

Here’s what she came up with:

Vegetarian Vegetable Quiche with No-Roll Oil-Based Crust
The filling recipe comes from YZG’s aunt, and the crust recipe is adapted from here.
Yield: Two quiches.

Filling Ingredients

• 800 grams mixed frozen vegetables – Cooked and drained
• ½ cup water – Reserved from the vegetables
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• 1½ TBSP flour
• Salt, pepper, and spices to taste (the original recipe calls for 2 heaping TBSP onion soup mix)

Crust Ingredients
Yields two crusts.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsp sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 4 TBSP water

Directions

Prepare the two crusts: Mix half of the dry ingredients together in each of two lightly-oiled pie pans. Make wells in both centers, and add half the oil and half the water to each pan. Mix the ingredients together and form a ball in each pan. Flatten and press against the pans to form crusts. If you want to be fancy, you can flute the edges with your fingers or with a fork.

Combine the cooked vegetables, the reserved cooking water, the eggs, the mayo, the oil, the flour, and the spices in a large bowl.

Pour half the mixture into each crust. Bake the two quiches at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes (or until the crust is golden brown).

!בתאבון

Euphonic Friday: Erev Yom Kippur 5775 Edition

Yitzchak Meir’s incredibly beautiful rendition of R’ Shlomo Carlebach’s “HaNeshamah Lach” (from the Slichot prayer):

[Full disclosure (i.e. gilu’i na’ot for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you) - Last year, on Rosh Hashanah 5774, we had the privilege of davening in the shul where Yitzchak Meir was the ba’al tefilah.]

!גמר חתימה טובה

May we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a wonderful, sweet, happy, healthy, prosperous, and peaceful new year!

Rosh Hashanah 5775

I realize that posting has been fairly sparse in recent weeks.

But I’m sure you’ll forgive me when you consider all the, ahem, important and meaningful things we’ve been doing here in TRLEOOB (=the real life equivalent of our blog).

For instance, this past Shabbat, we were extremely busy coming up with a list of acronyms for תשע”ה – 5775 – the upcoming new year:

.תהא שנת עליה הביתה
May this be a year of aliyah to our homeland.

.תחל שמיטה על הארץ
Let shmitah begin in the Land of Israel.

.תהא שנת ערבות הדדית
May this be a year of mutual responsibility.

.תשכון שכינתך על המקדש
May Your Divine Presence dwell in the Mikdash.

.תהא שנת עידן המשיח
May this year mark the onset of the Messianic Era.

.תשים שלום על הבריות
Bestow peace upon mankind.

.תביא ששון על הארץ
Bring joy to the land.

.‘תהא שנת עבודת ה
May this be a year of serving Hashem.

.תבוא שלום עוד השנה
May peace arrive this very year.

.תהא שנת עליית הרגל
May this be a year of going up to Yerushalayim on the festivals.

.תהא שנת עירך הבנויה
May this be the year of Your rebuilt city.

Please feel free to add your own suggestions in the comment section.

Yitzchak Meir and Udi Davidi sing “Ochila LaKel.” (Full disclosure: Last year, on Rosh Hashanah 5774, we had the privilege of davening in the shul where Yitzchak Meir was the ba’al tefilah.)

לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום!

May you and your families have a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous, and sweet new year!

Erev Rosh Hashanah 5774

.תכלה שנה וקללותיה, תחל שנה וברכותיה
Let the [old] year and its curses come to an end; let the [new] year and its blessings begin.

As you may recall, every year my mother prepares a very special family calendar. Here are the Shiputzim kids’ beautiful contributions to the 5774 edition:

October 2013 (roughly corresponding to Cheshvan 5774)

August 2014 (roughly corresponding to Av 5774)

As always, please be sure to click on the pictures for a much better view.

לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום!

May you have a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous, and sweet new year!

Netanyahu’s address to the UN

Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations today:

May 5773 be a year of besurot tovot, yeshu’ot v’nechamot (good tidings, salvation, and consolation).

