Easy Entertaining Tips

Our entire clan came to our humble succah for a Friday, that's just before Shabbat lunch. Our succah isn't all that large. I don't think we all managed to fit inside at once, even with an extra table and all the chairs set up.

The kids decided on the menu. They'd bring bagels*, and I'd provide the trimmings, salad, cheeses, chummus, techina remember that this is Israel and the rest of the trimmings. One daughter decided to bring pancake mixture, ready to pour, and even her own frying pans, as if I don't have any. But the advantage to that was that she washed them and took them home, so I didn't find them in the sink afterwards. 

Yes, of course, I served on disposable plates etc. Emptying the local reservoir of water isn't good for the environment either. To make things easier for the food fussies, I sliced the fresh vegetables and served them in small individual bowls. Everyone was able to take only what they wanted and assemble their own salads. And we had the food "buffet" inside, since there wasn't room on the tables in the succah. My still referred to as the new kitchen has a convenient counter near the dining room table. Both were needed for the buffet. Yes, there was that much food.

Lots and cheese and spreads were leftover, along with just half a bagel. And the kids were very good in helping to clean up before going to their various homes. But one of the "toddler boys" left his calling card...

I hope the next "family event" will be soon and wonder who's hosting. We take turns.

*technically, they were rolls, not real bagels. Real bagels are pretty much impossible to find nowadays, sigh...

Succah Up Early

Yesterday one of our sons came by to help my husband put up the succah. First I treated him to a nice meal, soup, chicken and all the trimmings. Then they got to work.

As you probably notice, the decorations sort of survived the year in the storage room. So we really don't have too much else to do.

I even cleaned the plastic chairs, since we had a pre-Yom Kippur Shiur, class, in the house afterwards. And then I gave the leftover cake and some watermelon to the lovely young yeshiva student who taught us.

Baruch Hashem, thank Gd...

Havdala Spices, Cloves and Etrog

We needed new besamim "spices" for Havdala, the ceremony that separates Shabbat from regular days.

Shabbat havdala consists of:

1. Beverage: Wine, Grape Juice, or Chamar Medina

1. Wine is always the preferred beverage for all havdalas because it is prestigious.

1. Spices

1. The extra soul we are given on Shabbat leaves after Shabbat is over, so we sniff a pleasant odor to cover for that loss.

1. Flame

1. The Shabbat havdala flame commemorates that Adam HaRishon (the first man) created fire after the first Shabbat.

The jar of "spices" had begun smelling absolutely awful, at least in my opinion. So, my husband assigned me with the job of finding a replacement.

Over the years I'd heard of using cloves and the etrog from Succot. Since we still had this year's etrog lying around, I bought some cloves and decided to make clove-etrog besamim. Of course, I hadn't the vagues idea how to do it.

Sticking the cloves into the already hardening etrog wasn't easy. I had to poke holes first. But as you can see, I did manage somehow to do it. This may not be your ideal etrog-cloves besamim,  but it's better than we had before. I do have a feeling that I need to make a box for it, to keep it fresh. That's another project... 

Suggestions and corrections very welcome, thanks.

Succot Almost Over, Soon אחרי החגים

In the Jewish Calendar, there's a period late summer when for almost a month we celebrate holidays. And when we're not celebrating, we're preparing, or cleaning up from them. This holiday season includes lots of fasting and even a twenty-five 25 hour fast.

In Israel, all these religious holidays are national holidays, when schools, government offices, banks, some stores etc are closed. Considering how soon they can fall after the two month school summer vacation, you shouldn't be surprised that for a couple of months many things get postponed until אחרי החגים, acharai hachaggim, after the Holidays.

Tonight we begin the last of these Holidays, Simchat Torah, when we joyfully dance with the Torah and move back into our homes after a week of eating and sleeping in our sukkot.

One thing for sure is that many of us will have to work really hard trying to lose the weight we've gained over the holiday season. That's one אחרי החגים things I'm not looking forward to.

Succot! Enjoy ושמחת בחגך

Tonight we celebrate the weekly Succot Holiday. Enjoy!

As you can see, I managed to decorate our succah. Some of the decorations are very old, but most are from Jewish Calendars sent by various charities. I just cut out the pictures and put them up with thumbtacks. I also use New Years- Rosh Hashana Cards people have sent us. That makes decorating the succah very easy and low cost, free is about as cheap as you can get other than decorated succah fabric/walls.

Our succah is wood, but actually, the walls of our merpeset,  balcony/terrace go halfway up, so the wood, pergola and wall pieces don't start from the floor. Our sons came over the other night to help my husband get it all up, including the s'chach, special reusable roof.

This year we bought a new supply of plastic chairs, and we're looking forward to having a few guests. What are your plans?

