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| January 6 |
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Lev Eisha Service
9:30 am |
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| February 3 |
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Breakfast and Study 8:30 am followed by the Lev Eisha Service |
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Rather than serving a full dinner on New Year's Eve, our family's tradition has been to have a bunch of noshes that no one has to fuss over. There are plenty of cut vegetables, chips, dip and guacamole, as well as an electric hot tray with a variety of hors d'oeuvre on it. Ours are always cooked and frozen well ahead of time, so it's just a matter of heating them and putting them out on a foil pan or sheet. Some favorites are borekes, stuffed puffs and mini quiches.
Puffs look fancy, but they're really easy to make. It just takes a bit of patience.
PUFFS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
In a small sauce pan, add 1/2 cup shortening to 1 cup of boiling water. Stir until melted.
Add 1 cup of flour all at once, stirring rapidly. Cook until thick and grainy.
Empty into a mixer bowl. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat quickly so that the eggs don't start to cook.
Spoon onto a baking sheet (no grease). A small teaspoonful will make an hors d'oeuvre size puff. A tablespoonful will make a large puff. Make sure to leave enough room for puffing.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, (your oven may differ), until just beginning to brown. Turn off heat and leave puffs in the oven until cool with the door open an inch or two.
To fill, slice the top quarter nearly off using a serrated knife, like a steak knife. Leave a half inch hinge. Any gravy based or chopped filling will work, or use a soft cheese like ricotta or mascarpone for a filling base. Add a little sugar to the puff mixture and fill with custard or cream for a dessert.
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I recently co-officiated at a wedding and spoke with the couple about the deeper meaning of breaking the glass at the end of the ceremony.
Some say that you break the glass so that your marriage shall last as long as it takes to put all the pieces together. I like that sentiment. Other say you "break" from you past and start with your new life. I encourage each couple to find their own meaning for this curious ritual.
Let me share some ideas from
Rabbi David Wolpe that are fitting for January after our Hanukkah festival of lights.
The breaking of the glass, he says, "sparks a profound meditation on the nature of marriage and the inevitability of loss. The Rabbis teach that in a place of rejoicing there should always be a bit of trembling. For we know that each day will not be as joyous as the wedding, and only those couples who acknowledge the inevitable darkness will survive....relationships mature through trial and difficulty. George Bernard Shaw say that, "The desert is a desert because the sun always shines. In order for couples to grow they must accept the certainty of shadows, the lessons of loss..."
My dear Lev Eisha friends. Some of us are blessed with health, and others are challenged with illness. Some of us are alone and others have extended families. Some of us have wealth and others survive on very little. Irregardless of our situation, we know that we all live in "shadows". So let us remember to hold on to whatever life we have and make the most of our situations, with enthusiasm, courage, hope and joy and mostly with each other. L'Chayim - to a life worth living with love. Amen
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.
Do you have plans for New Year's Eve? Twenty years ago, when I was living in Israel, they called it "Bartholomew" because it wasn't, after all, our new year. On the other hand, Rabbi August teaches us that there are several new years in Judaism. Although Rosh Hashana is literally the "head of the year" and is when we change over the year number, the Hebrew calendar starts with the first of Nisan (March 20, 2007). Tu B'Shvat is the new year for trees (actually for counting fruit for tithing), and the first of Elul is the new year for animal tithes (i.e., taxes--as with the fruits, sacrifices at the Temple .) Rosh Hashana is also the new year for vegetable tithes, whereas the first day of Nisan as the new year for counting festivals and reigns of kings. So why not have another new year? The new year for roses, maybe?
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Adrienne Bass, Lev Eisha member for the past 4 years, is retiring from the City of Los Angeles, after 30 years of service. Her retirement will be at the end of January 2007. Mazel Tov, Adrienne!
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.
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