Taiglach

For obvious reasons, most people consider taiglach – those honey-drenched, boiled Ashkenazi pastries – to be a traditional Rosh Hashanah delicacy.

Yet as far as the extended Shiputzim family is concerned, taiglach have long been associated with, well, bar mitzvahs.

For instance, family lore tells how my great-aunt z”l made her famous taiglach for my father’s bar mitzvah.

But seeing as she had to schlep three days by bus while holding the fragile dish of taiglach on her lap, she couldn’t bring too many, and thus, each person at the bar mitzvah was entitled to exactly one of the precious treats.

Fast forward to the next generation, when my dear maternal grandmother z”l prepared taiglach, according to her mother’s recipe, for my brothers’ bar mitzvahs and even whipped up – I use the term loosely; taiglach are a HUGE patchke - a batch for a bris or two.

Of course, her idea of a “batch” was actually a gallon’s worth.

Legend has it that the first time one of the relatives from my father’s side saw that huge container of taiglach, he was stunned. “I’ve never seen that many taiglach at once in my entire life!” he exclaimed.

These days, the taiglach mantle has passed to my mother, who has earned a well-deserved reputation as a skilled taiglach expert. Not only did she prepare taiglach for each of the Shiputzim sons’ bar mitzvahs – see, for example, here and here – but random distant cousins have been known to call her up for taiglach-related advice.

My Mother’s Taiglach

Most members of the Shiputzim family are adamant that taiglach taste best when eaten with a toothpick, but YMMV.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 TBSP oil
• ¼ tsp dried ginger
• 2 2/3 cups flour
• Raisins

Syrup

• 2/3 kilo honey
• 3 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 tsp dried ginger
• 2/3 cup boiling hot water

Directions

Combine eggs, oil, ¼ tsp ginger, and flour into a soft dough. (If the dough is too dry, add a bit of water.)

Roll the dough into long, ¾-inch-diameter “snakes” and flatten. Dot the snakes with a generous amount of raisins and then roll the dough around the raisins until they’re covered. Using a sharp knife, cut the snakes into ¾-inch-long pieces. Set aside.

In a large pot, combine honey and sugar and bring to a boil. Lower the flame to medium heat, and then carefully drop the taiglach into the syrup, one at a time, without stirring.

When all the taiglach have floated to the top and the taiglach are almost ready, add the remaining 1 tsp of ginger and gently mix through.

When the taiglach are golden-brown, turn off the heat and immediately add the boiling water.

Let cool and store in a sealed container. (Taiglach keep for weeks on end --- assuming that no one eats them first...)

Note from my mother: A teaspoon or so of the honey syrup is great with a cup of tea.

Thank you, Imma, for graciously sharing your recipe!
P.S. Laura posted her own taiglach recipe here.

לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום!

May you all have a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous, and sweet new year!

Latma’s new Rosh Hashanah song

Latma just released a great song for Rosh Hashanah:

May we soon be privileged to enjoy besurot tovot, yeshu’ot v’nechamot (good tidings, salvation, and consolation).

Waiting period

It’s an age-old question:

How soon after Pesach may one resume baking chametz brownies?

Immediately? Not until after Lag BaOmer? Well into the summer? Rosh Hashanah?

After all, in many households – TRLEOOB* included – brownies are considered to be a Pesach staple. (B”N, I’ll try to post the Shiputzim family’s favorite Pesach brownie recipe in Nissan IY”H.)

Naturally, this means that by the end of Pesach, no one wants to even LOOK at another brownie.

<brief aside> Have you ever met anyone who did NOT insist that their Pesach brownies “taste even BETTER than chametz” [sic]? And yet for some reason, once that last Pesach dish is put away, no one bothers with their flourless dessert recipes anymore… :-) </aside>

My personal take is that Shavuot is an ideal time to bring brownies back into the baking fold.

