What is your karpas?

Source: joyofkosher.com

Pesach is a very interesting holiday and shows the diversity of traditions and customs among the Jewish communities all over the world. The more I start reading and thinking about it, the more I discover how many things can be said and explored about this holiday, more than ever know. Due to different minhagim and the different chumre we took upon ouselves as individuals or families, we are more inclined to spend the time with our owns and there are not too many occasions to learn too much from these traditions. 

The Arizal said that on Pesach we should be machmir on chumrot and we need to daven and pray to be strong enough to avoid being lenient and chas v'shalom ingest by accident any kind of chometz. 

While trying to read out more about these traditions, I discovered for instance a couple of days ago some interesting stories and interpretations about the karpas. According to my minhag, we always had as karpas the parsley, but apparently not everyone agrees with that. The Talmud Yerushalmi seems to mention parsley, but some say that in fact it is about celery. Some may use onions, or radishes or carrots. Some may also use parsley with a small or bigger piece of cooked potato. It is also important that what you use for karpas is not the same veggie used as maror. The fix rule that it should be something to which the ha'adama bracha is said. No wonder if someone wants to use banana then... if this is their minhag...why not...? It is said that one chasid went to the Belzer Rav with a beautiful cucumber as a present for using it for karpas and was disappointed that his gift was refused because the Rav reminded him that using cucumber was not the minhag of his hasidim.

Because it is unclear whether the eating of karpas requires a bracha ahrona, one should only eat a small piece, less than a kezayit (according to Rashba). Rambam said though that it should be eaten one kezayit and that it should dip it into salt water. Some also dip into vinegar or charoset. Most also do not recline when eating karpas. 

But what is actually karpas? There are many interpretations: either it recall the fancy coat that Yaakov Avinu gate to Yosef and which lead to slavery (some fine linen may be referred as karpas); or the symbol of the flourishing of the Jewish life before the Egyptian slavery.  If the letters are mixes, you can have either parech - hard labor - or samech perech - 600,000 suffered in backbreaking labor. The presence of the karpas in the logic of the seder is also subject of interpretations, either as an appetizer aimed to not make you starve before the real food is coming, or as an occasion for the children to start asking questions.

Tonight, we will go around the table, enjoying your own minhagim and family stories, so much connected with the history of the Jewish people. But there is always time to learn more and share our traditions, as part of the common history we are all part thereof.

Hag Sameah!

 

What about some soft matza?

Source: jewishboston.com

Although Sefer Shmot (12:18) mentions explicitly that 'all Jews should eat matza the first night of Pesach' there is no explanation about how to make it and the descriptions of how matza should look like are only a few. In Sever Dvarim (16:3) it is said that matza should be 'lehem oni', poor man's bread or the bread of affliction.

In the Shulhan Aruch (OC 459:2) we have some indications about the preparation time: from the moment the flour and water touch, if it is not continously worked, it takes the time of an average person to walk a mil from the dough and become chametz. Generally, this time was set in our modern time at 18 minutes. The batter should be as dry as possible, with an average of half kilo flour for half cup of water.

On Pesach, the different traditions abound and it touches upon the matza too. For the Askenazim, the matza should always look thin and hard, and this goes also for most of the Sephardim too. However, for the Yemeni, Syrian and also some Iraqi Jews, matza looks thick and soft. The Yemenite women are baking, almost daily, 3 thicker matzot of the thickness of an adult finger From the moment the flour and the water meet, it is continously baked either within 5-6 minutes or less than 3 minutes for some. When it is not made daily, they prepare in advance and freeze it. 

Modern Yemenites call their matza 'lechem' (bread). At the first sight, they may look the same, except that the recipe contains different ingredients, in the case of pita yeast, oil and various flavourings. 

Although I never had the chance to try one, and most probably will prefer to do it outside the chagim, one day I hope will be able not only to taste it, but also to learn how to bake it. 

As usual, if in doubt if you should use it - and you never had it before, because not tradition - ask your local orthodox rav for clarifications!

Kashering wood and silver for Pesach

It is again that time of the year when the stress is at its highest. In order to be free, we need to get rid of what it keeps us slaves, isn't it? This year, I decided to take it easier, meaning that I did not start the preparations shortly after Purim but I started to get crazy two weeks after Pesach and planned chaotically my redeem. 

Every year, it is something new to learn and some improvements to do. 

For instance, this year, I wanted to find out more about how the kashering for Pesach is rightly done in the case of wood and silver. As usual, the final opinion should be made in direct consultation with your Orthodox Rabbi, and the following article is only my own reflection and experience about the process. 

Before kashering, the utensils should be scrubbed clean and left unused for 24 hours. 

The kashering process should be done in order to reverse the changes that affected the utensils during their use. According to Avodah Zarah 75b, taste is removed from the vessel the same way it was put in. For instance, utensils used directly in the fire must be kashered through the fire (procedure called libun), as burning will absorbe the taste. 

