Pesach Snap Shot

I love Passover, yes even the cleaning and the prep! It makes the week so much more satisfying when it arrives. We had a small seder just my parents and Grandparents this year, we had invited a couple others besides but unfortunately they were unable to come. So in the end Elijah had more room at the table :). 

The funny thing about our seder's is they are never quite the same. Yes of course we do the same things every year but it always looks a little different, it keeps things interesting :)

So here is a snap shot of our Seder this year!

I made bookmarks for each place setting, not only did it serve the practical purpose of seating but everyone was able to use them as haggadot markers as well.

I made them ahead so I went for a neutral coloured paper and used strips of scrap fabric for the fringe.

Do to our table being significantly decreased in size since last year I no longer had table room to put extra matzot on my silver plates as I have in the past so I improvised really quick the night of the seder and took a spare linen towel and covered the matzah box with it, tied blue and white cotton crochet thread around it and finished it with a white flower hair clip. I think this wins thrifty award for the year if I do say so myself!



For our seder plate I used our glass pedestal cake plate and three small square dishes we had in the cupboard in which I placed the charoset, maror, and karpas.

 In the middle I put parfait type dish in the centre with the salt water for dipping. The empty spaces I filled up with the remaining items: sheep wool, a stone, and a few springs of thyme(which I consider a bitter herb). We used the sheepskin wool in lieu of the traditional shank bone this year. We choose to leave the egg off the plate and have instead a stone to remind us of three things: Pharaoh's hard heart, G-d's promise to remove our stony hearts and give us hearts of flesh, and lastly that the stones of the Temple will once again be raised up when Mashiach returns!

The Echad

Aerial view of the table

 

After polishing the candle sticks I discovered I had used the last of our shabbat candles....hmmm well no problem I pulled out our trusty crown mason jars and a couple of the half burned votives from my sisters wedding last year (wow yes that was exactly a year ago!) and viola.


Menu for this year consisted of honey chicken, garlic-horseradish mashed potatoes, and Thai cucumber salad.

Homemade lemon ice cream and lemony coconut macaroons for dessert.

Chanukkah Up-cycle

This past week I tackled my stemware Chanukkiah and I have to say I am more than  pleased with the outcome. This is really inexpensive to make because all thrift stores have an overwhelming amount of mismatching stemware for cheap!

To do this you need:

9 pieces of steamware

enamel/glass paint

make-up sponges

electricians tape

Use the electric tape to tape off stripes or other designs on your glasses. 

I started out measuring from the rim down to make sure I had the stripe straight but eventually found it easier [and just as effective] to pull the tape taunt and just "eye ball it" as I turned the glass. 

My paint was on the relatively thick side as well so I found it worked well to prime my sponge first by getting it wet and squeeze it out before dipping in the paint. This opened the pores of the sponge and helped thin the paint. 

Sponge over the area you want to paint until you're happy with the results and carefully peel back the tape.

Cut out shapes from a strip of tape and paint over them for this effect.

A word about glass paint...

Some paint requires baking for a period of time in a 350 degree oven...mine says bake or let dry 21 days. For this project I am opting for the air dry because I have no idea of the quality of the glass in question and whether it would be able to take the heat or not.I am planning on finishing all the glasses with my Krylon Crystal Clear acrylic sealer to further protect the paint finish, since no one is going to be drinking out of any of them that won't be a problem.

**I know in the finished photo I have the tea lights in the bottom of the glass but when it comes time to actually light them I plan on using some kind of filler(Epson salts, pebbles etc.) so they are not so far down inside the glass. This will prevent the unsightly black flame rings and keep the glass from getting to hot.

Thanks to www.creativejewishmom.com for giving me this idea http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2010/03/fit-for-royalty-paint-stunning-wine-glasses-for-pesach.html

I come dwelling in sukkot...

 So for whatever reason I always miss doing my holiday spiel on Sukkot! I guess because it is always such a busy holiday :)

This year was the first in many years we have actually been able to start sukkah construction the day after Yom Kippur! And if that wasn't good enough we had our frame still standing from last year...although that didn't keep us from being creative this year and adding a few modifications. It all started with using greenhouse poly instead of tarps on the walls and ended with framing in doors on either end of the sukkah (hey yo! My idea!! mmhmm) :) It never ceases to surprise how one can hang on to any remnant of perfectionism whilst using *free* materials......but on the bright side, there is never a question as to which is the crown side of the lumber :P.

No matter how elaborate the sukkah though, it still pails in comparison to the shelter and comfort of a house, which reminded me of the passage in Philippians 2 where, speaking of our Saviour, it says:

" He made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." -Philippians 2: 7,8

HaShem came and dwelt with us in the wilderness, covering us with his clouds of glory, He humbled himself to abide in an earthly sukkah(temporary dwelling) all for the sake of His people which he loves (John 3:16)...it's mind bending, it is incomprehensible, it's amazing and it always will be.

There is so much more packed into the feast but time does not allow me to dive into it so with that quick thought I will say Chag Sukkot sameach!
See you round the sukkah.

