The Mouse in the Matzah Factory written by Francine Medoff, illustrated by Nicole den Bosch
Journey with a curious little mouse as he travels from a wheat field in the country to a big city factory where harvested wheat is baked into matzah.
The Carp in the Bathtub written by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Joan Halpern
This bestselling classic has Leah and her brother hatching a plan to save the Passover carp from the cooking pot.
Dinosaur on Passover written by Diane Levin Rauchwerger, illustrated by Jason Wolff
See what happens when a loveable dinosaur arrives to help a small boy celebrate Passover, bringing chaos in his wake.
Sammy Spider’s FIRST Haggadah written by Sylvia A. Rouss, illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn
Sammy Spider leads readers through the Passover Seder, starting out with the ritual of discarding leavened products. Fun songs set to popular tunes are included in the Haggadah.
Dayenu! A Passover Haggadah for Families and Children written by Carol Boyd Leon, Illustrated by Gwen Connelly
A Passover Haggadah for Families and Children that comes with a CD that includes every song and blessing in the Seder.
The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah written by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Paul Meisel
The Little Red Hen likes baking matzah, but she's not so crazy about doing everything herself. She asks her friends Dog, Horse, and Sheep to help plant and harvest some wheat for the delicious Passover treat. See what happens when her friends won’t do what she asks. A harried, hardworking hen finds the true meaning of Passover.
Matzah is first mentioned in Exodus 12:15: “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the very first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day to the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.”
When our ancestors left Egypt, they left in haste and therefore their bread did not have time to rise. We eat matzah as a symbol of the oppression our ancestors felt and re-enact their journey to freedom. Three different times in the book of Exodus, we are commanded to eat matzah during Passover.
Absolutely! Until the first matzah baking machine was invented in 1857, everyone did. Matzah is made from one of five grains: wheat, oats, barley, spelt, or rye. It must be cooked within 18 minutes of being mixed with water or it will begin to rise. There is no prescribed shape for matzah (most is square because of the machines that make it). Flavoring may be added (e.g., onion, poppy seed, egg, fruit juice) to enhance the flavor of matzah.
No. Like challah on Shabbat, different brands of matzah will appeal to individual tastes. The market for matzah and other Passover products has expanded and you should try a variety of “Kosher for Passover” foods.
Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is a major Spring festival lasting seven or eight days (depending on your community’s observance). It commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt over 3,000 years ago. Of all the Jewish holidays, Passover is one of the most widely observed, and calls for the most intricate home ritual, the seder. Passover has many unique symbols, songs, rituals, and stories, which vary from country to country and family to family.
The themes of Passover are freedom, hope, and remembering. In the first of the Ten Commandments, God says, “I am Adonai your God who brought you out of Egypt.” It is critical to note that God includes a reference to leaving Egypt (when God could have just said, “I am Adonai your God.”). The reason lies in the singular importance of God’s redemption of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. This event is crucial to God’s relationship with the Jewish people from biblical times until today. Redemption from Egypt is the ultimate paradigm of freedom and hope in Judaism. God parts the Red Sea to save the Israelites from the Egyptian armies in one of the greatest symbols of hope in the darkest of hours.The leading of the people of Israel from slavery to freedom has become enshrined in Judaism’s commitment to freedom. We are reminded to be grateful for the freedom that we have and to truly seek freedom for others. And, we are commanded to remember the story of the exodus. Passover is the only holiday in the Bible where the Jewish community is explicitly told to pass the meaning of the holiday to our children. The Torah requires us to value memory and we are religiously obligated to keep this story alive.
Observances for liberal Jews during Passover include refraining from eating leavened bread (chameitz), eating matzah, and attending or hosting a seder (on the first or second night). The seder meal for Passover is the only one with a special sequence of readings and symbolic rituals, thus its name literally means “order.” A seder table is usually set with the following: a Haggadah for each participant (the book from which the story is read), festival candles, a Kiddush cup, Elijah’s cup, three whole matzot, a seder plate and symbolic foods from the seder plate for each participant. Although seders have evolved over time, the essential features were established by the end of the first century. In the Haggadah it states, “Let all who are in want share the hope of Passover.” So, in addition to inviting family and friends, it is a mitzvah to invite those who would not otherwise have a Seder to attend.
Central Synagogue’s Education Department is proud to present its Pesach online resource guide, with teachings, activities, and material for all ages. Join us as we celebrate Pesach together!
Submitted by Corinne Holeva
As with apple sauce, the principle of making desserts with naturally sweet fresh fruit and sugar free juices or ciders applies to pie baking. Here is a recipe for sugar free apple pie that is as sweet as the “tart apple - lots of sugar version”, and I think it tastes better.
NUMBER OF SERVINGS: – 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
FILLING INGREDIENTS:
TEMPERATURE OF OVEN: 375°
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 9 inch pie plate, rolling pin, aluminum foil, wax paper
INSTRUCTIONS:
Submitted by Corinne Holeva
My father was a diabetic and of course he loved sweets which made it a continual challenge to find recipes without sugar or artificial sweeteners. I created this apple sauce recipe which includes fresh, sweet apples which my father, and my many nieces and nephews have enjoyed for years.
NUMBER OF SERVINGS – 12 servings
INGREDIENTS:
You can use spice combinations that you prefer like adding nutmeg along with the cinnamon or substituting apple pie spice for the cinnamon. It is also possible to omit all spices if you like apple sauce plain.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT Heavy pot, long handled spoon, hand held potato masher, 3 quart size Mason jars (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Submitted by Amy Kritzer
Lately I have been thinking about comfort food. My go to comfort food is usually Matzah Ball Soup, but with summer approaching, I go to my second favorite- challah. Now that Passover is over, onto some bread!! Challah is an eggy Jewish bread traditionally served on Shabbat and holidays, or to make the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Here is my favorite one.
NUMBER OF SERVINGS 2 Challahs
INGREDIENTS:
TEMPERATURE: 350°
INSTRUCTIONS:
Submitted by Jerry Kiel
As with most Jewish families, we had annual Seders to celebrate the Passover story and miracle. The Seder plate held a number of symbolic foods, one of which was Charoset. The Charoset, a sweet mixture of fruit, nuts, wine and spices, was eaten with the other symbolic foods during the Seder. My mother or father made the Charoset in the early days, but eventually it became my responsibility. I have been making Charoset for Passover (with great pleasure) for about the last 25 years using the following family recipe. This recipe is consistent with Ashkenazi tradition.
NUMBER OF SERVINGS – 12 servings
INGREDIENTS:
OPTIONAL: One to two Tablespoons brown sugar
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT -nut chopper and apple peeler
INSTRUCTIONS:
Peel the apples, then quarter and core them. Chop the apples coarsely. Combine chopped apples with the rest of the ingredients, using enough wine to keep the mixture together and moist. The Charoset should sit for one to two hours before serving. It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated overnight.
Submitted by Susan Winston
Noodle pudding, also known as kugel, has been a family staple for as long as I can remember. My grandmother taught my mother who taught me how to prepare it. Although this dish was frequently served at holiday meals, we enjoyed it enough to have throughout the year.
NUMBER OF SERVINGS: Serves 5-6
INGREDIENTS:
TEMPERATURE OF OVEN: Bake at 350°
INSTRUCTIONS:
Submitted by Laura Strauss
It was given to me by a colleague 40+ years ago and has been part of all of our seders every year since then. Name of Recipe Passover Peach Kugel
INGREDIENTS:
TEMPERATURE OF OVEN: Bake at 375°
INSTRUCTIONS:
Submitted by Sue Brown
I think it is safe to say that a high percentage of Jews ... love brisket. Jewish brisket is the perfect holiday entree for many reasons. It is best when prepared in advance—it can be cooked a day before the holiday, sliced and then stored in the refrigerator. Brisket made in advance and allowed to sit tastes better than freshly made brisket. In addition, making the brisket in advance means less last-minute holiday prep work and less mess to clean up. My mother made her holiday brisket a week in advance, and then stored it in the freezer until the holiday.
NUMBER OF SERVINGS: Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
TEMPERATURE: (in degrees Fahrenheit) 300
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: 9x13 inch pan
INSTRUCTIONS:
Submitted by Carolyn Hochberg
Krautpletzel is a Hungarian family recipe that my Grandma Jessie made for all our family celebrations. We would all gather in the Bronx( about 25 people)in her small one bedroom apartment to celebrate Jewish holidays. Grandma always had to triple the recipe since her grandchildren noshed out of the pot…half of it would disappear before dinner! She used lots of schmaltz for added flavor.
Today the grandchildren and great grandchildren keep the tradition by making this recipe and keeping her memory alive.
NUMBER OF SERVINGS: Serves 6-8 as a side dish
INGREDIENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Submitted by CBarbara Greenberg
It’s a pretty brief Italiam plum season in New York. I saw them in the farmer’s market one week, and the next they were just about gone, with no hope of showing up again for another year. When I can find them though, my first thoughts go to the Italian plum cake my Aunth Ethel made It’s an easy dessert, slightly different from most plum cakes. The batter is rich and thick, the Italian plums are quartered and placed vertically into the cake batter, then a generous sugar topping is spread between the plums quarters. The batter rises to meet the top of the pan and the topping becomes a sugary crust, great counter-balance to the tartness of the plums. It is perfect for Rosh Ha Shannah or for break the fast after Yom Kippur. Thanks, Aunt Ethel!!!
NUMBER OF SERVINGS: Serves 8
INGREDIENTS:
For topping mix together:
TEMPERATURE: 350 F
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 9” x 9” pan lightly buttered
INSTRUCTIONS:
Submitted by Barbara Greenberg
As we approach the Israeli Independence Day, this salad, with a mixture of foods, reminds me of the mixture of people who come together to make up the state of Israel. Together, they are one people. My family has been making this recipe and remembering Israel for many years. I hope it will remind you of Israel and the mixture of good people, too.
NUMBER OF SERVINGS: Serves 5-6
INGREDIENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Submitted by Corinne Holeva
I am always looking for a way to make chicken stock more flavorful. This version has a rich, dark broth created by dry roasting the vegetables, herbs and poultry before adding them to the stock pot. I use the schmaltz from the roasted chicken and some of the roasted sage to make the matzoh balls. I also find that separating the eggs and beating the whites into a soft meringue makes light matzoh balls.
NUMBER OF SERVINGS: Serves 6-8
CHICKEN SOUP INGREDIENTS:
MATZOH BALL INGREDIENTS:
TEMPERATURE: 375%deg;
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT2 large roasting pans, 2 large stock pots, whisk and metal bowl for beating the egg whites, ice cream scoop for making matzoh balls. 2 small bowls for cooked chicken and vegetables. Large Sieve for straining stock.
INSTRUCTIONS:
MATZOH BALL INSTRUCTIONS:
To Serve Soup:
Add chicken, vegetables and matzoh balls to stock and bring to a simmer. Serve immediately.
Submitted by Phyllis Freedman
Everyone remembers their mother’s or grandmother’s Chopped Liver. In our cholesterol conscious world we no longer eat liver, but this is a great mock substitute.
INGREDIENTS:
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Food processor
INSTRUCTIONS:
Click here to submit a recipe.
In order to avoid intellectual property conflicts, the recipes may not be copied directly from published material. Please ensure that your recipe is sufficiently original in this respect. Of course, recipes handed down through generations are most welcome!
Welcome to our newly launched Food for the Soul webpage. It is our hope that congregrants will enjoy submitting and making recipes that are part of our Jewish experience, family history or prepared during holidays and life cycle events throughout the year.
Jewish cooking has simmered in every corner of the world since the Diaspora many centuries ago. Congregant-submitted recipes will likely represent the cultural diversity in our community and can be a common bond among members of Central Synagogue, as well as the community beyond our own Synagogue “walls”.
