Elul - The Preparation

~ The month of Elul ~

During the month of Elul, the month preceding the holiday of Rosh Hashana, we begin preparations for this special mo'ed(appointed time) by repairing relationships, bridging gaps between our fellow, and seeking forgiveness from those we have wronged and of course extending that forgiveness to those who have wronged us during the past year.

 It's a time to take stock of our life and seriously evaluate where we are in our service to the Creator. Are we just going along to get along? Have we gone deeper in our relationship with Him? Am I truly being an obedient servant, or do I retain my control by choosing to obey certain things in the Torah and purposefully neglect other instructions? It seems only appropriate that "Elul" means "search" doesn't it? 

Another interesting fact that I just learned is that the spelling of the word "Elul": aleph, lamed, vav, lamed, is the acronym for "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li," "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine," Mashiach is truly our Beloved who we wait to come and receive us as His bride. With this in mind Elul can be thought as our preparation to meet our bridegroom and King. Let us be diligent to be ready for His coming, with repentance and clothes without spot.

 ...and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. 

-Isaiah 62:6

Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. - 2nd Kefa 3:14

"Believing that the "beloved" refers to God, the sages take this verse to describe the particularly loving and close relationship between God and Israel. Elul, then, is our time to establish this closeness so that we can approach the Yamim Noraim, or Days of Awe, in trusting acceptance of God's judgment. We approach the trial not out of fear, but out of love."

 - The Month of Elul: Leading into the High Holidays by Rabbi Dr. Reuven Hammer 

~ Customs During Elul ~

 The Shofar - One of the most common customs of the month of Elul is the sounding of the shofar after the morning prayers. Rambam explains this is to serve as a wake up call, a reminder to throw off our slumber and complacency and do teshuva(literally: change direction, or turning around). However it is not blow on the Shabbat or on the day just prior to Rosh Hashanah( to distinguish between the custom of blowing during the month and the biblical mitzvah to blow the shofar on the day of Rosh Hashanah)

Mikvah(Immersion) - The mikvah represents a change of state. It could be anything from the change from tamei(unlcean) to tahor(clean) to marking a change of heart or will (teshuva/repentance) it's the latter that Yochanan the Immerser was conducting(or more accurately - "witnessing") during the day of our Master Yeshua. In fact it was at this very season!

The Tehillim - Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer (founder of Chassidic Judaism) began the custom of reading 3 of the tehillim(Psalms) everyday starting on the 1st of Elul and continuing until Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur the remaining 36 psalms are recited to complete the reading of the entire book of Psalms.

no matter what customs you keep during this Elul I hope that they will inspire you to answer the call to repentance and be inscribed in the book for a good and sweet year to come!

Kosher Marshmallows

If you are like me you enjoy a good marshmallow every now and then, especially when toasted to perfection over a glowing campfire on a warm summer night. Well we are (in my opinion) head-long into the best part of the summer for campfires...so without further ado here is a quick and easy way to make your own completely kosher and 100% delicious marshmallows.

You Will Need

3 envelopes of kosher unflavoured gelatin

1 cup of cold water

2 cups of sugar 

1 cup of corn syrup

1/4 tsp of salt

2 tsp of vanilla extract

#1 Before you start, grease a 9x14" pan and dust generously with powdered sugar. Don't scrimp on the sugar, it makes all the difference between your marshmallow sliding out of the pan or having to peel it out.

Here, I actually used a jelly roll pan (9.5x14.75") and the marshmallow fit perfect!

#2 Next measure 1/2 cup of the water into the bottom of your mixing bowl and sprinkle all three packets of gelatin over the surface of the water so it can begin to blossom.

Meanwhile add the remaining 1/2 cup of water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt to your sauce pan. 

 

#3 On med. heat, stir the mixture slowly until it comes to a boil - at this point either use a moistened basting brush to wipe down the sides of the pan OR put the lid on the pan and let it boil a min or two to dissolve any remaining sugar crystals.

#4 Attach your candy thermometer to the side of the pan and increase heat to high. Let syrup boil without stirring until it reaches 240 degrees F (This is what is known as the soft ball stage.) usually about 10min. Then remove from heat.

**once it starts getting close to temperature I recommend testing. Have a cup of cold water handy and drop a few drops of sugar mixture in it. It will flatten at the bottom but you should be able to squish it into a ball with your fingers.** 


 #5 Start your mixer (or requisition someone else to help) and slowly start pouring the hot syrup into your gelatin while beating. *be careful not to get spattered by the hot mixture! Beat on high until it starts to look foaming then add your flavouring.

Continue to whip on high until it becomes thick, and white. It will start to really climb your beaters and make a flapping sound when whipped. What you have now is marshmallow creme. If you want to make rice squares or any thing like that you can use this as is.

#6 Now simply pour all that gooey mix into your pan. It helps to run your spatula under hot water to keep it from sticking really bad.

Smooth the marshmallow out to the corners using a clean spatula that has been dipped in water or just use your hands, just make sure you wet them a bit first!

Dust the top with powdered sugar and let rest for 8-12hrs

While you are waiting for that here are some clean up *tips!*

Return your saucepan to the stove, fill half way with water, place the lid on top and turn on to med. heat and let the condensation take care of all that sugary mess. Then pour that hot water into your mixing bowl and all that marshmallow is just going to melt right off. This is by far the easiest candy to clean up!

To cut your marshmallow the easy thing to use is a pair of kitchen shears or scissors but a pizza cutter or a knife will work fine. Run a knife around the outside edge of your marshmallow then dust a work surface with powdered sugar. Gently turn the pan over supporting the marshmallow with your hand. If you've done a good job preparing your pan it should just come out.

Now all you need to do is cut it into squares (or really any shape you wish!), dip the cut edges in...yep you guessed it more powdered sugar, to keep them from sticking together and shake off the excess.

To store your newly made treasures all you need is an air tight container and they will keep for two weeks or longer. ENJOY!

* Additional tips and variations!*

Instead of using plain powdered sugar for the edges use toasted coconut, cocoa, sprinkles, or colour your powdered sugar! Coconut is easily toasted on the stove in a non-stick fry pan. Just make sure you keep it moving so it doesn't burn.

Brown sugar works just as well as white, so if you find yourself void of any white sugar, as I did today, never fear!

These make the perfect kosher for Pesach treat! Matzah smo'res anyone?

Dip them in chocolate, cut them into shapes, really the possibilities are endless!