Emor/Lag Baomer

Parshat Emor and Lag Ba'Omer: Walk in Fields of Gold

This coming Sunday is the joyous holiday of Lag Baomer, when we reach the 33rd day of the counting of the omer. That means that we are more than half-way towards the whole receiving of the Torah thing, however you choose to think about it. People usually celebrate on this day by having a picnic outside in open fields. Many Jewish schools take students for a field trip that day to a field! Some others choose to get a haircut that day, usually by a respectable hairdresser, not on a certain hill in Tzfat, Israel (Josh-DON'T DO IT!).

Rituals, such as counting the omer, help us to communicate with ourselves and with God. Back in the day, it used to be through sacrifices, which I am not such a fan of, as many of you know. But in this week's parshah, there was one type of sacrifice which intrigued me. It combined the fruits of the vineyard with the "fruits" of the field, such as barley or wheat. So, I felt inspired to make a special Lag Ba'omer/Emor shot recipe (don't worry: it's not 33 shots!! I would never recommend that kind of behaviour. But, if you happened to have about 10 people over and everyone had 3 shots each, and then 3 people had 3 additional ones, that would be above and beyond!)

Lag Ba'Omer: 33 shot recipe:

-shot of tequila
-3 grapes
-sprinkle of beer

procedure:

-put a sprinkle of beer on one of your wrists
-drink the shot of tequila
-eat the 3 grapes

Have a meaningful Lag Ba'Omer!

Ahrei Mot-Kedoshim

First Fruits

When I was reading through this week's parsha, I came across these verses:

Lev 19:9-10 "when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger"

So, not only is it important to make the land grow, but it is also important to share the fruits with those who need it. I love that lesson!

I remember when I was in Israel visiting the Goldstein family's new place and their beautiful garden. They had a number of trees, some of which were already growing fruit! I got especially excited when I saw the pomegranate tree because I love pomegranates....we started asking them about the fruits and when they could start eating them. And, Warren Goldstein reminded us of this rule: "wait until the third year, for I am the Lord your God" from this week's parsha!

I'm not a farmer, I barely see trees! I am a city girl all the way and love it! But, I do try to appreciate the world of nature and everything, especially considering that today is Earth Day. I also think that there is something noble about settling the land, because it's about something greater than you.

So, here is a drink to help to remind us all of the land and how to make it grow stronger and stronger:

White Wine Sangria

-bottle of white wine

-slices of strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, melon, apples, and/or other fruit that is available

-1 cup of orange juice

-pitcher

-put the wine, fruit, and juice in the pitcher and let it sit for a few hours before drinking

-pour and enjoy!

Tazria-Metzora

Green counteracts red

There's a lot of red in this week's double parsha: the leprosy, the scars, the sacrifices to cure the leprosy, and...lots of other red things. Many people have commented recently that a Bloody Mary drink would be very fitting this week! And, while I appreciate the enthusiasm for my blog, that is not the direction that I wanted to go this week.

This past week, there was another dark day of Yom Hashoah when we took time to remember those who perished in the Holocaust. This coming Monday is Yom Hazikaron, when we remember the Israeli soldiers who sacrificed so much for the State of Israel. And, right after Yom Hazikaron, there is Yom Ha'atzmaut, the day that we celebrate Israel becoming a country!! I remember during my third year of university, when I studied at Hebrew University, asking my Israeli cousins about this. I said that I thought it was strange that these two days were side by side and I didn't get how you could go from a state of seriousness, mourning and sadness to happiness and joy. How do you counteract the red? They answered my question with another question: how can we celebrate our achievements without first acknowledging the sacrifices and obstacles that we had to overcome to get there? It is so true. Before celebrating the great achievements of present times, we must remember the past and how we got there.

This Yom Ha'atzmaut, some of us will get a chance to read the special haftarah for the day. Isaiah beautifully contrasts images of the fire that devours the sinners of Zion (33:14) to the purity of the rivers and streams of the golden Jerusalem (33:20-21).