We anticipate the Food for the Soul initiative will enhance:
We welcome our congregants to submit recipes (yes, even more than one!) to this webpage by accessing and completing the Recipe Submission Form (on this website). We will be featuring one recipe at a time but all recipes will be archived and remain available to you on the webpage.
We encourage you to submit favorite family recipes, especially those you cherish making for Jewish holidays, life cycle events or those that bring back fond memories of growing up in a Jewish home.
The recipes will not be “tested” in our kitchen so please be as accurate as possible when submitting them. It is also our understanding that submitted recipes are original or otherwise in the public domain.
Central Synagogue cannot be responsible for any adverse events as a result of making or eating these foods. Please avoid eating any ingredients that might cause known allergic reactions.
So, let’s begin!!
Click above for a special message from Cantor Buchdahl
"Man does not live by bread alone." (Deuteromony 8:3)
Welcome to Central Synagogue’s “Food for the Soul” webpage. This has been created by Central Synagogue’s congregants for congregants, families and friends. We hope you will participate by submitting your favorite family recipes that you have made for Jewish holidays, life cycle events or shared as part of your Jewish experience.
Springtime sees the celebration of Shavuot or the Festival of Weeks. It commemorates the anniversary of the day the Torah was given by God to the Israelite nation at Mount Sinai. The date of Shavuot is linked to Passover. The Torah mandates the seven-week counting of the Omer, beginning on the second day of Passover and immediately followed by Shavout. Passover represented the time of freedom from slavery and Shavuot the time the Jews received the Torah and became a nation. Shavuot is also a celebration of the wheat harvest which is the last of the grain to ripen and the commencement of the first fruit harvest.
It is traditional to eat daily food during the holiday. In part, this custom relates to the fact that after the Torah was received, the Israelites were commanded to separate meat from dairy and it was easier for them to prepare dairy meals . The custom is also associated with the phrase “honey and milk under thy lips” as spoken by King Solomon in the Song of Songs (4:11). These words are interpreted as meaning that the Torah is as sweet and nourishing to the spirit as honey and milk are to the body.
Recipe submitted by Susan Winston
Noodle pudding, also known as kugel, has been a family staple for as long as I can remember. My grandmother taught my mother who taught me how to prepare it. Although this dish was frequently served at holiday meals, we enjoyed it enough to have throughout the year.
NUMBER OF SERVINGS: Serves 5-6
INGREDIENTS:
TEMPERATURE OF OVEN: Bake at 350°
INSTRUCTIONS:
Proceed
Proceed
Proceed
Proceed
This tradition comes from the Book of Esther, where it states: "Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the 14th day of the month of Adar a day of gladness and feasting, a holiday, and of sending portions to one another (mishloach manot)." (Chapter 9, Verse 19)
Mishloach Manot baskets should include any food or beverage that is already cooked and ready to eat. Many Jewish communities insist on having at least two different kinds of food, including hamentashen, pastries, sweets and fruits. Usually Mishloach Manot are delivered by a third party, often children.
During the holiday of Purim, we remember and celebrate how the Jewish community was saved because of the actions of Esther and Mordechai. By giving Mishloach Manot and supporting those in need, we encourage joy in our own Jewish communities.
from Smitten Kitchen
I love using a little cream cheese in the dough to give it a little more flavor and tenderness. Be sure to seal the corners well–hamantaschen pancakes are much harder to pack in a tin!
Yield: About 22 2-inch cookies
Various jams (we used raspberry, blackberry and apricot, but my favorite is this stuff) or prepared fillings (such as poppy seed or prune pastry filing)
Cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add sugar and mix for one minute longer, then egg, vanilla extract, orange zest and salt, mixing until combined. Finally, add the flour. The mixture should come together and be a tad sticky. If it feels too wet, add an additional tablespoon of flour.
Form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
To form the hamantaschen, roll out the dough on a well-floured surface until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter (3 inches is traditional, but very large; I used one that was 2 1/2 inches), cut the dough into circles. Spoon a teaspoon of you filling of choice in the center. Fold the dough in from three sides and firmly crimp the corners and give them a little twist to ensure they stay closed. Leave the filling mostly open in the center. Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Cool on racks. Resist the urge to try a still-hot one unless a jam-burnt tongue is as much of your Purim tradition as are these cookies.
The Maccabeats have made their stamp on all-things-Jewish-parody-songs over the last couple years. It seems as though every Jewish holiday results in yet another terrific parody song based on a popular mainstream hit. Purim is no different. Join the other 1.3 million views and check out their catchy "Purim Song".
The Jewish Daily Forward lends some insight into this fun-loving holiday - reminding us of our social obligation to the larger community - in their food blog titled "The Jew and the Carrot". In this post, we are not reminded of the timeless, and perhaps some might argue inappropriate, mentality of most Jewish holidays, "They tried to kill us, we survived, let's eat", but instead we are challenged to help others to eat. Anna Hanau contributes a thoughtful read titled "The Meaning of Edible Gifts on Purim."
The New York Times did a feature last year on new spins to traditional foods. Check out what this bakery in Tel Aviv did to spice up their hamantashen by reading "Modern Flavors Transform a Purim Tradition."
If you're busy at school, or at work, and just don't have enough time to sit down at a computer to look up that one fact that you were stuck on about Purim, or you can't necessarily recall exactly how to observe Purim, don't worry, there's an app for that! Check out the Purim Guide and get back to that paper you were writing!
While Purim is celebrated by Jews world-wide - some celebrate it differently than others. The common thread, regardless of whether or not the traditions are the same, is HAPPINESS! People are/get really, really happy on Purim. An article, which was featured in Tablet Magazine, tells us about all the things we can learn about happiness from Purim. It's appropriately titled "Be Happy". Enjoy!
The holiday of Purim falls on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Adar. The story of Purim is told in the Book of Esther and accordingly, on the holiday, the Megillah(scroll) of Esther is read. Like many Jewish holidays, Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from near destruction. The imperative of the holiday is to celebrate (in fact, the Talmud tells us, “When Adar arrives, our joy increases”), and the great extent to which we do so has elevated Purim from a once minor festival to a well-known, immensely joyous holiday.
Purim commemorates Jewish survival against the odds. It is not a unique holiday in that sense (Chanukah, too, shares this theme) but has several distinctive aspects. The Book of Esther is the only book in the Hebrew Bible in which God is not mentioned. For this reason, Purim is a holiday where anything goes – inebriation and ridiculous behavior are actually encouraged! The villain in the story, Haman, has become the embodiment of all evil anti-Semites throughout history, and Purim is recognized as the ultimate affirmation of survival. Purim is the only holiday in Judaism in which it is customary to wear costumes. And, unlike all other holidays, the joy of Purim is so great that tradition says it will be celebrated even in Messianic times.
From The Jewish Home pp. 50-51
King Ahasuerus, a great ruler of Persia, once gave a banquet for his subjects. When Queen Vashti refused to entertain the guests, she lost her crown (and possibly her head as well). A beauty contest was held to select Vashti’s successor. The winner was a Jewish woman, Hadassah, whose Persian name was Esther. Brought to the King’s court by her cousin Mordecai, she became the new queen.
It was Mordecai’s custom to sit at the gate by the palace. One day he overheard two men, Bigthan and Teresh, planning to kill the king. He reported it to Esther and the plot was foiled, but the king was not made aware of what Mordecai had done for him.
About the same time, Ahasuerus made Haman the Agagite prime minister of Persia. This was a position of great power, and all who saw Haman were supposed to bow down before him. When Haman passed by the gate to the palace, however, Mordecai refused to bow since the Jews only pay homage to God. Haman was furious and decided to destroy all the Jews of Persia in revenge. He drew lots (purim) to fix the date, then convinced the king, through bribery and anti-Semitic slander, to sanction his evil plan.
Mordecai told Esther of the decree, and she decided to go directly to Ahasuerus to save her people. This was very dangerous, for anyone who went to the king without being summoned faced immediate execution. Still, Esther went and invited the king and Haman to dinner that she would prepare. Both the king and Haman accepted.
That night, the king could not sleep, so he had one of his servants read to him from the book that chronicled the events of the kingdom. For the first time, Ahasuerus learned about the assassination that Mordecai had thwarted and decided to reward him. Haman was asked how a man whom the king wished to reward might be honored. The prime minister imagined that he was to be honored and thus described an elaborate parade, in which the man, dressed in royal robes, would be led through the city on horseback. The king was thrilled with the idea and commanded Haman to lead Mordecai through the city in such a procession.
Haman angrily carried out the king’s order and arrived at Esther’s dinner party more determined than ever to exterminate the Jews. But it was not to be. Esther revealed that she was Jewish, that Haman planned to destroy her people, and begged Ahasuerus to reverse the order of genocide.
It was too late to cancel the edict. Too many Persians were already preparing to attack Jewish communities. But a new decree went out, empowering the Jews and their friends to fight and defend themselves.
Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Mordecai was named the new prime minister. The Jews defeated their attackers and were saved. And the fourteenth of Adar was set aside as a day of feasting and joy, a time for giving gifts to friends and charity to the poor, a time for remembering how the Jewish people had resisted and defeated a villain who sought their annihilation.
The Education Department is excited to share some inspiration for your Purim celebration. Whether your tradition includes dressing up, coming to hear the Megillah, baking hamentaschen or sending gifts to family and friends, we hope it’s a fun-filled holiday for you.
Our Purim Celebrations are being held on Thursday, March 8. Click here to read more about the celebrations!
For Teens and Young Adults - Click here
Click here to watch various videos
Click here if you are under the age of 5 and like Games
| JEWISH YEAR | 5772 | 5773 | 5774 | |
SECULAR YEAR |
September 2011– August 2012 |
Sept 2012– Sept 2013 |
Sept 2013– Sept 2014 |
|
| S'LICHOT SERVICE | Sat SEP 24 |
Sat SEP 8 |
Sat AUG 31 |
|
| ROSH HASHANAH | Wed–Fri SEP 28–30 |
Sun-Tues SEP 16-18 |
Wed–Fri SEP 4–6 |
|
| YOM KIPPUR | Fri–Sat OCT 7–8 |
Tues-Wed SEP 25-26 |
Fri-Sat SEPT 13-14 |
|
| SUKKOT | Wed–Wed OCT 12–19 |
Sun-Sun SEP 30-OCT 7 |
Wed–Wed SEP 18-25 |
|
| ATZERET - SIMCHAT TORAH |
Wed–Thurs OCT 19–20 |
Sun-Mon OCT 7-8 |
Wed–Thurs SEP 25-26 |
|
| CHANUKAH | Tues-Wed DEC 20–28 |
Sat-Sun DEC 8-16 |
Wed-Thurs NOV 27-DEC 5 |
|
| TU BISH'VAT | Tues-Wed FEB 7–8 |
Thurs-Fri JAN 24-25 |
Wed-Thurs JAN 15-16 |
|
| PURIM | Wed-Thurs MAR 7–8 |
Sat-Sun FEB 23-24 |
Sat-Sun MAR 15-16 |
|
| PESACH | Fri–Fri APR 6–13 |
Mon-Mon MAR 25-APR 1 |
Mon-Mon APR 14-21 |
|
| YOM HASHOAH | Wed–Thurs APR 18–19 |
Sat-Sun APR 6-7 |
Sat–Sun APR 26-27 |
|
| YOM HAZIKARON | Tues–Wed APR 24-25 |
Sun-Mon APR 14-15 |
Sun-Mon MAY 4-5 |
|
| YOM HAATZMA-UT | Wed–Thurs APR 25–26 |
Mon-Tues APR 15-16 |
Mon-Tues MAY 5-6 |
|
| LAG BA'OMER | Wed–Thurs MAY 9–10 |
Sat-Sun APR 27-28 |
Sat–Sun MAY 17-18 |
|
| SHAVUOT | Sat–Sun MAY 26–27 |
Tues-Wed MAY 14-15 |
Sat-Sun JUN 3-4 |
|
| TISHAH B'AV | Sat–Sun JUL 28–29 |
Mon-Tues JUL 15-16 |
Tues-Wed AUG 5-6 |
|
| NOTE: Each holiday begins and ends at sundown on the days listed. | ||||
Celebrate the New Year for Trees, which holds an important place in Judaism, from the Garden of Eden to the blooming of Israel and Jewish environmentalism.
