Judaism

Here's a quick look at all the new articles that were published here on About Judaism in January 2012. Hope the new year is off to a great start for you!

1. Choosing a Hebrew Name for Your Baby
2. Jewish Bedtime Rituals for Children
3. The Kaddish Prayer: A Guide to the Different Forms of the Kaddish
4. The Mourner's Kaddish

Image credit: Getty Images/PNC

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New Judaism Articles in January 2012 originally appeared on About.com Judaism on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 17:59:54.

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As one of the Seven Species pomegranates are traditional Tu B'Shvat fare. But what can you do with them aside from eating the delicious seeds? Here are a few yummy ideas.

• Mango Pomegranate Guacamole
• Ruby Yacht (pomegranate & champagne cocktail)
• Pomegranate Pilaf
• Pomegranate Syrup (which you can drizzle over stuffed dates or use to make tequila sunrises)
• Battered Chicken Wings with Pomegranate and Mango Barbecue Sauce
• Orange Blossom Cheesecake with Raspberry and Pomegranate Sauce

Also, in case you're wondering how to easily remove pomegranate seeds, here's the trick:

Cut your pomegranate in half, then hold it cut-side down in the palm of your hand over a large bowl. With your other hand use the back of a large spoon to smack the pomegranate firmly. It may take a couple whacks, but the seeds will fall out and into your bowl.

Image credit: Ruby Yacht Cocktail via Two Tarts

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Recipes for Tu B'Shvat: Pomegranates originally appeared on About.com Judaism on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 01:09:47.

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Every year the Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens for their quality and ability to portray the Jewish experience. The award is named after Sydney Taylor, the author of the classic "All-of-a-Kind Family" series.

At a recent mid-winter meeting the Association of Jewish Libraries announced the 2012 award winners. If you're looking for new Jewish books to add to your child's library you might want to check these ones out. I'm especially interested in "Chanukah Lights" by Michael Rosen and Robert Sabuda. This gorgeous book was featured in one of my parenting magazines and takes the concept of pop-up-book to another level entirely. (See image above).

• Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and Holly Meade (Ages 4+)
• Around the World in One Shabbat by Durga Yael Bernhard (Ages 4+)
• Chanukah Lights, by Michael Rosen and Robert Sabuda. (Ages 5+)
• Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan Goldman Rubin (Ages 10+)
• Hammerin' Hank Greenberg by Shelly Sommer (Ages 10+)
• Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer by Trina Robbins, Anne Timmons and Mo Oh. (Ages 11+)
• The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow (Ages 13+)

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The Best Jewish Children and Teen Books originally appeared on About.com Judaism on Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 13:13:34.

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Answering the question I posed a year ago, I would now say,

"I am not a chassid, but my Rebbe says that I am. That said, my Rebbe also says that he is not a chassid."

Tu B'Shvat falls on February 8th this year and like many Jewish holidays, there is food involved.

Tu B'Shvat is the Jewish New Year for the trees. In ancient Israel it was intended to calculate the age of the trees for tithing, but nowadays many people celebrate the holiday by donating to the Jewish National Fund (an organization that plants trees in Israel) and eating foods that can be found in Israel. These foods are usually the Shivat Haminim (Seven Species) that are named in the Torah.

Figs are one of the Seven Species and if you are looking for delicious ways to eat them this Tu B'Shvat, here are a few ideas:

• Fresh Fig and Stilton Flatbreads
• Yogurt with Caramelized Figs
• Fig Crostata
• Grilled Figs Stuffed With Goat Cheese
• Grilled Bruschetta with Teleme, Honey, and Figs

Images credit: Getty Images/David Loftus

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Recipes for Tu B'Shvat: Figs originally appeared on About.com Judaism on Sunday, January 15th, 2012 at 23:23:07.

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I have been taking a break from regular posting for the last two years in order to devote time to my book project, yet I have still been receiving numerous requests to post something over the past few months - both while I was in Uman and also during my annual visit last month to Boro Park to meet with the Sudilkover Rebbe.

In response to all of these requests, I would like to share the contents of a letter I received from the Rebbe:

Before Rosh Hashanah, the Sudilkover Rebbe sent out a letter containing his blessing for the new year along with a request that each person resist the urge to talk to others in shul during davening. It is known, the Rebbe wrote, that our main avodah in Elul and Tishrei involves the mitzvos bein adam l'chaveiro (mitzvos pertaining to our interaction with our fellow man). Indeed, these mitzvos should be the focus of our generation for the rest of the year as well in order to rectify the sinas chinam that destroyed the Beis HaMikdash.