Utensils that can be damaged by boiling water or burning fire cannot be kashered. The same applies to vessels with handles glued on. The utensils with wooden or bone handles and without crevices can be kashered. All the rust should be removed before kashering as particles of food and chometz can be trapped between the rust and the utensil. 

The utensils should be dropped one by one in the boiling water (procedure called hagala). You should make sure that the water is boiling when the cutlery is placed. You should leave them till the water bubble. 

After, rinse them in cold water. The pot used for kashering should not be used 24 hours before the start of the process. Some do have a special kashering pot not used for anything else during the year. 

In general, it is not possible to use dairy cutlery for meat and vice-versa, but if the utensils were kashered for Pesach, this change it is possible. However, according to Orach Chayyim (451:17) it is customary not to kasher and use utensils used for kneading of dough. 

According to the Askenazi customs, I am following now, everything that was used during the year cannot be brought on the Pesach table unless was kashered. This applies as well to kiddush cups or candlesticks. However, leniences applies and, for instance, it is enough to only pour water over them, boiling them not being necessary.

On Erev Pesach, as chometz is still permitted, even within 24 hours of use a pot still can be kashered. On the other hand, according to Orach Chayyim (452:1), kashering should be completed before 10 o'clock in the morning of the 14th of Nisan.

Generally, I prefer to use for Pesach completely new things, especially plastic cutlery and paper cups and plates trying to separate completely from the chometz kitchen. This year, I wanted also to prepare some wooden tops and silver cutlery and realized that I don't know too much about how to do it properly.

Here are my findings.

Kashering wood

Wood is a relatively old new material for the Jewish kitchen. Due its porous nature, it may complicate a bit the kashering. If the wood do have cracks that may collect chometz, it is better either to cover it or to just find out something else to use. For the big butchering factories or shops, the surfaces of wood couters is usually carefully protected, including by sanding the surface. 

Wood cannot undergo libun (heating the utensils to extreme temperatures). Usually, it is preferred the kashering for wooden utensils with a smooth structure. Rabbi Joseph Caro recommends to clean everything well and to cover the surface or the top with paper or a cloth. 

An Orthodox rav should be asked about the right kashering method for specific wooden utensils. 

Kashering silver

The silver cutlery should be carefully cleaned, rinced and polished 24 hours before kashering, in a boiling pot. After boiling, rinse them in cold water. It can be done also for various types of antique silver. For specific pieces of silver, ask your local rav. The same process is followed in the case of gold, copper, steel and aluminium cutlery or kitchen wares. 

That's all with the writing for now!

Hard work is still waiting for me!!

Sources

OU Pesach Kashering 2015

Chabad guidance

Ohr Somayach guidelines

Aish resources

Passover kitchen cleaning for Sephardim

The Askenazi failure

Every time there are elections in Israel, and the results are not satisfactory for some, it starts the search for the guilty part of the society. (Although I wish a lot, I prefer not to talk about the elections right now) Instead of focusing on the real problems and political failures, some (don't expect me to share any of their links) preferred instead to accuse the Mizrahi Jews because...they did not vote with the very confused and unstructured and unreliable leftist parties.
Lacking any inspiration and arguments, some returned to the infamous Askenazi Revolution (HaMahapechah HaAskenazit) of Katznelson. A book which I tried to read and found it libellous and extremely bad written and lacking not only argumentation - how can you have arguments for racist statements against your own people - but also the style of a good writing. The only explanation that such a literary failure was considered a success was probably the political ambiance of the 1960s when many Askenazim, not few of them of German origin, were sharing the same impressions and assumptions and Katznelson just wrote something that the public expected to read.
Ben Gurion himself, who forbade the book later, said in 1966: "We do not want Israelis to become Arabs. We are in duty bound to fight against the spirit of the Levant which corrupts individuals and societies, and preserve the authentic Jewish values as thez crystallized in the diaspora".
In April 22 1949, the journalist Aryeh Gelblum, an immigrant from Poland, wrote in Ha'aretz on the occasion of the arriving of Mizrahi immigrants: 'This is the immigration of a race we have not yet known in the country. We are dealing with people whose primitivism is at a peak, whose level of knowledge is one of virtually absolute ignorance and, worse, who have little talent for understanding anything intellectual. Generally, they are only slighty better than the general level of the Arabs, Negroes and the Berbers in the same region. In any case, they are at an even lower level that we knoa with regard to the former Arabs of Israel. These Jews also lack roots in Judaism, as they are totally insubordinated to savage and primitive instincts. As with Africans, you will find among them gambling, drunkenness and prostitution...chronic laziness, and hatred for work; there is anothing safe about this asocial element. (Even) the kibbutzim will not hear of their absorbtion'.
Being so versed into the racist German theories, result of the assimilation encouraged by the Haskala, made people like Gelblum more 'advanced'? The lack of roots in Judaism is the situation of someone who forgets about the long history of Jewish life in the Middle East, probably less assimilated then their brothers in the industrial Europe.
Years passed and at least officially, such standpoints are not the mainstream, except during and after the election time. Some people from the old generation, may still believe that their racism against Askenazim has any logical, cultural or historical, and even religious base.
A long conversation is such a discussion does have any sense does not make any logic. Just pointing out once in a while how wrong such conversations are is a must. The more we say about it and against it, the better for our sanity.