The Festival of Lights is a wonderful holiday to celebrate with family and friends. It’s about freedom, spirit and courage. We celebrate by lighting candles, singing songs, playing with a dreidel, eating fried food, giving each other gifts and spending time together.
Masks! Flasks! Festivities! Purim is one of Judaism’s most joyous holidays, when all things silly are embraced and the only thing we take seriously is the celebrating!
Passover (Pesach) is the Jewish holiday of freedom, when we gather with family and friends to retell the story of our exodus from Egypt, when we eat unleavened bread (matzah) and other symbolic food, and when enjoy our freedom while committing to helping those who are still fighting for their rights.
A special ritual, modeled after the Pesach Seder, celebrates God’s presence in the natural world. The Tu Bi Sh’vat Seder focuses on drinking four different colors of wine (white to red) and eating several varieties of fruit. Today’s celebrations have many variations, from planting a tree locally or in Israel. By planting parsley that will be ready in time for Pesach, eating Israeli grown fruits and products and/or conducting an adult Seder (Download PDF) or a Seder appropriate for young children (Download PDF). The Seder reminds us that we must take care of the earth so that we leave a healthy world to those who will come after us.
Tu BiSh’vat is often marked by the eating of fifteen different types of fruits from Israel such as olives, dates, figs, pomegranates and a special fruit—the carob. Why the carob and what is it anyway? Carob trees grow very large and take many years to bear fruit, so they remind us of our obligation to plant for our children and grandchildren; it is chewy and a little like earthy tasting chocolate.
Listen to these MP3s with the voice of Laura Puzio
Tu BiSh'vat song – Hebrew and English
Tu BiSh'vat story – Click here
Supplies: Both red and white wine (grape juice)
Fifteen different fruits and nuts, 5 from each category (purchase the whole fruit so you can remove the outer shell or can remove the pit during the Seder)
Start a new family tradition, taste new foods, conduct a Seder, celebrate the birthday of the trees, have fun and Chag Sameach!
Today, Tu BiSh’vat is deeply connected to Jewish environmentalism. Check out the following organizations become active in protect the environment:
From our tradition:
Trees hold a special place in Judaism. From the very beginning of the Torah we learn about the two trees that were placed in the center of the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. These trees were instrumental characters in the beginning of humanity. We later see trees mentioned elsewhere in Torah. It is a branch from an olive tree that informs Noah that the flooding is over. It is at a burning bush where Moses finds his inspiration to continue his fight to free our people from slavery. In Deuteronomy, we are told that when waging war against others you must take the trees into consideration. A Midrash based on this same section of Deuteronomy explains that “If not for the trees, human life could not exist” (Midrash Sifre 20:19). There is an undeniable connection between human beings and trees.
Trees are often the symbol for nature. This idea that nature and humans are linked can be illustrated in the Hebrew. Adam is the Hebrew for “man”, Adama for “earth”. As Reform Jews we have made it a central value of ours. We believe that the world is imperfect, and that it is our job to repair it – to perform Tikkun Olam. For this reason, to honor someone we plant a tree; we engage in community service to better the life of someone else, we care about environmental issues and fight for them. Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, an 18th-century philosopher and scholar, “Every blade of grass sings poetry to God without ulterior motives or alien thoughts – without consideration of reward. How good and lovely it is, then, when one is able to hear this song of the grasses. It is therefore a precious thing to conduct oneself with piety when strolling among them.”
Celebrate with your kids the New Year for the Trees with these fun and eco-friendly projects!
For this project you will need:
Have each child decorate a paper cup with images associated with Tu B'Shvat—trees or fruits and vegetables from Israel.
Fill each cup with soil, about ¾ full. Poke a finger into the dirt, then drop 3 or 4 parsley seeds inside and cover them with soil.
Place the cups in a sunny or partially shady spot and water the soil until moist. Parsley likes to grow in moist soil, so over the coming weeks the dirt should be kept moist, not soaked or dry.
Children can watch their plant grow – and by April the parsley might even be big enough to use for the Passover Seder!
Go to a spot where there are several trees. Players will work in pairs. One person should be blindfolded or have a winter cap over their eyes.
The sighted player gently leads the blindfolded player to a tree. The blindfolded player feels the tree, noting bumps, cracks, etc, that make this tree unique. The sighted player then takes the other player away from tree. They can turn the player around in circles or walk a circuitous path to confuse the blindfolded individual’s sense of where their tree is.
Once the blindfold is removed, the player will have to look for his or her tree, recognizing it based on the details they felt on the trunk. Switch players.
The Jewish National Fund helps make Israel bloom by planting trees throughout the country. You can sponsor a tree click here.
Tu BiSh’vat, the New Year for Trees, is the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Shevat, and usually coincides with February on the secular calendar. The holiday is sometimes referred to as “Jewish Arbor Day”, and is a minor holiday in Judaism. In Hebrew, the name Tu BiSh’vat is an abbreviation for “The fifteenth day of Shevat.” (Every Hebrew letter has a numerical value, and the Hebrew letters tet and vav, which spell “Tu”, add up to fifteen.)
The origins of Tu BiSh’vat are not found in the Torah. The holiday is mentioned in the Mishnah, and most scholars believe it was originally an agricultural festival that celebrated the coming of Spring. There are no specific mitzvot (commandments) associated with Tu BiSh’vat, so observances have evolved over time and vary by community. In ancient times, tithes of the first fruit crop were taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. New trees were also planted, especially by parents who had been blessed with children during the preceding year. These trees, planted on the fifteenth of Shevat, were eventually cut down and used as part of the chuppah (marriage canopy) of the children for whom they were planted.
Eventually, Tu BiSh’vat was transformed from an agricultural festival into the holiday we celebrate today. The Jewish Home summarizes this evolution:
As in the case with many Jewish observances, a critical historical event served as a catalyst. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the exile that followed, many Jews felt a need to bind themselves symbolically to their former homeland. Tu BiSh’vat served in part to fill that spiritual need. As it was no longer possible to bring tithes to the Temple, Jews used this time each year to eat a variety of fruits and nuts that could be obtained from Palestine. The practice, a sort of physical association with the land, continued for many centuries. The sixteenth and seventeenth century kabbalists (mystics) of Palestine elaborated on the exilic customs, creating a ritual for Tu BiSh’vat somewhat similar to the Passover seder. On Erev Tu BiSh’vat, they would gather in their homes for a fifteen-course meal, each course being one of the foods associated with the land. Between courses they would read from an anthology called P’ri Eitz Hadar (Citrus Fruit), a compilation of passages on trees drawn from the Bible, the Talmud, and the mystical Zohar. (Page 46-47).
Today, in Israel, Tu BiSh’vat is a national holiday and a tree planting festival. In the Diaspora, it is customary to eat fruits and nuts grown in Israel, and some communities host a seder. Congregations often organize tree planting programs for families and use the holiday as a springboard to teach about trees in the Jewish tradition and environmentalism. Synagogues and Jewish organizations may fundraise for the Jewish National Fund (JNF), which is an organization that has become synonymous with tree planting in Israel. JNF was established in 1901 as the land-purchasing agency of the World Zionist Organization. Since then, Jews all over the world have supported JNF’s work to secure land and plant over two million trees. It is customary in Judaism to purchase a tree in honor of, or in memory of, a loved one, friend or special occasion.
It is fitting that Judaism has a festival honoring trees, as trees are sacred in our tradition. Much is found in the Torah about protecting trees in times of war and specific rules for when fruits may be picked from trees. The Torah itself is known as the Tree of Life, a source of strength and sustenance to the Jewish people.
Central Synagogue’s Education Department is pleased to provide you with material and activities to help you celebrate the holiday of Tu BiSh’vat at home, in the park, at school and to increase your awareness and commitment to environmentalism.
Plant a tree!
Hug a tree!
Eat some fruit!
Clean up the park!
Ride a bike!
Download Mp3 Format
Read by Andy Kahn and Dora Korewa, Religious School Teachers.
The story of Chanukah took place over 2,000 years ago. At that time, the Jews living in the land of Israel prayed to God in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was big and beautiful and had many holy objects, like the menorah and the golden altar of incense.
The Jews in the land of Israel did not have a Jewish king. They were ruled by Antiochus, the King of Syria, who worshipped the many Greek gods. When he marched with his army into Jerusalem, his soldiers attacked the Temple and insisted the Jews worship the Greek gods. Idols were brought into the Temple, and Antiochus made it illegal to celebrate Shabbat or learn Torah. The punishment for practicing Judaism was death.
But Antiochus’s plan did not work. Instead of not practicing Judaism, many Jews risked their lives to be Jewish. Antiochus was furious and he ordered his soldiers to set up altars with idols throughout the land of Israel. In a place called Modin, they ordered all the villagers to come worship an idol.
Matityahu was a brave Jewish man. He would rather fight the soldiers than worship idols. He and his five sons went to the altar and started a revolt against Antiochus and his soldiers. Matityahu knew that Antiochus would seek revenge, so he and his sons hid in caves high up on the mountains, planning their next move.
Matityahu’s son Judah led a small group of fighters, known as the Maccabees, to Jerusalem to take back the Temple. They fought for two years, and even though they were outnumbered, they managed to beat Antiochus’s army. When they entered the Temple, Judah and the Maccabees were shocked. Many of the holy objects were destroyed or stolen, including the beautiful gold menorah. They went straight to work cleaning the Temple so that they could pray to God in the sanctuary again. The Maccabees quickly made a new metal Menorah but they didn’t have any pure oil to light it with. At this time, it took eight days to prepare pure oil that could be used in the menorah. Would the Temple remain dark for eight full days?
One Maccabee found a very small jug of pure olive oil. There was only enough oil for one day, but the Jewish people were happy to have a lit menorah even just for one day. They inaugurated the recovered Temple and lit the menorah. This is why this holiday is called “Chanukah,” which means “dedication” in Hebrew.
On that day, they started making new oil. But they soon realized that a miracle was occurring. Something extraordinary! The menorah stayed lit for not one day, not two days, but for eight whole days. By the time the oil in the menorah ran out, the Jews had made new jugs of oil.
And that’s why we celebrate the miracle Chanukah for eight whole days and why our Chanukah menorah, called a Chanukiyah, has eight branches, so that we can light a new candle for each day of the holiday that is also known as the Festival of Lights.
By Laura Puzio and Susan Alpert
Download Mp3 Format
Read by Laura Puzio, Nursery School Teacher
All over the world each year, Jewish families polish the family Chanukiah to get ready for Chanukah, The Festival of Lights.
“Chanukah , Oh Chanukah come light the Menorah, Let’s have a party we’ll all dance the hora. Gather round the table, we’ll give you a treat. Dreidel to play and latkes to eat. And while we are playing, the candles are burning bright. One for each night ; they will shed their sweet light, and remind us of days long ago, and remind us of days long ago.”
The story of Chanukah begins a long time ago in Israel. There, the Jewish people lived and worked. Israel was ruled by a cruel Syrian King, whose name was Antiochus. He wanted the Jewish people to pray to many gods and idols. But the Jews said “NO! We only have one G-d!”
“Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad”
This made Antiochus very angry. He wanted Jews to worship Greek gods, not their G-d. He banned Jewish holidays, burned holy Jewish books, and forced the Jews to bow to his idols.