Yet, how are these two ideas connected? If mitzvos bein adam l'chaveiro should be the focus of our generation, what is the purpose of placing our primary focus on a mitzvah that appears to fall into the category of bein adam l'Makom (between man and G-d)?

The Maggid of Koznitz wrote that a person who talks to others during davening can be compared to a person speaking with a king and suddenly diverts his attention to say, "Your Majesty, I can no longer speak with you, I must speak with someone that I desire to speak to." This, the Maggid of Koznitz taught not only causes the Shechinah to depart from him but also prevents the tefillos of the entire congregation from being received. From this story, the Sudilkover Rebbe said that it is apparent that talking to others during davening is not just an aveira bein adam l'Makom, it is also an aveira bein adam l'chaveiro.

The Sudilkover Rebbe wrote that he heard from the previous Lelover Rebbe (Rabbi Shimon Noson Nuta Biderman of Lelov) that that the words "this time" (בעת הזאת) in the verse, "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and rescue will arise for the Jews..." (Esther 4:14) refer to the time of prayer. And as such, the Lelover Rebbe said that this verse teaches that if a person makes himself silent during davening, relief and rescue will come to the Jewish people both in gashmius and ruchnius.

Furthermore, the Sudilkover Rebbe pointed out that the word "this" (זאת) has the same numerical value as the three things that the Machzor says averts an evil decree, "Fasting, Voice, Money" (צום קול ממון). With this in mind, the verse from Megillas Esther can now be read to teach that when people take it upon them selves during this time of teshuvah not speak to others during davening, then relief and recue will certainly arise for them and their descendants.

After reading and reviewing the Rebbe's letter and also the advice of the Degel Machaneh Ephraim, I resolved to put it into practice. I davened each day not to be put in situations where someone would try to talk to me during davening or the reading of the Torah.

I was fortunate to speak with the Rebbe this week on this topic at length. During this time, the Rebbe told me some amazing personal stories and stories from other tzaddikim regarding the importance of not talking to others during davening. At the end of our conversation, he asked some questions that have remained with me and given me pause,

"If we are given 22.5 hours a day when we are permitted to speak with others, why must we encroach on the 1.5 hours that are set aside solely for our conversation with Hashem? Isn't it He alone who provides for all our needs? If we really believe Hashem hears the words we say, how could we ever even think of speaking to others when we are standing before Him in His house? We need to stop speaking to others when we are speaking to Him!"

The Sudilkover Rebbe finished by saying that if we are to display any type of chutzpah before Hashem, it should only be the type of chutzpah that the Degel Machaneh Ephraim wrote about - chutzpah to hold a strong conviction in the efficacy of prayer at specifically those times when we may have doubts.

I'm often amazed by the things people put on YouTube and this Lego stop-motion film is no exception. Using Lego pieces and figurines, the author created an animated version of "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof. The attention to detail is impressive, with Tevye wearing his tzitzit (prayer fringes) and all the Jewish Lego women wearing their sheitels (head coverings). And then there's the overall coolness of seeing little Jewish Legos performing part of a Broadway musical together. Click here to check it out on YouTube. (Note how Lego Gandalf makes a special appearance as a rabbi at 5:28.)

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Fiddler on the Roof Lego Stop-Motion originally appeared on About.com Judaism on Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 13:56:30.

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Readers frequently email with questions about Jewish synagogue life. Usually they have been invited to an event and will be visiting a synagogue for the first time. They wonder: What should they wear? What does the inside of a synagogue look like? What should I expect at a service? All excellent questions.

If you are not Jewish and have asked yourself these questions, the articles below will give you a solid introduction to the synagogue (more articles to come). There's also something for those of you who are Jewish - for instance, why some observant Jews wear tefillin.

• A Guide to the Synagogue
• What Is a Rabbi?
• The Jewish Shabbat Morning Service
• What to Wear at Synagogue
• What Are Tefillin?

Image credit: Getty Images/Rob Melnychuk

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Synagogue 101 originally appeared on About.com Judaism on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 at 22:59:03.

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