But if that seems brazenly early for you, why not consider making brownies with a twist? Say, for instance, brownies with ganache?

Admittedly, healthy or dietetic, they aren’t – what with the evil pareve cream and all (see recipe below) - but hey, if it means that your family can start indulging in these classic chocolate treats sooner, one could easily make a case that calories and chemicals are a small price to pay. Don’t you agree?

Ganache-Covered Brownies

Based on my friend E.’s brownie recipe and adapted from here.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• ¾ cup cocoa
• 1½ cups flour

Ganache

• ½ container pareve cream
• 250 grams semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (we used a combination of the two)

Directions

Mix brownie ingredients together by hand and pour into a baking-paper-lined  9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until done. Let cool in pan.

Melt parve whip and chocolate together in the microwave. Pour the ganache over the brownies in the pan and spread. Refrigerate.

!בתאבון

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Succot 5772

By now, most of you are probably very familiar with the Shiputzim family’s succah – whether it’s our loud and tacky bright and colorful stationary succah or our cool, cutting-edge succah on wheels.

But since every year, we make a point of not only rearranging the decorations in the former but also adding new ones, a few glimpses into this year’s succah are certainly in order.

(The advantage of having all the kids home from before Yom Kippur is that our succah was fully decorated by Sunday afternoon… :-))

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

See something familiar in the second picture?

And, no, I’m not referring to this blog’s new icon. (Can you spot it?) I’m talking about something that’s connected to someone else’s blog.

Let’s zoom in for a better look:

Recognize this?

It’s a postcard with Leora's lovely watercolor of a pomegranate. (Don’t miss the rest of the paintings in her beautiful simanim series.)

Leora sweetly sent me the postcard (yes, even bloggers sometimes communicate via snail mail…) before Rosh Hashanah, and I couldn’t wait to hang it in our succah.

Thank you, Leora!

And now for my annual pre-Succot offer: If you still need aravot, please feel free to stop by TRLEOOB* until candlelighting and pick some. BA”H, we were privileged to have a bumper crop this year…

!חג שמח

May you and your families have a wonderful and joyous Succot!

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Reason #7043 for making aliyah

Shavua tov and shanah tovah!

What better way to begin 5772 here on Our Shiputzim than with an aliyah-promotional post?

But, don’t worry, this isn’t going to be yet another essay extolling the joys of one day of yom tov.

(Although coming, as it does, on the heels of two days of Rosh Hashanah followed by Shabbat, such a post would certainly be, uh, in its place – if I may use the Heblish term...)

The thing is that I’ve pretty much covered the topic here, and also, I realize that it’s very difficult for those who haven’t yet had the privilege of experiencing one day of yom tov to see it as an advantage. (And, IMHO, the standard “day and a half” halachic arrangement offered to many visitors from abroad doesn’t count as “experiencing” one day of yom tov.)

Because chances are, if you’re like many Diaspora Jews – my pre-aliyah self included – you love yom tov and, in spite of all the cooking and preparations, can’t imagine willingly giving any of it up. (But check out my original post if you’re curious.)

And, so, instead, this post will focus on a different, albeit related, reason for making aliyah – namely, hot showers on yom tov.

Yes, that’s right.

Contrary to popular belief, one may, in fact, take showers on yom tov – as long as one adheres to certain conditions and restrictions. (For example, one can’t wash or immerse one’s entire body at once; one can’t shampoo one’s hair; etc. CYLOR for details.)

Of course, this is true in chu”l as well. However, outside of Israel, few – if any – people have solar water heaters, and thus (again, CYLOR), cold showers are the only option on yom tov in the Diaspora.

But here in Israel, where – except for on rainy, winter days – we heat our water with the ubiquitous dude shemesh (solar water tank/boiler), most authorities hold that one may use hot water for showers on yom tov.

In other words, my friends, if you, too, wish to enjoy a hot shower on yom tov, you have a little less than two weeks to pack your bags and join us here in Israel… before Succot and Simchat Torah (which are both three day affairs in chu”l this year).