In a special city called Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, there was a place that was very special and important to the Jews, called the “Beit HaMikdash”, or “The Holy Temple”. It was the most beautiful building ever, because it was dedicated to G-d. Jews came from all over Israel to celebrate and worship there.
“Yerushalayim shel zahav; v’shel nechoshet v’shel or ; Halo lechol shirayich; Ani kinor”
An old Jewish man, named Matityahu and his sons, including Yehuda, were angry at the cruel king, and wanted to fight for their freedom! They formed a small army called the Maccabees. Maccabee in Hebrew means “Hammer”, for the way they fought.
The Maccabees only had sticks, stones, and farm tools to fight the Syrian army, but they WON against the Syrians, who had much bigger weapons, like swords and elephants! When the Jewish army won; they were so happy. IT WAS A MIRACLE!!!! They won because they felt G-d inside them, and it gave them special strength.
“Not By Might, and Not By Power- but by spirit alone (RUACH!) Shall we all live in peace. Not by might, and not by power- but by spirit alone, shall we all live in peace.”
After the fight was over, the Jews returned to their special holy temple in Jerusalem. They were so sad to find that books, Torahs, holy objects and candles were gone or destroyed. The Jews worked hard to clean and rebuild the Temple. The only thing they found was a drop of olive oil to burn in the “Neir Tamid”, the “Eternal Flame”. There was only enough for one day. BUT THEN, A GREAT MIRACLE HAPPENED! The oil lasted not one, not two, not three… but EIGHT nights! That is why Chanukah is now eight days and nights long.
“On this night, let us light one little candles fire; tis a sight, oh so bright; one little candles fire. On this night, let us light eight little candles fire; tis a sight, oh so bright; eight little candles fire”
“Chanukah” means ‘dedication’, because the Maccabees re-dedicated the temple after it was destroyed, and turned it back to a Holy and special place. We celebrate Chanukah because it reminds us of how good it is to be free and for that wonderful “nes” or miracle of the oil!
“Rock of Ages let our song, praise thy saving power, Thou amidst the raging foes, was our sheltering tower. Ma-oz tsur y’shu-ati, l’cha na-eh l’shabei-ach; Ti-kon beit t’filati v’sham toda n’zabeiach”
We celebrate Chanukah by spending time with our families, eating latkes and sofganiot (doughnuts!), playing dreidel, and lighting the Chanukiah. We say “Brachot” (blessings) on the candles. We light one candle each night, for eight nights, using a special helper candle called the “shamash”. The letters on the dreidel are: NUN, GIMMEL, HEI, and SHIN. They tell us that “NES GADOL HAYA SHAM” (“A Great Miracle Happened There (in Israel!)”) Latkes and Sofganiot are fried in “shemen” (oil), and taste so yummy! All these things help to remind us of the miracle of the oil.
“I’m a little latke, round and flat- you eat me on Chanukah, how about that? I taste good with applesauce, sour cream too! I’m gonna eat some, how about you?”
“S’vivon, sov sov sov! Chanukah hu chag tov. Chanukah hu chag tov. S’vivon sov sov sov! Chag simcha hu la-am, Nes, Gadol, Haya, Sham;Nes, Gadol, Haya, Sham, Chag simcha hu la-am”
Artist: Amy Levy, Early Childhood
It’s all about the oil! Chanukah recipes from all over the world all focus on the oil to commemorate the miracle that took place in the Temple. Ashkenazi Jews fry potato pancakes (latkes), while Sephardic Jews fry sweet pastries, and Israelis make jelly-filled doughnuts (sufganiyot).
B’teyavon ! Enjoy!
Grate or shred potatoes and onions. Place them in a large colander over a bowl.
Squeeze and press as much liquid as you can into the bowl.
Add eggs, black pepper and matzah meal. Salt to taste.
To form the latke, use a large spoon; place the mixture in a deep skillet of hot oil.
As mixture sits, drain liquid as needed, before continuing to fry the latkes.
Fry until golden brown on both sides; dry on paper towel. Eat as soon as possible, with applesauce or sour cream.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 ½ cups flour, sugar, milk powder, yeast, and salt.
Stir in melted butter and then hot water; mix in the eggs.
Beat the batter until it is well combined and smooth, either by hand or with a mixer (add flour as needed to make soft dough).
Scrape down the dough; then cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place about ½ to 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead about 2 -3 minutes or until smooth. Let the dough rest, covered for 5 minutes. Roll it out to a 3/8 to ½ inch thickness.
Cut out 2 inch diameter circles.
Place the dough circles on a very lightly floured cookie sheet with space between them, let rise until almost doubled in size (approx. 30 minutes).
Put enough oil into a large and 2-inch deep saucepan; heat the oil until moderately hot.
Gently drop a few of the doughnuts into the oil, not crowding the pan.
Fry 1 ½ - 2 minutes on each side, until puffed and golden brown and cooked completely through.
Drain well on paper towels. Fill each doughnut with jam, using a pastry tube or create a slit to insert jam. Sprinkle with sugar.
Syrup
Batter
First prepare the syrup so it has plenty of time to cool.
Put the sugar, water, honey, lemon juice and cinnamon in a 2-quart saucepan.
Slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring only until sugar dissolves.
Lower the heat and boil the syrup uncovered and undisturbed for 15 minutes.
If using rose water, stir in during the last minute of boiling.
Remove syrup from the heat and set aside to cool; refrigerate covered until fully cold (can be made several days in advance).
Batter- mix yeast and sugar with the warm water in a mixer bowl of food processor, let the mixture rest for 5 to 10 minutes or until frothy.
Add the flour and salt and mix until very smooth and creamy, like very thick cream.
Cover the bowl, loosely, and let the batter rise for 45 -60 minutes.
Beat the risen batter by hand for 2-3 minutes and let it rise for another 10. It will be very elastic.
Put enough oil into a deep fry pan. Heat the oil until very hot. Give the batter a quick stir to deflate any large bubbles.
Scoop some of the mixture into a pastry bag or a sturdy baggie with a small hole made in a corner or use a plastic bottle with a nozzle.
Squeeze out the batter in a narrow strip or squiggle a coil into the hot oil; make designs or overlapping squiggles, keeping the shape open and lacy looking.
Fry until golden brown and crunchy, 1 ½ - 2 minutes per side.
Repeat, stirring before use to deflate large bubbles.
Briefly drain on paper towels before dropping into the cooled syrup, Drain excess syrup back into the bowl.
Pile on a large platter, can stay loosely covered at room temperature for a day or two. Do not refrigerate.
Lightly coat a 9 inch square baking pan or dish coated with oil.
Put sesame seeds into an ungreased 10 inch skillet, preferably non-stick, stir over medium heat approx. 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned and aromatic. Transfer to a bowl.
Put the honey, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger into the skillet and mix well with a wooden spoon. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the mixture comes to a full boil, stir vigorously. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the sesame seeds until well mixed. Quickly turn out the hot mixture into the greased pan. Using wet hands press the candy into an even layer.
Cool candy until solid, but still lukewarm. Use a sharp knife to cut into pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Candles are added to the Chanukiyah from right to left but are kindled from left to right. The newest candle is lit first.
(On the Shabbat of Chanukah, kindle the Chanukah lights first and then the Shabbat candles.)
Listen to Audio of the Blessings (mp3):
Light the Shamash - the helper candle - first using it to kindle the rest of the Chanukah lights; say or sing:
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech haolam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tsivanu l'hadlik ner shel Chanukah.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvoth, commanding us to kindle the Chanukah lights.
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu,Melech haolam she-asah nisim laavoteinu v'imoteinu bayamim hahaeim baz'man hazeh.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who performed wondrous deeds for our ancestors in days of old at this season.
The celebration of Chanukah today is based on the conflation of two stories; one historical, and one legendary.
The historical events on which the holiday is based can be found in I and II Maccabees, two books contained in the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha, which means “hidden writings,” refers to books considered for inclusion in the Hebrew Biblical canon, but ultimately rejected. These books were, however, included in Greek and Latin versions of the Bible and are considered sacred texts by some Christian denominations. Chanukah celebrates the victory of religious and cultural freedom. This independence was won by the Jews through a revolt led by the Maccabees against the Syrians and King Antiochus in 165 B.C.E. Israel was under Syrian control at that time, and Syria had been forced to accept the Greeks’ way of life – their religion, political structure, customs and culture – by Alexander the Great before his death. King Antiochus, one of Alexander’s generals, planned to Hellenize the Jews as well– they were not permitted to observe Jewish holidays, study Torah, or celebrate their life occasions. Although some Jews were enamored with Hellenism and fully assimilated into Greek culture, many felt they had no choice but to revolt. A priest named Mattathias and his five sons (who took the name “Maccabees”), started the rebellion. Vastly outnumbered, the Maccabees emerged victorious, recaptured and rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been desecrated by the Syrian-Greek army. The name “Chanukah” means “dedication,” honoring this event.
The legend of Chanukah comes from the Talmud, the collection of Oral Law in Judaism. The Talmud, in tractate Shabbat 21b, tells the story of the Maccabees having reclaimed the Temple and their desire to kindle its eternal light. However, they found only one small jar of oil, sufficient to burn for only one day. But miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days – thus, Chanukah is an eight-day holiday.
Although today Chanukah is one of the most well known Jewish celebrations in North America, for the majority of Jewish history it was a very minor holiday. Because it is not biblically based, it did not originally share the status of the other major Jewish holidays. Only in the late 1800s did Chanukah take hold in North America, thanks to a small group of young Jews in Philadelphia who wanted a more thriving Jewish holiday life.
Because of Chanukah’s temporal proximity to Christmas, Chanukah has grown in popularity and observance. (Chanukah also borrows the custom of gift giving directly from Christmas.) It is important to note, however, that Christmas and Chanukah are linked not only on the calendar, but also in their origins. Both festivals emerged as a response to the winter solstice in ancient times. A fixation with light in the dead of winter is understandable. We can imagine, thousands of years ago, the religious and psychological questions and fears that arose in the midst of the encompassing darkness of December. The shortest daylight period of the year, the cold weather, and the emotional sense of isolation that often accompanies darkness undoubtedly led our ancestors (of every religious tradition) to create rituals that would help them to dispel the darkness and create light. In Judaism, the light accompanying these rituals shone through the candelabras of the ancient Temple, and those candelabras ultimately emerged as the Chanukah menorah.
The dreidel, Yiddish for “top,” is usually associated with the children’s game of spinning a toy to see how much “gelt” (coins) they can win. But dreidels have creative lessons for adults also. A dreidel in Israel has four letters on it: nun, gimmel, hey, and pay. The letters are an acronym for “Nes gadol haya po” – “a great miracle happened here.” A dreidel in the Diaspora has the same first three letters, but the fourth letter is a shin rather than a pay – it is an acronym for “Nes gadol haya sham” –“a great miracle happened there.”
Wherever we are in the world, Jews can learn symbolic lessons fromthe four sides of the dreidel. The dreidels from Israel instruct us to value the wonderful things happening “here,” all around us – for example, the opportunity to create a Jewish identity and the chance to celebrate that which is closest to us. And more broadly, we can all learn to identify the miraculous events in the “here” of our own lives. The dreidels in the Diaspora remind us of the possibility of miraculous events “there,” far away –encouraging us to see the wonder of people, places and things to which we have a less direct connection. As Jews, our concept of “our” community should range wider and farther –geographically and otherwise–than we might at first experience, imagine, or even feel comfortable with.
The phrase “December Dilemma” refers to the angst, confusion and sadness that certain groups sometimes experience during the winter holiday season. For converts to Judaism, December can be a painful reminder of a tradition that was extremely difficult to give up. For interfaith families, December can be a time of confusion in the home, as parents strive to provide their children with what they feel is the most enriching religious experience. And for Jews, December reminds us that we are in the minority – we do not celebrate Christmas, but it is pervasive. Thus, December poses a dilemma for many groups.
