Chag Sameach!

Wow it's hard to believe that the holidays are almost behind us! What a awesome(literally!) time though.


While helping my dad build our sukkah this year I was thinking about the whole "temporary dwelling" thing, and how where we are now is also just a temporary dwelling, that one day we will go to be with the King when He reigns from Yerushalayim! Can you just imagine the rejoicing then? Sukkot with the King!?


Reading Ecclesiastes this year was also a good reminder of how temporal and meaningless all our accomplishments "under the sun" are if we do not keep G-d at the centre of our lives, and the flip side for those who do; abiding in His shadow, His protection, and shield.

 The sukkah is our effort, it's flimsy, not impervious to rain or wind (or snow).  All these things remind us that we must rely on the only One who can truly provide protection and shelter. The One who covered us by a cloud by day and fire by night in the wilderness. The One who, in His mercy, chose to place His tent among us. HaShem, the King himself!
 
I hope this Sukkot was filled with joy. And I pray for shalom for those I know who have experienced loss during the feast, may you find shelter and comfort in His Shadow.

As we all say farewell to the sukkah may it's meaning and message continue to speak to us throughout the year.

Pomegranate Garland

I meant to have this post done before Rosh Hashanah but it got pretty busy but anyway here it is now, hopefully in enough time for Sukkot!

I always like to think of things I can make that are going to last from year to year and is less holiday specific.You can put these up for Rosh Hashanah and leave them up through Sukkot. Or even use them as Sukkah decorations.

They are not expensive to make they just require a little time and patience.

 What you will need

Paint brush

Package of small Styrofoam balls

thick thread or clear fishing line

glitter

a couple of pins and a sewing needle

white glue or Mod Podge*

thin paper such as tissue paper or crepe paper
beads of your choice

I wanted to be able to hang these in our sukkah later so I used Outdoor Mod Podge. It is much thicker than white glue and creates a nice finished seal. You should be able to find it at any craft store, I got mine at Michael's

Spear one of the balls with a pin and brush it all over with your glue mixture. Tear a small square of your paper, big enough to completely cover the ball but small enough you don't have a ton left over, and wrap it around the ball and smooth it down. Coat it again with the glue, holding the excess paper at the top with your pin. After doing the bottom spear your second pin into the opposite end of the pomegranate and carefully remove the first pin you inserted. You should have a little tuft of paper at the top that you haven't covered in glue yet. so glob on some glue and form it into a little bump on the top to make the stem. It helps to dip your fingers in a little water and smooth everything out.

Sprinkle with a little fine glitter and allow to dry on a plastic bag. You will probably want to rotate them once the top has dried. 

After they are completely dried you can start threading them into a garland. If you make a pile of them you can thread them on one after another. However after the finicky-ness I decided to thread fine beads on in between each one.

I would highly recommend using fishing line instead of thread though, just because it is going to be far more durable, especially if you plan to put it in your sukkah where it could get rained on.

Chag Sameach!
May it be His will that next year we will celebrate in Yerushalayim!

Yom Kippur

COMING UP....

The next event on the calender is Yom Kippur(The Day of Atonement)

"Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD.
And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.  

For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. 

And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people.  

You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 

It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath."  Vayikra/Leviticus 2:27-32

I struggle to put Yom Kippur into words, partly because it is such a deep and holy day, and partly I think because it is so misunderstood.

Misunderstood I think because we have lost a sincere fear of HaShem and so just thinking of standing before Him in total brokenness, calling upon His Name (character and promise = merciful, long-suffering, slow to anger etc.) and pleading with Him to remember no more our transgressions and to forgive our iniquities, seems like a terrible thing to our white washed, feel good, "G-d is my buddy" mindset.

Well G-d isn't our "buddy", He is a holy and awesome Elohim. He has absolutely no reason to extend mercy or forgiveness to us. However He, in His abundant mercy, promises that if we humble ourselves and "shuv", turn, to Him and confess our iniquities He will be faithful and just to forgive us.

Yom Kippur is often called the "holiest day of the year" and how true as the restoration of our relationship with HaShem is the most holy thing we could ever desire!

May we all seek to have this Yom Kippur be a day to be cleansed anew, purged and restored to be vessels set apart for holy use.

May you have an easy fast!

Rosh Hashanah Plaque

 Lashana Tova!

As Rosh Hashanah is quickly approaching I am beginning to get my decorating hat on. So I thought I would share my most recent holiday project.

I made this simple wall plaque using:

- a 5x7" paint canvas (you can get them in a pack of 2 at the dollar store)
- watercolour pencils
- water ;)
- paint brushes

 I love water colour pencils because they are so easy to use! Draw your apple using the pencils then using a fine tipped brush dipped in water begin going over your pencil. Start by doing the edges and work your way in. Remember the heavier your pencil is the darker the colour will be.

 Once the apple is completely coloured in you'll have to let it dry completely before going further.

Once it's completely dry write your holiday greeting using a watercolour pencil in the centre of the apple then carefully go over it with a brush that has been lightly dipped in water. You may want to keep a tissue close by to dab the excess water off on. If you have too much water on your brush the colour is more likely to run off on you....literally!

Ta Da! And in less than a couple hours you have a very simple and inexpensive holiday decor item that you can use year to year!

Shanah Tovah!

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. 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), new year for Kings which is also the religious new year (Nisan 1)...Iknow 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?

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.

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

The Torah says that it is to be "a day of blowing". You positively cannot let this day go by without hearing the sound of the shofar! This is again, a last and final call 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 LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah." -Psalm 24:10

  ~ 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? 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 and sweetened the sentence or judgment for that person. So we eat apples(a symbol of that) dipped in honey(also sweet) and say a prayer that HaShem will give us a sweet new year....not meaning that everything will be hunky dory but that in the midst of the bumps along the way He will sweeten the bitter times as on He can do

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.

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 (repentance).

*some communities use bread crumbs, however many prefer the use of pebbles as one could get the false impression that one is feeding the fish(which is not the point!)

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

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!