Lev Eisha   A joyous community of Jewish women engaged in prayer, study and spiritual growth

Celebrate the Festival of Tu B’Shevat at Lev Eisha

Our next service is on February 3, 2007 (Tu B’Shevat, as well as Shabbat Shirah. 15 Shevat 5767, parashat B'Shalach). We begin our breakfast and study at 8:30 am with Rabbi August followed by services in the Adat Shalom Sanctuary.

The breakfast and Kiddush following services are being sponsored by Batsheva Langer in honor of her son’s upcoming marriage in Israel on February 27, 2007.

(Contact catering@leveisha.org if you wish to sponsor a future Kiddush or breakfast.)
  2007 Calendar of Events
February 3      Breakfast and Study at
8:30 a.m. followed by the Service at 9:30 a.m.
  
March 3      9:30 a.m. Service in the Adat Shalom Sanctuary
  
April 22      Afternoon Tea Fundraiser
Save the date!
 
  From Barbara's Kitchen

There is not a particular menu for this holiday. I enjoy using dried fruits when cooking meat or poultry in a casserole. I am sharing one of these recipes with you today.

Chicken and Dried Fruit Casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

8 chicken thighs, skinned
vegetable oil for browning
salt and pepper
1 cup raw brown rice
1 medium onion chopped
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
6 parsley sprigs
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup dried apricots coarsely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup regular raisins
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
zest of one small orange

In a heavy 4 quart casserole, heat oil over medium heat. Lightly brown chicken thighs all around and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside Reduce the heat in the pan. Add the rice and chopped onion to the casserole. Cook and stir for about five minutes. The rice will become translucent and a little brown.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the stock and the seasoning. Bring to a boil and lower the heat. Cover and simmer for about twenty minutes. Add the fruits, the mustard and the orange zest. Return the chicken thighs to the pot making sure they are surrounded by the seasoned rice and fruit. Add the remaining stock and cover the pot.

Bake for about forty-five minutes or until chicken and rice are completely cooked.

In This Issue

The Healing of Positive Prayer
compiled and submitted by
Joy Krauthammer

Please be sure your prayers and visualizations are positive. Do not focus on the disease with your wrinkled forehead and tightly closed eyes. Dance and sing for joy with full healing in your mind, heart and soul.

When people came to the Baal Shem Tov for healing, he would not focus on the sick individual. He regarded the person as a sign that the Shechina, HaShem's own Mystical Feminine Dimension, was out of harmony (in disease). He would pray for the healing of the Shechina, and the healing would come down into the world and restore the health of the ailing individuals. (From the teachings of Reb Dovid Zeller--Rafael Dovid ben Leonora--in need of our MiSheberach for a refuah shleymah.)

Join the Lev Eisha Online Community

Sign up now for the Lev Eisha online bulletin board. Keep the Lev Eisha feeling going all month long. Make friends. Exchange ideas. It's free. It's private. It's fun. Instructions for joining are available on our website. If you want us to complete the sign up process for you, go to http://www.leveisha.org/applyforme.htm. Join today! If you need any additional help with the website e-mail webmistress@leveisha.org.

New Year for Trees
by Barbara Haberman

This month we observe the festival of Tu B’Shevat, the New Year for Trees. Actually, it is translated as the 15th day of the month of Shevat when it is celebrated. During this time new trees are planted in Israel. To this end, it is customary to donate money for trees to be planted there. In California we can also mark the observance by planting trees since it is also the time to do so here. In addition, we eat nuts and fruits that come from trees. Since not too many different kinds of fresh fruits are available at this time, we enjoy instead the dried version of apricots, figs, dates, prunes, etc. along with many kinds of nuts. (See recipe at right.)

Milestones

Our hearts go out to Lev Eisha Board member Olivia Goodkin on the passing of her brother-in-law Paul Schwartz.

If you have a milestone to share please send it to: editor@leveisha.org. Our newsletter gets printed about a week before each service. Please send the info ASAP.

Lev Eisha Lev Eisha of Adat Shalom
3030 Westwood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
info@leveisha.org

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