For those who have chosen Judaism or those studying toward conversion, giving up Christmas is often one of the most difficult things to contemplate and undertake. For many in this group, December is filled with tender nostalgia – the search for the perfect tree, the annual climb up to the attic for decorations, and the fun of adorning the tree with lights, tinsel and heirloom ornaments. The smell of pine, the holiday music playing in the home, the large family Christmas dinner and, of course, the watch for Santa Claus. All of these powerful memories come flooding back in December, posing not only a dilemma, but often a crisis of faith. Even those for whom Christmas had little to do with Christ, giving up the family traditions can be daunting and sorrowful. Although Judaism offers many warm and wonderful holidays, losing Christmas is indeed a loss; one that is mourned each December. In addition, it is important to note that parents and siblings of those converting do not convert, and so challenges of balancing extended families, celebrations and gift-giving inevitably emerge. During this season, it can be a struggle for those new to Judaism to resist the feeling of being outsiders in their own families.
For interfaith families, navigating a season dominated by Christmas can be confusing and anxiety provoking. In an attempt not to deprive their children of anything, many couples decide to celebrate both Christmas and Chanukah in their homes. As a result, the meanings of the holidays often become diluted, and attention too easily turns to the superficial component shared by each — that is, gift-giving. And like families of converts, interfaith families often must balance extended families of different religions, each wanting the main celebration to be of their own holiday.
For most Jews in the Diaspora, there is no escaping Christmas. Each December brings with it an identity test and a reminder of our minority status. For starters, Christmas is a legal holiday in the United States and many other countries. We confront Christmas everywhere –in retail stores, in schools, and in public areas. Parents are tested by children who want to be a part of the hype and festivities surrounding Christmas. Is it alright for Jewish children to sit on Santa’s lap? Is it alright for Jewish children to participate in Christmas pageants? And what of Chanukah bushes and blue and white lights? Questions like these may plague Jewish parents at Christmas time. Although Chanukah is often offered as our “alternative” to Christmas, it is a misnomer. Historically, Chanukah is actually a relatively minor holiday in Judaism (despite what it has become today), and to compare it to Christmas both does Christmas an injustice and falsely inflates Chanukah. However, there is no other holiday more aptly suited to remind Jews of our ongoing struggle against assimilation. Chanukah is precisely the story of our ancestors who fought for the right to remain Jewish in a non-Jewish world. The Jewish dilemma in December, then, is an age-old one.
Listen and say the blessings before lighting the Chanukah candles
Why does Chanukah matter today?
Try making these special Chanukah foods from around the world
Not your parents’ Chanukah… Readings and NYC-based activities for teens and young adults
Click the following links to hear the sermons and remarks that were given over the 5772 High Holy Days:
Rabbi Rubinstein's Rosh HaShanah sermon "Needing God: A Journey of Faith"
Rabbi Rubinstein's Yom Kippur Sermon "God Given Miracles: A Journey to Faith (Part 2)"
Rabbi Friedman's Rosh HaShanah sermon "Supporting Israel Through Uncertain Terms"
Rabbi Salth's Yom Kippur Sermon "Who Do I Want to Be"
President Kenneth Heitner’s Rosh HaShanah remarks
Jonathon Tisch's Yom Kippur Appeal
(T)= Ticket Required
NOTE: On some Saturdays there will be a second service at 11:30am.
For congregants and guests who are unable to enter the synagogue by the front stairs, the synagogue provides an entrance ramp on 55th Street near Lexington Avenue. The ramp leads to the lower level of the sanctuary where a conveniently located elevator offers access to the sanctuary on the main floor.
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Groups interested in attending worship services should contact the Clergy Study at 212-838-5122 ext. 1011, clergy@censyn.org.
Congregants can call in to hear the Shabbat services. Dial 1-888-758-7870. At the prompt, use the following passcode: 5992969. This call-in program is made possible by the Youngwood family and friends in memory of Judith G. Youngwood.
As part of our commitment to our community, Central Synagogue is pleased to offer online streaming of services. To view the services, simply visit this page when services are taking place.
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For Judaism to remain strong and vital, we must be able to articulate why it is important to us. Join our community conversation by answering the question Why Be Jewish? (Your responses may be used in educational settings within Central Synagogue.)
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The service information is updated every Friday afternoon before services.
Friday, May 18, 2012
27 Iyar 5772
6:00 pm, Sanctuary
Saturday, May 19, 2012
27 Iyar 5772
9:30 am, Sanctuary
Saturday, May 19, 2012
27 Iyar 5772
11:30 am, Sanctuary
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If you have any technical problems, contact livestream@censyn.org. If you are unable to watch the live stream of our services, they can be heard on our call-in service at: 1-888-758-7870 (At the prompt, use the following pass code: 599-29-69.)
To learn about Reform Judaism, please visit the Union for Reform Judaism’s website. http://urj.org
To order Mishkan T’filah for Shabbat Transliterated, the Reform Judaism’s prayer book, click here. http://ccarpress.org/mishkan/
January 2
Va-y’chi, Gen. 47:28-50:26
Haftarah-I Kings 2:1-12
January 9
Sh’mot, Exod. 1:1-6:1
Haftarah-Isaiah 27:6-28:13; 29:22-23
January 16
Va-eira, Exod. 6:2-9:35
Haftarah-Isaiah 66:1-13, 23
January 23
Bo, Exod. 10:1-13:16
Haftarah-Jeremiah 46:13-28
January 30
B’shalach, Exod. 13:17-17:16
Haftarah-Judges 4:4-5:31
February 6
Yitro, Exod. 18:1-20:23
Haftarah-Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6
February 13
Mishpatim, Exod. 21:1-24:18
Haftarah-II Kings 12:5-12:16
February 20
T’rumah, Exod. 25:1-27:19
Haftarah-I Kings 5:26-6:13
February 27
T’tzaveh, Exod. 27:20-30:10
Haftarah-Esther 7:1-10; 8:15-17
March 6
Ki Tisa, Exod. 30:11-34:35
Haftarah-Ezekiel 36:22-36
March 13
Vayak’heil-P’kudei, Exod. 35:1-40:38
Haftarah-Ezekiel 45:16-25
March 20
Vayikra, Lev. 1:1-5:26
Haftarah-Isaiah 43:21-44:23
March 27
Tzav, Lev. 6:1-8:36
Haftarah-Malachi 3:4-24
April 3
Pesach, Exod. 33:12-34:26
Haftarah-Ezekiel 37:1-14
April 10
Sh’mini, Lev. 9:1-11:47
Haftarah-II Samuel 6:1-7:17
April 17
Tazria-M’tzora, Lev. 12:1-15:33
Haftarah-II Kings 7:3-20
April 24
Acharei Mot- K’doshim, Lev. 16:1-20:27
Haftarah-Amos 9:7-15
May 1
Emor, Lev. 21:1-24:23
Haftarah-Ezekiel 44:15-31
May 8
B’har-B’chukotai, Lev. 25:1-27:34
Haftarah-Jeremiah 16:19-17:14
May 15
B’midbar, Num. 1:1-4:20
Haftarah-Hosea 2:1-22
May 22
Naso, Num. 4:21-7:89
Haftarah-Judges 13:2-25
May 29
B’haalot’cha, Num. 8:1-12:16
Haftarah-Zechariah 2:14-4:7
June 5
Sh’lach L’cha, Num. 13:1-15:41
Haftarah-Joshua 2:1-24
June 12
Korach, Num. 16:1-18:32
Haftarah-I Samuel 11:14-12:22 or I Samuel 20:18-42
June 19
Chukat, Num. 19:1-22:1
Haftarah-Judges 11:1-33
June 26
Balak, Num. 22:2-25:9
Haftarah-Micah 5:6-6:8
July 3
Pinchas, Num. 25:10-30:1
Haftarah-Jeremiah 1:1-2:3
July 10
Matot-Mas’ei, Num. 30:2-36:13
Haftarah-Jeremiah 2:4-28; 3:4, 4:1-2
July 17
D’varim, Deut. 1:1-3:22
Haftarah-Isaiah 1:1-27
July 24
Va-et’chanan, Deut. 3:23-7:11
Haftarah-Isaiah 40:1-26
July 31
Eikev, Deut. 7:12-11:25
Haftarah-Isaiah 49:14-51:3
Shalom Friends,
My Rosh HaShanah sermon focused on the great mitzvah, the great commandment of sharing our stories - both our personal stories and the stories of tradition - with each other. I’ve posted some helpful resources here (click links on right) including information about a unique non-profit organization that can help us tell our stories. It’s called StoryCorps.
StoryCorps is an organization that believes, “listening is an act of love.” Its mission - to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening - is accomplished by providing a place where personal interviews can be recorded and shared. StoryCorps has a list of thoughtful questions that can assist us in sharing our tales.
StoryCorps encourages the recording of our stories. Download their free Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide to get started. It is my hope that you will join me in participating in StoryCorps’ National Day of Listening on November 27, 2009.
You can record your own story at their booth on Centre Street. Join me for lunch near the booth downtown on Friday, November 13 or Friday, December 4. We will visit the booth after we eat, RSVP to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at 212-838-5122 x1012.
Also, join me and my fellow clergy for our weekly classes and I invite you to friend me on Facebook so we can share updates on the stories of our lives with each other.
I look forward to continuing to share stories with you.
Wishing you all the best in this New Jewish Year of 5770,
Rabbi Mo Salth
P.S. Enjoy this storytelling-related parody of the song “As Time Goes By” from Casablanca
L’Shanah Tovah!
You must remember this,
A bris is still a bris,
A chai is just a chai.
Pastrami still belongs on rye,
As time goes by.
With holidays in view,
A Jew is still a Jew,
On that you can rely.
No matter if we eat tofu
As hours slip by.
Old shtetl customs, never out of date.
All those potatoes mother has to grate.
Honey, tsimus, latkes, chopped liver on our plate
The best that gelt can buy.
Some would send us to perdition,
But we’re strengthened by tradition,
That no one can deny.
We roam, but we recall our birthright,
As time goes by.
Dreidels and chocolate, never out of date.
Ancient Jewish stories that we all relate.
Blue-and-white giftwrap, everything that’s great
And festive chazerai!
It’s still the same old Torah,
It’s still the same menorah,
We’ve latkes still to fry.
It’s at yomtov when we feel most blessed,
As time goes by.
L’Shanah Tovah!
Shalom Religious School Parents,
I know you are well aware of the power of reading stories and sharing stories with your children. Our Religious School teachers regularly tell stories to our students in order to teach them about Jewish values, holidays, and our Torah.
Speak to your specific teachers about the resources they are using and the themes they are addressing in class. Continue to ask your children to show you the materials they study in class and the homework they are asked to complete. If your children are studying material that you are not familiar with speak to your teacher or to one of the clergy about how to learn about it yourself.
There is so much to know about Judaism and do not feel like you should know it all. Let your children know you are learning too. By letting them know you are still learning you model for our children that learning is a core value for Jews whether they are young or not so young.
If your child’s teacher is using specific story books in class, consider purchasing copies of them for your home. Retelling these stories reinforces the lessons taught in our classrooms and allows you to share your own opinions and view on the subject being addressed.
The KarBen Publishing House has a wonderful variety of books for children of all ages. Peruse their Web site for other books that may be related to your child’s age as well as subjects you and your children are interested in such as the holidays, Bible characters, Israel and Jewish values.
I also recommend:
And check out:
A monthly Shabbat service especially for kids in Kindergarten through 4th grade
A monthly class for parents of kids of all ages
Shalom Nursery School Parents,
I know you are well aware of the power of reading stories and sharing stories with your children. Our Nursery School teachers regularly tell stories to our students in order to teach them about Jewish values, holidays and our Torah.
Speak to your specific teachers about the books they are using in class and consider purchasing copies of them for your home. Retelling these stories reinforces the lessons taught in our classrooms and allows you to share your own opinions and view on the subject.