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is also know as the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah(Day of Blowing). It falls on the 1st day of the month of Tisrei and begins the calender year(this year we begin the year 5774 - May it come to us for peace and blessing!). The name "Rosh Hashanah" means "Head of the Year", "rosh"="head", "ha"="the" "shanah"="year". 

The Shofar - made from a hollowed out ram's horn

This is just one of the several "new years" on the Hebrew calender, others include the new year for trees (Shevat 15 used to count the years of fruit trees in order to fulfill the Torah instructions of the tithes), the "spiritual" or religious new year (Nisan 1)...I know it kinda sounds confusing at first but just think, on the secular calender January 1st begins the "new civil year", or the "calender year" with January as the first month. However you also have a birthday - your personal "new year", oh and don't forget your anniversary another "new year" of sorts....and then of course there are those fiscal new years too! Does it make more sense now?

Themes of the Day

Creation
One of the many events that took place on the day includes the creation of man so it is no surprise that is a day to recognize G-d's creator role and acknowledge Him as our sustainer and author of life.

Repentance - G-d's Kingship
It is a day of repentance and time to re-crown HaShem as King over us, singly and corporately. It is said by many a great sage that the books are opened on this day and all men are judged. How appropriate to call this the "head of the year" as it surely is the pinnacle, will you choose life or will you choose death?

  "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

 ~ Rev 20:11

Is your name in the book? Have you placed your faith in the salvation provided by HaShem through the work of Yeshua HaMashiach? If not I hope and pray that you may be inscribed this year!

Blow That Shofar!
The Torah says that it is to be "a day of blowing", a "memorial of blowing of trumpets". You positively cannot let this day go by without hearing the sound of the shofar! This is again, is a last and final call or cry to repentance, a "wake up the King is coming! The King is here!" kind of moment. And to those who have turned back to HaShem this is the coronation blast! The trumpet that sounds signifying our crowning G-d as our King of Glory!

"Who is this King of glory? The L-RD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah." -Psalm 24:10

For me personally this memorial or remembrance represents the following things
#1 It serves as a reminder for me to turn my foot from following after the things of the world and turn back to the way of the L-rd. To search my ways, make peace with my brother and repent.

#2 It is a remembrance for HaShem. In scripture the phrase is used: "and G-d remembered"...the blowing of the shofar acts as a bringing us to G-d's remembrance(or attention). Reminding G-d that we have not forgotten His covenant and says in a way, as is so often said in the Psalms, G-d "don't forget us, we wait on You, we hope in Your covenant. Remember Your promises to Your people Israel"

#3 Lastly it reminds me of the trumpet that will blow at Mashiach's return. When He will be crowned as the rightful and righteous King of Israel! May it come soon and in our days!

  ~ Customs and Traditions ~

Apples and Honey - It is traditional to eat sliced apples dipped in honey. Why an apple you ask? Well apparently the pile of ashes that remained on the alter after a sacrifice was then carefully raked and shaped into a perfect semi-circle? And this was called the "tapuach" which means "apple" in Hebrew.  (http://www.templeinstitute.org/illustrated/tapuach_description.htm) Why would they call it that though? Well, an offering or a sacrifice for a truly repentant person was a means to draw close to HaShem. Naturally this "drawing near"/fellowship with G-d had a sweetening effect to the judgment, just like making peace with our fellow or rectifying a wrong brings sweetness back to the relationship. With Rosh Hashanah having such a theme of repentance it only seems fitting that we have something to remind us of drawing near to HaShem in that special way.

 A couple other things to think of when you dip your apple this year is how Israel is likened to the apple of G-d's eye in scripture, He gaurds us and protects us and will not cast us away! 

Honey is in everything at Rosh Hashanah; challah, cakes, and main dishes. Obviously it symbolizes our desire for a sweet year to come but it should also reminds us, wherever we are, of the promised land of Israel, G-d's promised heritage for His people. The land that Mashiach will return to and reign as King!

.....Oh and something I just thought of now...honey doesn't have an expiry date, that's right it never spoils!.....And neither do HaShem's promises! Now that's sweet!

Blessing for eating the apple and honey:

Ba-ruch a-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam bore pri ha-etz.

Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.

Ye-hi ratzon she-ti-cha-desh alei-nu shanah tovah u-m'tu-kah.

May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year.

Switching Up the Challah
Challah is generally made sweeter(than normal!!) and shaped round (instead of braided) to resemble a crown. This reminds us that G-d is our King and we desire to crown Him as such. It is also to remind us that the feasts of the L-rd are a cycle a circle, meant to, with each consecutive year, bring us into a closer and deeper relationship with G-d.

Tashlich - On the first day of Rosh Hashanah the community gathers next to a stream or some other body of water for prayers and to take part in the tradition of tashlich, which literally means to "cast off".

"Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth the iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will again have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old."  Micah 7:18-20

In remembrance of these words during the Tashlich service everyone casts some *pebbles into the water to symbolize the casting off of the previous years sin (teshuva-repentance). And of course in remembrance that in Yeshua HaMashiach we are made a new creation, our eternal penalty was cast completely on Him, sin's curse taken away *forever* so that we may dwell with him in his kingdom.