Of course, ironically, considering that we only celebrate one day, hot showers on yom tov aren’t that essential here…

.צום קל ומועיל

Have an easy and meaningful fast.

Rosh Hashanah 5772

תכלה שנה וקללותיה תחל שנה וברכותיה.

Let the [old] year and its curses come to an end; let the [new] year and its blessings begin.

“Chamol” (from Musaf on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) sung by London Pirchei

לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו

לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום!

May you have a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous, and sweet new year!

The Book of Good Life

The Maccabeats’ Rosh Hashanah song:

!שבת שלום וכתיבה וחתימה טובה

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

Around the J-Blogosphere

Several items of note from around the J-Blogosphere:

1) שועלים הלכו בו. (“Shu’alim hilchu vo.” - “Foxes prowl over it.” – Eichah 5:18)

Har HaBayit after the Churban? Well, yeah, but also, Capitol Hill last Friday.

What’s the deeper significance of this modern twist on an ancient vision? I have no idea, but please leave your best creative suggestions (profound and/or humorous) in the comment section…

2) The latest Kosher Cooking Carnival is available here. Special thanks to Risa for including my cinnamon marble cake post.

3) Clearly, someone on Bnei Akiva’s executive board is an avid Our Shiputzim fan.

I mean, wouldn’t you agree that their choice of Na’aleh (literally, “we shall go up”) as the new shevet’s name is a clear indication that they read my Rosh Hashanah post, which declared that תשע”א (the Jewish year 5771) stands for תהא שנת עליה ארצה (“Tehei Shnat Aliyah Artzah” - “May this be a year of aliyah to Eretz Yisrael”)?

!שבוע טוב וחודש טוב

Rosh Hashanah 5771

תשע”א

5771

תהא שנת עליה ארצה

(Tehei Shnat Aliyah Artzah)

May 5771 be a year of aliyah to Eretz Yisrael.

Due to a number of factors – mainly, that we’re B”AH blessed to have many of our immediate relatives living here in Israel – the Shiputzim family has not yet had the privilege of attending a Nefesh B’Nefesh welcoming ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport.

Of course, many Israelis go even when they aren’t personally acquainted with any of the arriving olim, and we certainly could’ve done so as well.

But it’s not quite the same as waiting to greet a specific oleh.

And so I turn to you, our dear family and friends [real-life and virtual] in the Diaspora.

Here’s the plan:

You make aliyah during 5771, and we, the denizens of TRLEOOB(=the real life equivalent of our blog), will come meet you at the airport with a great, big, colorful sign in tow.

Yes, it really IS that simple!

So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?

Or, as we say in the Heblish, did we close*?

May you have a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous, and sweet new year.

לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו

!לאלתר לחיים טובים ולשלום

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* To close: Hebrew source – לסגור. English definition – To finalize an agreement or a decision. Sample usage – “After waiting all year to decide, he finally closed on a certain yeshiva one week before the zman started.”

Around the J-Blogosphere

Several pre-Rosh Hashanah items of note:

• Yet another post – including an extremely moving video – about the brave heroes who defied the British and blew the shofar at the Kotel.
• A beautiful story about Rosh Hashanah 1945 aboard a US Navy ship in the Pacific.
• The latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Benji for including my newest Heblish post.

Around the J-Blogosphere

Several items of interest:

1) Rafi G. discusses the amazing heroes who bravely blew the shofar at the Kotel during the British Mandate.

2) A Mother in Israel shares some cooking ideas for the upcoming “three-day” Rosh Hashanah. (Hint for new olim: Try and get your shopping done way in advance. Nothing says “zoo” like your neighborhood makolet (grocery store) or supermarket on erev a 3-day yom tov in Israel… :-))

3) The latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Ruti for including a trip to Tel Chatzor.

4) The latest JPIX is available here. Special thanks to Toby for including a view of a Modiin playground.