I wish for all of us to find a way to remember the past and then transition to celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut smoothly and in song. If you need a little help with the transition, perhaps a refreshing cocktail drink will help!

A Refreshing Drink in Celebration of Yom Ha'atzmaut:

If you are fortunate enough to be in Israel, you can use this recipe:

1 part arak

1 1/2 part Eshkoliot juice drink

mix those together and add 3 sprigs of nana leaves to the pitcher. Leave the mixture in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Then serve with a lime wedge and enjoy!

If you live outside of Israel, you can use this adapted mojito recipe:

2 part rum

5 slices of lime

1 part lemonade

mix those together and add 3 sprigs of mint leaves to the pitcher. Leave the mixture in the fridge for at least hours. Then, serve with a lime wedge and enjoy!

This blog is also about green things in honoUr of my brother David who just received his Green Card! Mazal Tov, David!

Shabbat HaGadol=Kos G'dolah?

Shabbat HaGadol is this week, the last Shabbat before the holiday of Pesach. I turned to the Haftarah of Shabbat Hagadol to see if the reading from the prophets could help to inspire me. I noticed that the prophet of Elijah is mentioned at the end of the haftarah. He slips in just at the end, encouraging people to change their ways for the better, just like many other prophets.

After the Jewish people are described as people who have forgotten the ways of the Torah, Elijah is mentioned:

" Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of the Lord. ²⁴ He shall reconcile parents with children and children with their parents, so that, when I come, I do not strike the whole land with utter destruction.

Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before
the coming of the awesome, fearful day of the Lord."

I think that it is fitting to be thinking about Elijah as the holiday of Pesach is coming because we are all supposed to welcome Elijah into our homes during THE night of the seder (note: I said the night, as in one night of the seder, GO ISRAEL where they only have one seder. Totally the only one needed..). Elijah has always been a mysterious prophet and one with a bit of a gentle side to him. I think that maybe because of this gentle side, in this haftarah, Elijah is comforting and dealing with parents and children. For me, this brings up a memory of sederim in my childhood when we would open the door for Elijah to come. Then, we would all watch Elijah's cup to see if the wine would go down.

I think that this custom is a wonderful one because it encourages us all to open our doors, not only to Elijah at the end of the seder, but also to those who need a place to eat and drink, like at the beginning of the seder. So, please take a message from Elijah to change and to keep your door a little more open to those who need it.

For this week's cocktail, I propose a drink that is kosher-for-Pesach-friendly, just in case you finished off your hametz-alcoholic beverages! It is also reminiscent of Elijah's cup:

Wine-Sangria-Spritzer:

-for very tasty results, prepare the drink at least 4 hours before serving

-pour one bottle of wine into a pitcher (preferably red, but white works too)

(to support my brother Josh's favourite area of Israel: try to buy wine from the Negev region, but other wine works too)

-slice half of an orange and half of an apple and put the slices in the pitcher

-add about 1 cup or more of lemon-lime flavoured seltzer right before serving

AJWS Global Hunger Shabbat

This Shabbat, we are starting a whole new book, Vayikra. We are also starting to see a change in the seasons. Here in New York, from winter to spring. From what I hear from my friends and family in Israel, from winter to summer! :) This past week (actually yesterday), we moved on to a new month, Nissan. There a lot of changes that are happening, and more which are about to be happen, including a certain upcoming holiday, which will present a challenge to certain bloggers....

During this time of natural transitions, it is also a time to think about how we can help to bring about positive change for others. AJWS has organized a Global Hunger Solidarity Shabbat this coming Shabbat, which you can check out on their website.

One of their suggestions for how to commemorate global hunger shabbat is to consider having an empty plate at your Shabbat table to symbolize the empty tables around the world. I would encourage those of you who would like to embrace this custom to consider also featuring an empty glass. This custom would also work if you do not want to buy more ingredients that are not kosher for Pesach....

I read a number of personal stories mentioned on their website, including this one about Amy Diop:

http://ajws.org/hunger/ghs/global-hunger-shabbat_solidarityplate-readings.pdf

Amy Diop, a participant in GREEN Senegal’s farming program, says:

“I was born in this village and have a responsibility to contribute to its development by bringing in income and helping to break the exodus of the young people to the cities. GREEN Senegal has helped me to get some money through the sale of my products. I can now give my family at least three different foods a day.”