The KarBen Publishing House has a wonderful variety of books for Nursery School Children. They are the publishers of the popular Sammy Spider series of books. I also suggest you peruse their Web site for other books that may be related to subjects you and your children are interested in such as the holidays, Bible characters, Israel and Jewish values.
And check out:
Special Shabbat services for kids up to 5 years of age
A monthly class for parents of kids of all ages
There are many books connected to the theme of telling our personal and tradition’s stories. I have recommended a few below and invite you to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on this theme.
Hear Central Synagogue member, Abigail Pogrebin, discuss her new book in conversation with her sister, Robin, at the Manhattan JCC on October 26. Click to purchase tickets.
Central Synagogue’s classes and programs connect us to the ancient and modern stories of our tradition and to each other. Join us for any of our upcoming events. I especially recommend attending one of the weekly classes taught by Cantor Sacks, Rabbi Friedman or me. Descriptions of these classes are below. If you are unsure of which class or event might be best for you, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or at (212) 508-3013, and I will suggest something to you.
Engage in the study of the weekly Torah portion and discover its biblical characters, narrative, and themes and how the Torah relates to our daily lives. No previous background or Hebrew experience necessary.
Experience a line by line look at our sacred text from many perspectives. No knowledge of Hebrew is necessary. Participants bring with them an eagerness to understand the Bible in history, as the Rabbis read it, as literature or drama, and for what it has to say to us today.
Engage in the study of the lives and rulings of some of the most famous personalities in the Talmud. Who were these sages? Why did they reason as they did?
Saturday, September 24
9:00 am
Thursday, September 29
Rosh HaShanah
Saturday, October 8
Yom Kippur
Saturday, October 22
9:30 am
Friday, October 28
5:00 pm
Saturday, November 12
9:30 am
Friday, November 18
5:00 pm
Friday, December 2
5:00 pm
Saturday, December 10
9:30 am
Saturday, January 7
9:30 am
Friday, January 20
5:00 pm
Saturday, February 4
9:30 pm
Friday, February 10
5:00 pm
Saturday, March 10
9:30 am
Friday, March 16
5:00 pm
Friday, April 20
5:00 pm
Saturday, April 21
9:30 am
Friday, May 11
5:00 pm
Saturday, May 12
9:30 am
Friday, June 1
5:00 pm
Saturday, June 9
9:30 am
Tot Shabbats take place on the 9th Floor of the Community House (123 East 55th St.).
Wendy and Larry Steinhardt with daughter Jaime at Central Synagogue in 2003.
Growing up in a small rural town in New Jersey, Larry Steinhardt was an "other."
He was one of, perhaps, two Jewish students in his high school with a population of just more than 100 students. His mother, raised in a more religious home than his father, insisted the Steinhardts be part of a synagogue. They found a small congregation of around 20 families with no full-time rabbi and infrequent Shabbat services. Larry's sporadic attendance was always at his mother's insistence and never from any personal desire to belong to a Jewish community except for one night a year.
"When it came to Kol Nidrei," Steinhardt recalls. "That was a must. We absolutely had to go. It was the only time we felt an obligation to attend. We felt it was significant because we were going to be cleansed of our sins and forgiven."
Still, the experience did not bring much comfort to Steinhardt who felt out of place wrapped in a tallit, praying with other Jews.
"I didn't like having to explain why I was different," says Steinhardt. "It troubled me as a kid. When I joined Central Synagogue and did not have to wear a tallit, I felt comfortable. The idea of not wearing one is appealing to me."
Also appealing to Steinhardt was the welcoming presence of Central Synagogue's clergy. When Steinhardt lost his mother in 1987, he felt compelled to join a synagogue community. Rabbi Rubinstein and Central Synagogue seemed the right fit and he and his wife, Wendy, went on to raise their daughter, Jaime, there.
Jaime became Bat Mitzvah in 2003. On that occasion, the family’s history and Steinhardt’s personal struggles with tallitot seemed to come full circle. When Jaime became Bat Mitzvah, Steinhardt wore the same tallit his parents had given him at the time he became Bar Mitzvah in 1960. Jaime wore the tallit that her grandfather, Steinhardt's father, had worn when he became Bar Mitzvah in 1923.
I was particularly happy to receive the letter inviting me to be a bimah guest for Kol Nidre in 2008. Although I had been asked before, I had attributed those invitations to being a committee chair, which I am no longer.
So I was very honored to be asked to participate this year at services at the Waldorf Astoria (in the Grand Ballroom—the only place large enough to accommodate 1700 people) for services. As the five guests sat in the robing room with the new Rabbi, Michael Friedman, who had just asked four of us if we would be willing and able to stand and hold the Torah during that portion of the service, I told them how meaningful that honor was to me.
I remember that my father used to come home after Shabbat services and invariably would tell us—even boast—when he had been asked to hold the Torah. He would always add that not only was it an honor, but a tremendous responsibility. "If the Torah were dropped, something horrible would happen to everyone present "(I'm not sure if it was that they would be blinded or would die.) But because he was strong and reliable, he was chosen, he explained.
I added that in previous years when I held the Torah, I found it a potent, moving experience. It is very heavy; it seems to pulsate with meaning and history. But I felt the weight of carrying it was being shared by my mother, my grandmothers….all my female forbears who had never been allowed to approach the Torah, no less to carry it at such an auspicious occasion as Kol Nidre. Their lives and support had given me strength and determination.
For several years, I have been fascinated by the Torah. I have been studying and considering its meaning in and for Jewish history. As a student, rather than a scholar, I have come to believe that it is indeed the Torah that has kept the Jewish people as a 'people' for more than two thousand years.
Some believe that the Torah was dictated directly from God to Moses, others that it was written, probably by several people, over a period of time. The Five Books of Moses—the Pentateuch— was 'canonized' many years ago, which means it could not be changed. Yet since at least the time of the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E., there has been continual, ongoing study and interpretation of the Torah—at first, to adapt to the inability to obey the Torah's teachings about sacrifice and priesthood which could not longer be followed in the absence of the Temple. As the Rabbis assumed leadership of the Jewish people, they interpreted its teachings and laws and made study and prayer the vehicle for Jewish observance. In my view, that emphasis on personal and communal study, questioning, and interpretation is what has kept the Torah alive and meaningful through so many phases of history, throughout so much of the world.
And there I was, in the Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue in Manhattan in 2008, ready to be given the Torah to hold through Kol Nidre, that most solemn prayer service—one that has been conducted for thousands of years, with the participation of millions of people.
The room was darkened, the ark was opened, and Rabbi Friedman handed me…the Torah covered in blue velvet, not white, like the others. This was the extraordinary "Auschwitz Torah" that had been given to Central Synagogue earlier this year. At an emotional ceremony, we were told that sixty-five years ago, the people in the village of Auschwitz, knowing that they would be sent to the camps to die, took the Torah from their synagogue, tore out some sections that they hid and took with them into the camp, then wrapped the Torah scroll in tin, and buried it in their cemetery.
In 2004 Rabbi Menachem Youlus of the Save the Torah Foundation searched and eventually located the Torah, missing some sections—which were later located in the possession of a local priest. Before they went to their death, the townspeople who had kept them in the camps had given them to the priest for safekeeping.
With the financial assistance of a wealthy American, David Rubenstein, the Torah was restored and he donated it to Central because, he said, we are at the heart of the American Jewish community.
And somehow, it felt that the history of the Jewish people was in my arms. It was very heavy; but I am the beneficiary of the strength of my people.
We are asking congregants to recall personal memories of Kol Nidrei as we approach a new tradition this fall. Please send your thoughts by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
We are asking congregants to recall personal memories of Kol Nidrei as we approach a new tradition this fall. Please send your thoughts by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Click here to download the PDF
We are asking congregants to recall personal memories of Kol Nidre as we approach a new tradition this fall. Please send your thoughts by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
I find it fascinating that all origins of the Kol Nidrei prayer remain shrouded in mystery. It is unclear when the text was originally written, by whom, and where. The origin of its now-familiar accompanying tune is equally untraceable. Nonetheless, Kol Nidrei has become one of the most significant occasions in our entire liturgical calendar. Its significance goes beyond the meaning of the text or the musical notes.
Those who have studied anthropology or religious theory know that there are certain actions which take on a significance beyond their simple explanation. So, then, it cannot be the specific words or the notes themselves that have meaning. Rather, it is the experience of gathering annually on the same night, coming together in our sacred sanctuary, surrounded as always by those we hold dear, and being supported by our community. It is in that context that Kol Nidrei becomes so powerful for us. For me, the tune is the most significant aspect of this ritual. The music is heard but once a year yet it is instantly recognizable, signifying that the Day of Atonement is once more at hand.
With the first three notes, I find myself recalling the generations that brought me to this point. My late grandparents – and even my great-grandparents whom I never knew – are somehow present with me, like the Torah scrolls which have temporarily left the ark. In fact, our sages teach that each time we stand before God to recite the Amidah we begin by calling upon the merits of our ancestors. Their good deeds and acts of loving kindness allow us to approach God with equal measures of dignity and humility. Our ancestors are thus called as witnesses, standing silent vigil and holding us accountable for our words and our actions. It is during those all too brief moments of Kol Nidrei that the entire Jewish people stands united in time and space, generations linked through primeval language and mysterious melody.
May our words and our deeds make our ancestors proud. And may we live to inspire future generations to embody the hope and the dedication of the Jewish people.
My connection to tallit stems from my early Jewish experiences. As a young girl growing up in a Conservative synagogue in the 1980s, the most remarkable thing about receiving my tallit for my Bat Mitzvah was how unremarkable the idea was. All of the men and most of the women in our synagogue regularly wrapped themselves in tallitot during services.
From a very young age, I yearned to participate in the intimate ritual of unfolding the tallit, kissing both ends, and then swinging the sheet of fabric around your head until it rested comfortably on your shoulders. Although the synagogue that I attended with my family had only recently begun to include women in all aspects of public ritual, the relevance of gender to this particular piece of ritual garb was never a question. Why wouldn’t I wear a tallit for my Bat Mitzvah?
To this day, then, I cannot imagine participating in worship without my tallit – I feel incomplete without it. Whatever my state of mind before I begin to pray, donning my tallit serves as a transitional moment – a physical manifestation of my choice to move from the realm of the mundane to the realm of the sacred.
Each time I put it on, I sense past prayer moments. I smell the lingering scents of the various spaces in which I daven. I feel the softness of the front fringes, worn from fiddling with them during long services. My tallit both links me to those praying around me and serves as a shield for individual moments of prayer. As the years pass and the memories grow, I look forward to sharing my relationship to the tallit with future generations; to helping them understand how an instinctual action can carry such potency.
We are asking congregants to recall personal memories of Kol Nidrei as we approach a new tradition this fall. Please send your thoughts by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Tallit (pl. tallitot), a prayer shawl.
Originally the word meant “gown” or “cloak.” This was a rectangular mantle that looked like a blanket and was worn by men in ancient times. At the four corners of the tallit tassels were attached in fulfillment of the biblical commandment of tzitzi (Num 15:39).
“And you shall see [the fringes at the corner of the garment] and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and observe them.”
The tallit was usually made either of wool or of linen and probably resembled the abbayah (“blanket”) still worn by Bedouin for protection against the weather. The tallit made of finer quality was similar to the Roman pallium and was worn mostly by the wealthy and by distinguished rabbis and scholars. The length of the mantle was to be a handbreadth shorter than that of the garment under it. After the exile of the Jews from Erez Israel and their dispersion, they came to adopt the fashions of their gentile neighbors more readily. The tallit was discarded as a daily habit and it became a religious garment for prayer; hence its later meaning of prayer shawl.
