During September and October, the kitchen will be involved with a lot of special events for celebrating simchas and the High Holy Days and there will be a lot of planning for these events by the various planners/coordinators. Every time the kitchen is to be used, Beth Ami needs a mashgiach on hand to observe and help the volunteers. The Mashgiach’s primary responsibilities are to ensure that the kitchen is being used safely, securely, and to ensure that the Kosher standards set by Congregation Beth Ami and Rabbi Miller are being followed. There is now a new pamphlet, Special Events; Use of Kitchen available to members to help explain how this works. It will be available in the CBA office or by email. If you are interested in this information, or if you are planning an event that involves the CBA Kitchen, please ask for this pamphlet. Also available for your information is the Guidelines for Kitchen Use, and the Food and Potluck Guidelines.
The CBA Kitchen Committee thanks everyone for their donations over the past few months. Besides the donations of money, we have received generous donations of food, and volunteer time from numerous members of the synagogue. Because of the generosity of our members, we have received a new immersion blender to replace our broken one, and a new frying pan. We give a special thank you for the CBA Mashgichim who volunteer their time to help people with their celebrations whether it be for a Shabbat, Oneg, life celebration or holiday celebration. All of you make the CBA Kitchen available to all who wish to use it.
Some good articles are worth repeating. This was written back in 2012.
What is a Jewish holiday without food? Can’t imagine!
Perusing cook books prior to any occasion can bring much joy and stimulate questions. The questions can lead you to more scholarly readings. With all of that in mind, let me share some old and new information about a few significant foods.
First of all, you should have a sweet year rich in fulfillment and productivity (Yiddish word for carrot is merin which also means to increase or multiply).
Carrot tsimmes is traditionally served for Rosh Hashanah in many households. There are so many variables for this dish. Certainly everyone has her favorite. So much depends on where our families come from. What was grown in the region and what was available determined the family tradition. Then, our families migrated to the USA and found different crops from one state to the other. So, traditional recipes were modified. Our ancestors were pretty wise to start out the year with carrots. It is believed that they are a good source of Vitamin A, aid in growth and repair of the body tissues, help fight infections and assist to maintain a smooth and soft blemish-free skin.
Sweet in taste and round in shape is a wish for health, happiness, joy and fortune without end. Apple or challah dipped in honey and honey cake and carrot tsimmes all imply a wish for a sweet and pleasant New Year. Historians believe that the honey referenced in the Bible was actually a sort of fruit paste. Real honey was difficult to acquire. It represented good living and wealth.
Rosh HaShanah literally means head of the year in Hebrew. Hence, eating the head of a fish symbolizes we would rather be a head than a tail.
No sour or bitter foods or vinegar is consumed because these are considered negative signs.
Nuts are not eaten because the Hebrew letters of the word for nut, egoz, have a numerical equivalent to the Hebrew word for sin, chet.
Some say that the pre-Yom Kippur meal favorite dish is kreplach. Meat symbolizes inflexible justice. The soft dough covering it denotes compassion. This meal should be bland to reduce the incidence of thirst during the fast.
Jeffrey & Janet Stein-Larson (Co-Chairs)