We stand in solidarity with communities experiencing hunger in Colombia The Sinu River in Northern Colombia has supported the lives of indigenous peoples for generations. But the construction of a huge megaproject—the Urra Dam—shattered this fragile ecosystem. The dam was built in 2000 by a consortium of foreign companies and supported by wealthy landowners. The project flooded over 7,400 hectares of indigenous-occupied land, engulfing crops, homes and sacred sites, and displacing over 2,800 people. The impact was devastating. The

local fish population, unable to swim up river to spawn, died out, eliminating the primary source of local protein. Severe flooding and drought caused by the river’s new course impeded traditional farming methods. As a result, tens of thousands of people were at risk of starvation.

In honour of this inspiring story of the work that is being done in Colombia, I thought that the Colombia cocktail would be appropriate to drink this week, unless you are going to take on the empty glass custom. This drink is supposed to resemble the Colombian flag, so try to prepare the drink according to the directions.

Ingredients:

• 2 parts vodka
• 1 part blue Curaçao
• 1 part grenadine
• 1 part lemon juice
• 6 parts orange juice

Preparation:

Shake the vodka and citrus juices in a mixer, then strain into the glass. Slide the grenadine down one side of the glass, where it will sink to the bottom. Slide the curacao down the other side, to lie between the vodka and grenadine, and serve before the layers have a chance to mix.

Vayakhel-Pekudei, Shabbat HaChodesh

There are a lot of choices this week of what to discuss: double-parsha and Shabbat HaChodesh. This week, I decided to go with Parsha Pekudei. In the parsha, the building of the mishkan, the temporary and portable Temple, is further discussed. I am not such a mishkan person, as many of you already know. However, when I was reading my great-uncle Avi's book, I was reminded of the fact that there was a cloud that hovered over the mishkan.

Rabbi Avraham Kelman continues to explain: "The parasha concludes, 'the cloud was on the Mishkan'/'le'einei kol beis Yisrael', before the eyes of all the house of Israel throughout their journeys. The Shechina (Divine Presence) hovered over the Mishkan for the sake of the house of Israel."

I like the idea of a cloud hovering over the mishkan and the people of Israel. This creates a comforting image that there is a presence watching and protecting them as they travel in their journey to eretz yisrael.

So, on this cloudy and rainy day in New York, I would like to propose an idea: may we all strive to be each other's clouds and may we all find the clouds in our lives which protect us and bring us comfort.

As a start: here is a good, cloudy drink:

A Vodka 7:

2	oz.	Vodka
1/2		Lime (juice of it)
		Lemon-lime soda
		Lime wedge -first, place the martini glass in the freezer for about 2-5 minutes -pour in the vodka and then the lime juice, and then the lemon-lime seltzer -stir all together to make it cloudy looking -add a lime wedge to the glass

Welcome to Parsha with a Twist!

Welcome to Parsha with a Twist!

I know that probably many of you are already "blogged-out" and have too many blogs to keep track of. I know that probably many of you are already "parsha hashavua-ed out" because you are on WAY too many e-mail listserves which send you an e-mail with a dvar torah every week. However, I have something different to offer, which I am honoured to share with you: a weekly Parsha HaShavua, but with a twist. The twist shall be a cocktail drink or party favour that relates to the Parsha Hashavua.

You may ask yourselves: what do cocktail drinks have to do with the weekly parsha?? Well, I will find a part of the parsha that I find speaks to me and inspires me to drink a certain drink.

Those of you who feel inspired by this idea and would also like to partake in this challenge for yourselves, are welcome to apply to be a guest writer on this blog. Also, those of you who live in the Manhattan area (or wherever I am that Shabbat or holiday) who would like to partake in the tasting of these cocktail drinks, are obviously welcome to do so.

Get inspired, keep reading, and get the martini glass frosted and ready to go!