*Some communities use bread crumbs, however to avoid giving others the impression that you could be feeding the fish many hold the opinion that pebbles are the better choice.

For more on Tashlich check out the links below
http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshhashannah/tashlich.html
http://www.torahresource.com/Parashpdfs/Tashlich.pdf
Click HERE for a copy of the Tashlich prayer

Elul - The King is coming! He is in the field! Let's get ready!

   *I neglected to post this at the beginning of Elul but I guess better late than never....*

~ The month of Elul ~

During the month of Elul, the month preceding the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, 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? Am I coasting?.....It seems only appropriate that "Elul" means "search" doesn't it? 

Another interesting fact that I learned in prior years 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[the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom HaKippurim], 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(Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon) 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 like manner those who placed their faith in Yeshua as Mashiach underwent mikvah in his name. You could perhaps say this acted as statement to those witnessing that you were accepting Him as your master, putting yourself under his authority and accepting his yoke.

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. In like manner Psalm 27 is read daily following the shacharit/morning prayers.

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!

More on Elul

http://www.jewfaq.org/elul.htm

A Blog From The Dominion of Canada

Congratulations Canada you are 146.

 I like your rocks and trees, your cold clear water, and yes even those long cold winters. I am very proud of Canada's military history as our boys(and girls!) made us proud during WWI and II fighting courageously for the freedom of so many. I am very proud and thankful you have taken a bold stand with Israel in my day, an action that has been tested and remained firm in spite of the political pressure.....I pray that G-d will keep this land glorious and free...and that our *"two subs" don't break down while we stand on guard for thee.
..........Oh yeah that's something else I like about Canada...we know how to laugh at ourselves :)

My festivities so far....
- fireworks last night 
- early morning drive to and from the airport to pick up the folks
- mid morning nap to recover from said early morning,
- now a couple hours of odd dreams later I am sipping on my homemade iced chai thinking "I wish we still called it Dominion Day"
- refilled drinking jar of iced chai and started writing a blog
- probably go get a refill of iced chai and then fertilize my poor yellowing hydrangea after I am finished this blog

The following pictures are for those of you that haven't been or won't be going to any firework shows this weekend.....sorry I don't do sound effects...you're on your own there.

 HAPPY CANADA DAY a.k.a HAPPY DOMINION DAY

Great Canadian inventions! Go team!

http://www.careerchem.com/NAMED/Canadian-Inventions.html

Iced Chai ^

.....This blog brought to you by my iced chai.....which I don't think is Canadian...but it tastes good anyway.








* there is a running joke that Canada has two submarines....one for each side of the country....I guess we don't need one up north cause no one wants the far north anyways :P

What do Pesach, socks, and Mashiach have in common?...

Yes I'll admit it has been pretty dead on this sliver of the internet lately but getting ready for a wedding and Pesach in the same month demands some serious prioritization....that and kissing your regular sleep patterns goodbye.

All in all we survived the chaos and actually managed to pull off a pretty good wedding I think. My neat freakness is settling down a little more now that we have *most* of the boxes organized again and put away. It was touch and go last Monday as we began to wade through the worst of the post wedding array that got hastily shoved into this or that box in the frenzy to clear out of the hall at a semi decent hour, get the last bit of Pesach cleaning done, and table laid. Baruch HaShem I am not sure how we managed it but we we're sitting down at evening with time to spare!

As crazy as Pesach is at times though I think it's one of my favourite times of the year. Maybe becasue all the cleaning and preparations build the expectation more or maybe because my simplicity is naturally attracted to the practical elements of the cleaning and the getting rid of the chametz. Or maybe just because I genuinely like cleaning....though I try not to be too obsessive ;).

I don't know if your mum made you do this or not but we were always made to clean our drawers on a regular basis growing up. It always amazed me how much room I had after I was done neatly folding and organizing them....it really was great!...for all of about a week until you lazily fell back into the old way of shoving things in, pushing them down and quickly pushing the drawer closed like you were trying to keep the jack in the box that lived in there from popping out at an inopportune time.

It just seems to be that over time things can pile up or get put in the wrong place. We even begin to collect things we shouldn't or hide things that we ought not to be holding on to. Pesach is the chance to get that fresh start. Reorganizing and prioritizing...tossing those socks that don't have a match, mending the things that need repaired and getting rid of the things that for *whatever* reason crept in over the year. Maybe what I believe on this or that is valid but I've allowed it to dominate my focus too much and draw me away from the weighty matters. Maybe I am holding on to ideas that have no basis and need to be thrown out. Maybe I need to evaluate the company I keep, the way I spend my time etc.

Everything needs a little freshening up now and then whether it be a good cleaning or the odd calibration we need the times to reorient ourselves on the narrow way and make sure that we keep Messiah at the centre of that walk. Remembering our redemption, the cost, and the fact that the most Holy One of Israel cares so much about having a personal relationship with us that He would humble Himself to such a state! The require-er of the penalty took the penalty Himself. Whoa if that is not mind bending I am not sure what is!...Just a little cleaning tip - if you only put one thing back in the drawer make sure it's that one right there!

Chag sameach and lila tov