Book Review: Growth through Tehillim, by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

I am reading regularly at least a couple of kapiteln of Tehillim for a long time already. Either on the road or at home, while taking a break from other writing or while the food is in the oven, sometimes even when I am in the train back home, I am taking my small book of Artscroll and have my private spiritual moments. This happens for almost 3 years now, and if by laziness or superficiality it happens to miss this meeting, I feel poor and often my spirit is low. Every day of Tehillim helps me to grow and get the strength that I need so much sometimes to go through the day.

Rabbi Zelig Pliskin beautiful book Growth through Tehillim is important though not only because outlines our need of spirituality and explain how to use it. For me, it brings into light an aspect of spirituality often forgotten: our goal to be better people. 

And I will explain what it is all about. For a long time, I was worried that I used to pray without kavanah, just reading words forming sentences, without a real spiritual concentration on the prayer. I need to keep praying till I was finally able to achieve a higher spiritual level from time to time. It works the same in the case of Tehillim. I am reading and focusing on the words but the realization of the spiritual message might came later in the day or even in life. 

Trying to be a better person and achieving that high level of spirituality and wisdom when you are able to consider everything is going on into your life as a blessing and you have the capacity to learn from everyone takes more time. Personally, I had to cope with a huge challenge of having around me people with toxic attitudes, very often self sufficient and over critical against everyone except themselves. Whatever efforts you strive to make for being a good person, when those around you are focused on the negative parts and refuse to be wise, it is hard to resist the temptation to follow your example.

Growth through Tehillim brought me back to some well practised habits in the last years when I made tremendous efforts to say 'good bye' to my negative attitude against my fellow humans and cultivate kindness and understanding for every human being. Every chapter of the book develops around a verse of Tehillim, with samples of Torah learning ending up with life stories that have the strength to inspire even more, because always we are curious to hear and read what other people from our times will do in similar situations with us. 

It is written in a simple yet inspiring way, and gives a lot of food for thought and reasons to decide that from tomorrow on, will try at least to be a much better person, with a positive attitude, thankful to Hashem for everything that we receive in our life and careful to count and be grateful for our gifts.

The Joys of Yiddish

On a bus in Tel Aviv, a mother was talking animatedly, in Yiddish, to her little boy - who kept answering her in Hebrew. And eatch time the mother said, "No, not talk Yiddish!". An impatient Israeli, overhearing this, exclaimed, "Lady, why do you insist the boy talk in Yiddish instead of Hebrew?"

Replied the mother, "I don't want him to forget he's a Jew".

Leo Rosten, The Joys of Yiddish

There is always something to remember

One day before the celebrations of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, on just another grey cold day of the usual long German winter, I was accompanying my friend for a walk in the West Berlin. It was the day of the weekly open fair in her area and we wanted to take some fresh air and reconnect with the street vibe, after her long sickness.

An energetic woman, a former survivor as a kid of the forced labour camps in Eastern Europe that succeeded to reach the shores of the then-Palestine before the creation of the state, my friend enjoys talking with the vendors in her impressive German. 

A lively ambiance on the streets, that defides the unpleasant weather, with mostly people in their retired years, curious about prices, ordering some Turkish products for the late lunch or just spending some time outside their homes. This is the usual mood and age spectrum in the conservative, quiet and predictable West Berlin.

We made a stop at the fruits' stand, with many tempting sorts from all over the world and we started to ask about different fruits and their proveniences. (Don't expect any bargaining at  these markets!) Suddenly, a chat between one of the vendors and an old lady starts whose topic I somehow missed, but anyway, it covered the very exciting issue of fruits and their production. Noticeable, it ended with the old lady sniffing with a casual smile on her face: "Hahaha Arbeit macht frei!" Mesmerized, we both stopped from debating how much does it last to bring fruits from South Africa to Berlin and starred in shock at the lady. The vendor kept laughing at her very good joke. 

We exchanged looks and cursed the witched trying to figure out how old was she at the time of the camp or maybe her genealogy too. 

But honestly speaking, all these details didn't matter, the indifferent smile and her self-contained sniffining when she said those words were enough for me, at least. It was just another example of a reality that you cannot touch it if you are in the full admiration of the cheap bubbling life of Berlin as seen from the bar and disco scenery from the English speaking Eastern Berlin.