The tallit is usually white and made either of wool, cotton, or silk, although Maimonides and Alfasi objected to the use of the latter. Strictly observant Jews prefer tallitot made of coarse half-bleached lamb’s wool. In remembrance of the blue thread of the tzitzi, most tallitot have several blue stripes woven into the white material. Until recently, however, they only had black stripes.
Frequently the upper part of the tallit around the neck and on the shoulders has a special piece of cloth sewn with silver threads (called atarah) to mark the upper (ie: the collar) and the outer parts of the four-cornered prayer shawl. Some tallitot have the benediction, recited when putting on the tallit, woven into the atarah. Others, especially those made of silk, are often richly embroidered and some have the benediction woven into the entire cloth of the tallit. The minimum size of a tallit is that which would suffice to clothe a small child able to walk.
In most synagogue settings, the tallit is worn by men and women during the morning prayers (except on the Ninth of Av, when it is worn at the afternoon service), as well as during all Day of Atonement services.
Before putting on the prayer shawl the following benediction is said:
“Blessed art You, God, Ruler of the universe, Who has sanctified us by Your commandments, and has commanded us to wrap ourselves in the fringed garment.”
Generally, people pray with the tallit resting on their shoulders only. The custom of wearing the tallit differs in many communities. At Central Synagogue, the tallit is often part of the synagogue service garments of the rabbi and the cantor. Those called to the reading from the Torah often wear a tallit.
We are asking congregants to recall personal memories of Kol Nidre as we approach a new tradition this fall. Please send your thoughts by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
by Cantor Elizabeth K. Sacks
A crowd of people slowly streams into the synagogue. Inside the sanctuary, the lights are dimmed to reflect the sun setting outside. A hush falls over the congregation as the clergy, robed in white, open the ark to reveal the white-cloaked Torah scrolls. The rabbi gently hands each scroll to a member of the congregation. Everyone on the bimah turns to face the community.
And the cantor begins to sing.
The melody is at once familiar, soothing, and chilling. As the music gradually builds, the distance between the current moment and the same moment in years past slowly melts away. The scene is set. The memories of all of our Yom Kippur days swell inside us as we sing the Kol Nidre prayer.
Jewish music is infused with memory. Just as a particular scent or visual cue arouses specific memories, the music of our tradition links us to our Jewish experiences. A favorite tune can remind us of the camaraderie of Jewish summer camp, or the awe of a first trip to Israel, or the familiar warmth of Shabbat services. However, in addition to inspiring powerful individual memories, Jewish music also furthers our collective memory – the memory of our history and traditions as the People of Israel. This concept of collective memory manifests itself most clearly in our liturgical music through a series of melodies known as the MiSinai tunes.
MiSinai tunes, melodies thought to have come down from God to Moses on Mt. Sinai, unite Ashkenazi Jews of all denominations. We sing them consistently, year after year, and though the arrangements may change, the essence of the melody never dies. Mainly heard during High Holy Day and Festival services, examples include the High Holy Day Mi Chamocha, the Great Aleinu, and the opening paragraphs of the N’ilah Amidah. The tunes are exceedingly simple yet profound. They are moving because they have endured and they have endured because they are moving. For many people, it is not a complete holiday until they have heard these melodies. The MiSinai tunes are our collective musical memory. We have named them such because no one can remember a time without them.
One of the most famous and memorable MiSinai tunes is the Kol Nidre. Although this prayer is now the centerpiece of our Yom Kippur Evening service, the Kol Nidre was not always looked upon so favorably. In fact, as Rabbi Larry Hoffman explains in his commentary to Gates of Repentance, “more than anything else, it is [the] tune to which the ‘Kol Nidre’ owes its present appeal.” (115) From the first know citation of the prayer in the ninth century, Jewish leaders have been uncomfortable with the core idea of the text – the nullification of vows. While the Jewish community has always understood the Kol Nidre text to refer only to those rash vows made between individuals and God during moments of uncontrolled emotion, rabbis in the past feared that the prayer would be misunderstood by their surrounding society and would undermine the notion of a serious and ethical Judaism. This fear particularly vexed Reform rabbis in nineteenth century Germany as Jews were struggling to attain civil rights by proving that their religion reflected modern values. As a result, many Reform prayer books of that time omitted the Kol Nidre prayer.
While rabbinic distaste for the Kol Nidre grew over the years, the prayer actually began to gain popularity with congregations, mainly as a result of the Kol Nidre MiSinai tune. The text became attached to its particular MiSinai melody some time between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. By the seventeenth century, traveling cantors had disseminated the tune to Ashkenazic synagogues across Northern Europe. The tune and the text became inextricably linked. The memory of the tune and the emotions it conveyed strengthened from year to year and became part of our collective memory.
When Reform rabbis in the United States met in 1940 to discuss the revision of the 1922 Union Prayer Book, they therefore faced a significant challenge. The committee was extremely divided on whether to include the Kol Nidre. They ultimately decided to compromise. Although the text of the Kol Nidre would not appear in the revised version of the prayer book, the committee did include a line in the beginning of the service that read “The Kol Nidre chant.” Thus, the cantor would be able to sing the beloved melody, but the offensive text would not officially be included as part of our liturgy. So powerful was the memory of this MiSinai tune, that the music actually carried this prayer through our history against the wishes of our leadership. As Rabbi Hoffman explains,
What the Reform rabbis did not count on is the power of music and the will of the average congregants, who cared little about the theological or moral consequence of the Kol Nidre’s words relative to their fondness for the traditional melody, which obviously spoke very deeply to them of the mood and message of Yom Kippur. (117)
When the Central Conference of American Rabbis created our current Yom Kippur prayer book, Gates of Repentance, in 1970s, they returned the full text of the Kol Nidre to opening section of the Yom Kippur evening service. There the prayer remains – a testament to the strength of our collective musical memory.
Reading Suggestion: Hoffman, Lawrence A. , Gates of Understanding 2: Appreciating the Days of Awe. New York: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1984. Listening Suggestion: The Birthday of the World: Music and Tradition of the High Holy Days. Sung by The Western Wind and Guest Cantors. Narrated by Leonard Nemoy.
We are asking congregants to recall personal memories of Kol Nidre as we approach a new tradition this fall. Please send your thoughts by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Click to Enlarge
Kol Nidrei prayer from 1825 Yom Kippur Machzor (Prayer Book).
Click here to listen to Cantor Angela Warnick Buchdahl chant the Kol Nidrei prayer during the 2008/5769 Kol Nidrei Service held in our Main Sanctuary.
Translation of Kol Nidrei prayer by Philip Birnbaum from High Holyday Prayer Book, Hebrew Publishing Company, NY, 1951:
"In the tribunal of Heaven and the tribunal of earth, by the permission of God — praised be He — and by the permission of this holy congregation, we hold it lawful to pray with transgressors.“
"All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths".
"May all the people of Israel be forgiven, including all the strangers who live in their midst, for all the people are in fault.”
We are asking congregants to recall personal memories of Kol Nidrei as we approach a new tradition this fall. Please send your thoughts by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Dear Congregants,
Throughout the ages, the Kol Nidrei service has been the most powerful and significant service of the liturgical year. Held on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, it is the only service named for the opening words of its prayer: Kol nidrei (All vows).
Its words, set to a stirring melody, seem to tug at Jews in poignant and inexplicable ways. Yet, when we examine the literal translation of the prayer, we do not find passion in its meaning. Translated from the original Aramaic, the Philip Birnbaum edition of the traditional service reads:
All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths, be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths.
Most of us would recoil to know that, according to this prayer, we proactively and publicly renounce all the pledges we will make in the year to come. The power of this prayer, therefore, resides not in the words but in the personal memory - the community gathering as a Jewish people and our desire to be profoundly honest about ourselves as we seek forgiveness for our moral weakness and wrongdoing.
This year’s Kol Nidrei prayer service will be different than before. It is our aim as Central Synagogue’s clergy to augment the meaning, place and experience of the Kol Nidrei service by evoking three concepts we believe undergird our intensely visceral and emotional response to the chanting of Kol Nidrei. We presume that the prayer evokes memory, feelings of vulnerability and a sense of returning home. These are the themes that will be woven through the newly designed Yom Kippur eve – Kol Nidrei – service.
We hope and believe that these changes will encourage each of us to feel a strong and personal engagement in the significant meaning of this solemn Holy Day. In anticipation of this new tradition and so that you may glean a deeper understanding of the Kol Nidrei service, I invite you to take advantage of the resources offered here on our Web site.
Warmly,
We are asking congregants to recall personal memories of Kol Nidrei as we approach a new tradition this fall. Please send your thoughts by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
June 5, 2009
Naso II, Num 6:1-7:89
Haftarah-Judges 12:13-25
June 12, 2009
B’haalot’cha, Num. 8:1-12:16
Haftarah-Zechariah 2:14-4:7
June 20, 2009
Sh’lach L’cha, Num 13:1-15:41
Haftarah-Joshua 2:1-24
June 27, 2009
Korach, Num 16:1-18:32
Haftarah-I Samuel 11:14-12:22
July 3, 2009
Chukat-Balak, Num 19:1-25:9
Haftarah-Micah 5:6-6:8
July 10, 2009
Pinchas, Num 25:10-30:1
Haftarah-Jeremiah 1:1-2:3
July 17, 2009
Matot Mas’ei, Num 30:2-36:13
Haftarah-Jeremiah 2:4-28,3:4,4:1-2
July 24, 2009
D’varim, Deut 1:1-3:22
Haftarah-Isaiah 1:1-27
July 31, 2009
Va-et’chanan, Deut 3:23-7:11
Haftarah-Isaiah 40:1-26
August 7, 2009
Eikev, Deut 7:12-11:25
Haftarah-Isaiah 49:14-51:3
August 14, 2009
R’eih, Deut 11:26-16:17
Isaiah 54:11-55:5
August 21, 2009
Shof’tim, Deut 16:18-21:9
Haftarah-Isaiah 51:12-52:12
August 28, 2009
Ki Teitzei, Deut 21:10-25:19
Haftarah-Isaiah 54:1-10
The information on this page and the links to the right will help you keep abreast of important information regarding the upcoming High Holy Days.
If you are a member and have questions regarding your High Holy Days tickets, please email Amy Schwach at amy@censyn.org or call 212-508-3009.
If you are not a member but wish to purchase tickets to our Community High Holy Days Services, please email Gloria Armstrong at ArmstrongG@censyn.org or call 212-838-5122, ext. 2000.
“Days are scrolls; write on them only what you want remembered.”
Bachya ibn Pakuda
(an eleventh century rabbi, philosopher and author)
Beginning in June, we will be sending important information about the upcoming High Holy Days. This year, you will be able to submit guest ticket requests and Memory Book entries online. More information on how to do that will follow.
If you would like to volunteer as a shamash on High Holy Days, please click here
Making Passover Meaningful to Children
Passover Resources from the Union for Reform Judaism
Passover Recipes from the Union for Reform Judaism
IMPORTANT: To download the Audio(mp3) file to your computer/mp3 player, click on the title!
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe: You hallow us with Your Mitzvot, and command us to kindle the lights on Shabbat.
Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, Eh-lo-hei-nu meh-lech ha-o-lam,
a-sher ki-d'sha-nu b'mitz-vo-tav
v'tzi-va-nu l'had-lik ner shel Shabbat
We praise you, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
We praise you, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe: You call us holiness with the Mitzvah of Shabbat-the sign of Your love, a reminder of Your creative work, and of our liberation from Egyptian bondage: our day of days.
On Shabbat especially, we hearken to Your call to serve You as a holy people.
We praise you, O God, for the holiness of Sabbath.
Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, Eh-lo-hei-nu meh-lech ha-o-lam, bo-rei p'ri ha-ga-fen.
Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, Eh-lo-hei-nu meh-lech ha-o-lam, a-sher ki-d'sha-nu b'mitz-vo-tav v'ra-tza va-nu, v'sha-bat kod-sho b'a-ha-va u-v'ra-tzon hin-chi-la-nu, zi-ka-ron l'ma-a-sei v'rei-sheet.
Ki hu yom t'chi-la l'mik-ra-ei ko-desh, zei-cher li-tzi-at Mitz-ra-yim.
Ki va-nu va-char-ta v'o-ta-nu ki-dash-ta mi-kol ha-a-mim, v'sha-bat kod-sh'cha b'a-ha-va u-v'ra-tzon hin-chal-ta-nu. Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, m'ka-deish ha-Shabbat.
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, for You cause bread to come forth from the earth.
Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, Eh-lo-hei-nu meh-lech ha-o-lam,
ha-mo-tzi leh-chem min ha-a retz.
Praise the One to whom our praise is due!
Praised be the One to whom our praise is due, now and for ever!
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe: You have called us to Your service by giving us the Torah.
We praise You, O God, Giver of the Torah.
Bar'chu et adonai Ham'vorach (leader)
Baruch Adonai Ham'vorach l'olam va'ed - 2 X (congregation, then leader)
Baruch Atah Adonai
Eloheynu melech ha'olam
Asher bachar banu mikol ha'amim
V'natan lanu et Torato
Baruch Atah Adonai notein haTorah
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the Universe: You have given us a Torah of truth, implanting within us eternal life.
We praise You, O God, Giver of the Torah.
Baruch Atah Adonai
Eloheinu melech ha'olam
Asher natan lanu Torat Emet
V'chayei olam nata b'tocheinu
Baruch Atah Adonai notein haTorah
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe: You have called faithful prophets to speak words of truth.
We praise You, O God, for the revelation of Torah, for Moses You servant and Israel You people, and for the prophets of truth and righteousness.
Baruch Atah Adonai
Eloheinu melech ha'olam
Asher bachar binvi'im tovim
V'ratza v'divreihem hane'emarim be'emet
Baruch Atah Adonai habocheir baTorah
Uv'Moshe avdo uv'Yisrael amo,
Uvin'vi'ei ha'emet vatzadek
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, the Rock of all creation, the Righteous One of all generations, the faithful God whose word is deed, whose every command is just and true.
For the Torah, for the privilege of worship, for the prophets, and for this Sabbath day that You, our Eternal God, have given us for holiness and rest, for honor and glory, we thank and praise You.
May Your name be praised for ever by every living being.
We praise You, O God, for the Sabbath and its holiness.
Baruch Atah Adonai
Eloheinu melech ha'olam
Tzur kol ha'olamim
Tzadik b'chol hadorot,
Ha'eil hane'eman ha'omeir v'oseh
Ham'dabeir um'kayeim,
Shekol d'varav emet vatzadek
Al haTorah, v'al ha'avodah, v'al han'vi'im
V'al yom haShabbat hazeh
Shenatata lanu Adonai Eloheinu
Lik'dusha v'lin'nucha, l'chavod ul'thif'aret
Al hakol, Adonai Eloheinu
Aachnu modem lach um'var'chim otach
Yit'barach shim'cha b'fi kol chai
Tamid l'olam va'ed
Baruch Atah Adonai, m'kadeish haShabbat
The people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath in every generation as a covenant for all time.
It is a sign for ever between Me and the people of Israel.
For in six days the Eternal One made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day God rested and was refreshed.
V'sha-m'ru v'nei Yis-ra-eil et ha-sha-bat, la-a-sot et ha-sha-bat l'do-ro-tam, b'rit o-lam.
Bei-ni u-vein b'nei Yis-ra-eil ot hi l'o-lam.
Ki shei-shet ya-min a-sa Adonai et ha-sha-ma-yim v'et ha-a-retz, u-va-yom ha-sh'vi-i sha-vat va-yi-na-fash.
The people of Israel shall keep the Shabbath, observing the Shabbath in every generation as a covenant for all time.
It is a sign for ever between Me and the people of Israel.
For in six days the Eternal One made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day God rested and was refreshed.
V'sha-m'ru v'nei Yis-ra-eil et ha-sha-bat, la-a-sot et ha-sha-bat l'do-ro-tam, b'rit o-lam.
Bei-ni u-bein b'nei Yis-ra-eil ot hi l'o-lam.
Kishei-shet ya-min a-sa Adonai et ha-sha-ma-yim v'et ha-a-retz, u-va-yom ha-sh'vi-I sha-vat va-yi-na-fash.
We praise You, Eternal god, sovereign of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, Eh-lo-hei-nu meh-lech ha-o-lam, bo-rei p'ri ha-ga-fen.
You shall love your Eternal God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your being.
Set these words, which I command you this day, upon your heart.
Teach them faithfully to your children; speak of them in your home and on your way, when you lie down and when you rise up.
Bind them as a sign upon your hand; let them be symbols before your eyes; inscrive them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates.
Be mindful of all My Mitzvot, and do them: so shall you consecrate yourselves to your God.
I am your Eternal God who led you out of Egypt to be your God; I am your Eternal God.
V'a-hav-ta et Adonai Eh-lo-heh-sha b'chol l'va-v'cha u-v'chol naf-sh'cha u-v'chol m'o-deh-cha.
V'ha-yu ha-d'va-rim ha-ei-leh a-sher a-no-chi m'tza-v'cha ha-yom al l'va-veh-cha.
V'shi-nan-tam l'va-neh-cha v'di-bar-ta bam b'shiv-t'cha b'vei-the-cha u-v'lech-t'cha va'deh-rech u-v'shoch-b'cha u-v'ki-meh-cha.
U-k'shar-tam l'ot al ya-deh-cha v'ha-yu l'to-ta-fot bein ei-neh-cha; u-ch'tav-tam al m'zu-zot bei-the-cha u-vi-sh'a-reh-cha.
L'ma-an tiz-k'ru va-a-si-tem et kol mitz-vo-tai, vi-h'yi-tem k'do-shim lei-lo-hei-chem.
Ani adonai Eh-lo-hei-chem a-sher ho-tzei-ti et-chem mei-eh-retz mitz-ra-yim li-h'yot la-chem lei-lo-him.
Ani Adonai Eh-lo-hei-chem.
Praised be our God, the God of our fathers and our mothers: God of Abraham, god of Isaac, and God of Jacob; God of Sarah, god of Rebekah, God of Leah and god fo Rachel; great, mighty, and awesome God, God supreme.
Ruler of all the living, Your ways are ways of love.
You remember the faithfulness of our ancestors, and in love bring redemption to their children's children for the sake of Your name.
You are our Sovereign and our Help, our Redeemer and our Shield.
We praise You, Eternal One, Shield of Abraham, Protector of Sarah.
Ba-ruch A-ta Adonai, Eh-lo-hei-nu Vei-lo-hei a-vo-tei-nu v'i-mo-tei-nu:
Eh-lo-hei Av-ra-ham, eh-lo-hei Titz-chak, vei-lo-hei Ya-a-kov.
Eh-lo-hei Sa-ra, Eh-lo-hei Riv-ka, Eh-lo-hei Lei-a vei-lo-hei Ra-cheil.
Ha-eil ha-ga-dol ha-gi-bor v'ha-no-ra, Eil el-yon, go-meil cha-sa-dim
To-vim, v'ko-nei ha-kol, v'zo-cheir cha-s'dei a-vot v'i-ma'hot,
u-mei-vi g'u-la li-v'nei v'nei-hem, l'ma-an sh'mo,b'a-ha-va
Meh-lech o-zeir u-mo-shi-a u-ma-gein.
Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, ma-gein Av-ra-ham v'ez-rat Sa-ra.
Eternal is Your might, O God; all life is Your gift; Great is Your power to save!
With love You sustain the living, with great compassion give life to all.
You send help to the falling and healing to the sick; You bring freedom to the captive and keep faith with those who sleep in the dust.
Who is like You, Mighty One, Author of life and death, Source of salvation?
We praise You, O God, the Source of life.
A-ta gi-bor l'o-lam, adonai, m'cha-yei ha-kol a-ta, rav l-ho-shi-a.
M'chal-keil cha-yim b'cheh-sed, m'cha-yei ha-kol b'ra-cha-mim ra-bim.
So-meich no-f'ilm, v'ro-fei cho-lim, u-ma-tir a-su-rim, u-m'ka-yeim eh-mu-na-to li-shei-nei a-far.
Mi cha-mo-cha ba-al g'vu-rot, u-mi do-meh lach, meh-lech mei-mit u-m'cha-yeh u-matz-mi-ach y'shu-a?
V'neh-eh-man a-ta l'ha-cha-yot ha-kol.
Ba-ruch a-ta Adona, m'cha-yei ha-kol.
Click here to learn many of our Shabbat blessings such as the Candle Blessing, the Friday evening Kiddush, and blessings before and after the Torah reading.
Congregants can call in to hear the Shabbat services. Dial 1-888-758-7870. At the prompt, use the following passcode: 5992969. This call-in program is made possible through the generosity of the Youngwood family and friends in memory of Judith G. Youngwood.
We are making our weekly services available via the MP3 format for our users to listen and carry with them. These files are easily downloaded and burned to CD or transferred to your favorite MP3 player.
As part of our commitment to our community, Central Synagogue is pleased to offer online streaming of services. To view the services, simply visit this page when services are taking place.
Central Synagogue has been blessed with a long and rich musical history. Over the years our cantors and musical directors have helped shape the experience of worship at Central Synagogue and throughout the larger Reform movement as well. As our community grows and changes, our melodies and musical arrangements reflect our evolving identity.
Click here to learn many of our Shabbat blessings such as the Candle Blessing, the Friday evening Kiddush, and blessings before and after the Torah reading.
Phone: 212-838-5122, ext. 1013
Email: dorfmanp@censyn.org
Ritual Specialist Sheera Ben-David and organist Dave Strickland lead Central Sings! - Central Synagogue’s adult Congregational Choir. The Central Synagogue Youth Choir is led by Cantors Buchdahl and Sacks. Both choirs sing at special services and holiday celebrations throughout the year. Please contact Paul in the Cantor’s office if you or your children would like to be added to the Central Sings! or Teen Choir mailing list. Please consider adding your voice to the choirs of Central Synagogue!
Audio is available as MP3 files for download to your computer and transfer to iPod or other media device. The music on these files is authorized to Central Synagogue for educational purposes only. It cannot be sold.
At Central Synagogue, we strive to foster a sense of community within our large congregation, and endeavor to engage children and families in a variety of Jewish experiences, from classroom education to holiday celebrations. While many intimate connections are made within our Nursery and Religious School and teen programs, we firmly believe that the family unit can develop these relationships together as well. To that aim, since we know Jewish holidays and life cycle events provide a framework for gathering together, we offer a few variations on Shabbat for families to enjoy together.
Tot Shabbat occurs twice a month: either on Friday night or Saturday morning. We hold Tot Shabbat services for families with pre-school age children. For many of us, we have warm memories of experiencing Shabbat as children, and we hope to encourage similar memories in your children. All Tot Shabbats are visited by a member of the clergy, along with Cantorial Intern Sheera Ben David or musician Joanie Leeds. Join us for songs, stories and words of prayer. Snacks are served at the conclusion of every session. Upcoming 2011-12 Tot Shabbats listed here.
Shabbat Mishpachah, family Shabbat, is a monthly program designed especially for graduates of our Tot Shabbat programs, and our students in kindergarten through fourth grade. At Shabbat Mishpachah, parents and children join together in the Sanctuary at 6:00 pm to welcome Shabbat with the congregation. Then the children head downstairs to the Pavilion for an age-appropriate service led by Jonah Freelander, full time teacher, a member of the clergy and other members of our full time teacher team. Children rejoin their parents in the Sanctuary for the conclusion of the prayer service.
For Upcoming Shabbat Programs for Children and Families visit the Religious School.
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