Succah Up, But Needs Decorators

B"H, my wonderful sons came by after work and within minutes had the succah up. Luckily my husband had found all the boards beforehand.

Now, I'm stuck with the job of decorating. We have a box of decorations. I just have to get inspired to put some up. B"H some stayed up from last year.

PS Did you notice that we bought new Keter plastic chairs? Most of our old ones either broke or disappeared.

Succot, Holiday and Vacation for Some but Not For All

On Jewish Holidays, like Succot, when children are on vacation from school, Jerusalem is one big festival.

Not all the grownups are lucky enough to be on paid vacation. Many stores are open for business, even if just shortened hours. When I worked in Yafiz, we were expected to be at work. It wasn't easy for those with young children, so people like myself ended up with extra hours, though there wasn't any bonus pay.  So, I'd like to remind you to be extra polite and grateful to those who have to work when there are holiday vacation days for most everyone else.

Succah 5778 is UP!!

Our son came by last night on his way home from work to help my husband. He's the same son who built the new pergola a few years ago, when our old one was close to collapse.

PS The decorations are from last year. Somehow they survived well on the walls in our storage room under the house. That saves us from the chore of decorating...

Reflecting on This Succot

This year during Succot I've been rather distracted by other things going on, and we haven't had many guests at all.

I was definitely one of those expecting winter weather this Succot considering how late in the solar year, but summer has been very slowly fading, and the rain hasn't fallen.  Even though it's chilly at night and early morning, the weather is dry and hot during the day.

This Succot I really didn't do anything very special besides going down to Shiloh Hakeduam, Tel Shiloh and doing my sales job in Yafiz. The highlight was a family get-together and then spending Shabbat with our daughter and her family in Ofra.

I haven't bought any citrus fruit yet, because they don't get sweet until the rains fall. Artifical irrigation does not provide the same exact nutrients and flavors to the fruits and vegetables as rain. Apparently not all water is the same.

This is the holiday of transition, which is why we are supposed to live in our succah. And I'm also in transmission mode. More to follow.

Sounds like 52Frames!

This week's theme/challenge on 52Frames was Sound. I ended up going for the household kind of sound. If you like this photo, then please click its title and like it on facebook, thanks.

"Listen to the Spin"
Even the quietest of washing machines makes noise as it spins. This is probably the most silent washing machine I've ever had. Our previous washing machines could've be used as alarm clocks if they had timers. Yes, it's almost like Science Fiction that this one can be set to finish its final spin cycle in the morning, or whenever I decide... Never could I have imagined such an amazing invention. 

I had to do a lot of laundry the week this photo had to be shot, because it was just before the Succot Holiday, when the custom is not to do unnecessary milachot-a certain type of reality-changing work, even on chol hamoed, the "intermediate days" those between Succot-strict holy day and Simchat Torah. So now that it's decades after I've had to launder diapers, and over a decade since my sons are in army uniform visiting home, I do try to take a holiday from the laundry chore. So, I was hearing that gentle buzz of a spin quite a bit last week. Can you hear the spin?

Great Succot Fun at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh

This afternoon I walked down the hill to Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh to see this year's Succot extravaganza. Each year it's different, so even if you've gone before, you won't be bored.

But before I tell you more, I'd like to remind the women out there that Rosh Chodesh Marcheshvan is very soon. Here's the information about our Women's Rosh Prayers there:

Women's Prayers at Shiloh Hakeduma, 

Tel Shiloh 

Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, 5777

Tuesday November 1, 2016

30th of Tishrei, 5777, 8:30am

Hallel and Musaf for Rosh Chodesh

Tour of Tel Shiloh

Dvar Torah, Short Torah Lesson

Please come and invite family, friends and neighbors.

תפילת נשים ראש חודש חשון

בשילה הקדומה, תל שילה

יום ג' 1-11-2016  ל' תשרי, תשע"ז 8:30

הלל ומוסף לראש חודש

יהיה דבר תורה קצר וסיור בתל

כדאי לבוא ולהזמין חברות, משפחה ושכנות

The first thing I noticed when I entered the area of the Shiloh Succot Festival was a beautifully decorated stage and show for kids and hundreds of children (and their parents) watching mesmerized.

There used to just be "street theater" mostly by lone actors aka "one man shows," at various locations around the Tel's various archaeological sites of interest. There still are a few of those, plus "guides" at a number of places who are supposed to engage the visitor with interesting and helpful information.

Now instead of lots of crafts, there are also games for the kids to play.

And you can also play at being an archeologist at a "dig."

You can still attend today and tomorrow. Click here for more information!

And of course there are succot to eat in and easy to find or organize Mincha minyan.

Remember that Shiloh Hakeduma is open six days a week, just not on Shabbat. Contact them at Tel Shiloh or on their facebook page.