This dianthus is the last flower in my front yard, other than a straggly, lanky, tall yellow snapdragon. It waves its purplish pink petals at us, like a flag of surrender to the oncoming winter months.
Today’s Flowers is hosted by Luiz Santilli Jr. Thank you, Luiz, for this lovely and comforting meme.
Bad news is all over. If you take it all in, if you identify with every single story on the news, you will not be able to function. On the other hand, if you bury your head in the sand, you will not understand who is attacking whom and how it might effect you and your family.
My father was a young teen living in Brooklyn, New York during World War II. He told me that sometimes, when he is in a basement and he sees someone with heavy boots walking by, he imagines in his head that the boots belong to Nazi soldiers. They don’t, and thanks to brave American, British and Russian soldiers the Nazis never set foot in New York, but that early memory of terror still lives inside. Even in those days when news came only through newspaper or radio, it resonated in the head of a young person.
On Friday morning, concerned about the situation in Mumbai, I looked in Twitter and read the tweet of an also concerned person: ” Is it just me or is this situation in Mumbai w/ the Rabbis driving you crazy too? I’m obsessed & worried as if I knew them.” I tweeted back (you only get 140 characters in these tweets): “it is a skill to learn to back off of the news and to modulate. Let it in in bits, but then get back to your life.”
And now I am going to take my own advice and post only a few of the memorable posts in response to the horrible tragedy in Mumbai:
May the families find comfort. May the world understand good and evil and find a proper path to deal with the evil.
I look forward to posting Today’s Flowers tomorrow. That meme is always a source of comfort for me.
This watercolor is available for a limited time (until I do another one I like a lot!) for purchase as a greeting card at my Cafepress store.
Outside the Galil Mountain Winery, Northern Israel
Let’s say your teenage or college age child goes away to school. How do you supply funds?
In this week’s parsha of Toldot, Yitzchak gives a blessing to his two sons, one to Esav and one to Yaakov.
Here’s Yaakov’s blessing (Genesis 27:28) —
וְיִתֶּן-לְךָ, הָאֱלֹהִים, מִטַּל הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּמִשְׁמַנֵּי הָאָרֶץ--וְרֹב דָּגָן, וְתִירֹשׁ.
May God give you the dew of the heavens and the fatness of the earth, and abundant grain and wine.
Rabbi Frand (from Rabbi Frand on the Parashah 2) wonders why is the term for God here Elo-kim, which represents the Attribute of Divine Justice? Why not the Attribute of Mercy?
Rabbi Frand tells us Rashi’s explanation:
Although Yitzchak blessed Yaakov with much abundance, he made those blessings conditional. Yaakov has to deserve the abundance; the blessings would only come to fruition during those times that his descendants keep the Torah and mitzvos.
In contrast, here’s Esav’s blessing (Genesis 27:39) —: And Isaac his father answered and said unto him: Behold, of the fat places of the earth shall be thy dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from above;
וַיַּעַן יִצְחָק אָבִיו, וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו: הִנֵּה מִשְׁמַנֵּי הָאָרֶץ, יִהְיֶה מוֹשָׁבֶךָ, וּמִטַּל הַשָּׁמַיִם, מֵעָל
Esav’s blessing seems to be unconditional, with no strings attached. Why does Yaakov, the righteous son, only receive a conditional blessing, while the wicked Esav is blessed with guaranteed wealth?
Go back and review the choices I gave for how a parent could fund a child. If the parent gives a credit card, that is like Esav’s blessing. He doesn’t need to contact his parents further. Yaakov, on the other hand, needs to check in with his parents, to phone home, to maintain a relationship with God by doing mitzvot and keeping the Torah.
I would prefer just to be writing about the sunset my daughter and I saw on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park earlier this week. When we got into the car and I took my camera, she made me promise not to photograph any flowers on our trip. But she didn’t say anything about sunsets.
Unfortunately, there is too much urban drama going on in the home city of photo blogger magiceye. As I type this post, I am wondering about the safety of the Chabad rabbi and his wife, trapped by terrorists in the Nariman house in Mumbai. (Update: Chabad Rabbi and his wife in Nariman house reported killedtortured and then murdered, and more than 125 too many reported dead in Mumbai). Thank you to Dina in Jerusalem for posting about this. To use Twitter for updates, go to http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23mumbai or click http://hashtags.org/tag/mumbai/. For updates on Chabad, http://search.twitter.com/search?q=nariman (Nariman is the name of the Chabad house in Mumbai).
An upsetting post about the Taj by an eyewitness
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’ll say I’m thankful that there is an America.
For more Skywatch participants, please visit:
An acorn squash among my parsley
First, bake the acorn squash until tender. I bake the squash whole for about an hour in a 350° oven. You can do the baking the day before you use it, if you like.
Now prepare your stuffing. You have so many choices! Klara sent me a few of her ideas, so if the ingredient was Klara’s idea, I’ll say so. (Thank you, Klara). And thanks for some mango tips from Helen and from Alyssa. Helen's suggestion: mango Alyssa's suggestion: Costco's mango salsa (brand is Santa Barbara and it has an O-U kosher certification - thanks, Helen) For even more ideas, see Mimi in her Israeli Kitchen on Stuffed Stuff. Mix your stuffing ingredients, cut your squash in half, stuff each half, and bake in a casserole dish for about twenty minutes before serving. Happy creating, and happy Thanksgiving.
Meat
- For carnivores, sauté some onions in a bit of olive oil. Add chopped meat (hamburger meat). When chopped meat is cooked, you have a meat ingredient.
Dairy
- If you want just a bit of cheesy flavor, add some of your favorite hard cheese to the stuffing.
Vegan or Pareve Ingredients
You could make your squash with just pareve ingredients, if you like. Or you can mix it some of these pareve ingredients with your chopped meat. Or you can mix the pareve ingredients with a bit of cheese. (As I keep kosher, I wouldn't dare think of mixing the dairy and meat in one dish).
Grain Possibilities
I like mixing in cooked whole grains in my stuffing: brown rice, wild rice, millet, couscous, bulghur wheat, barley, kasha, quinoa or oatmeal. You could also mix in some leftover bread, such as challah or a multigrain bread. Soak and drain the dried bread before using.
Herbs one could use
So many! Try parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, depending on what you like and what is available locally. Chop and add to your mixed grains.
Vegetable Ideas
Klara told me she loves stuffed squash with shitake mushrooms. Sounds delightful to me!
One could also use: tomatoes, onions, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic or celery. You will probably want to cook one of these ingredients a bit before using, either steam or sauté.
Fruit
You can even add fruit: chopped apple, cranberries, raisins or clementines. Lemon juice or fresh orange juice can add nice flavor, too.
Beans, Nuts
You would definitely need to use cooked beans. If you don't feel up to cooking some beans, there are many varieties that come in a can (cannellini, great northern beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, to name a few). For nuts, I would mash in the food processor first.
Soy Products
Klara suggested tofu (cubed or mashed), seitan or tempeh (best marinated and then cooked).
Spices
Salt, pepper, turmeric, oregano, cumin, coriander are all possibilities, but I wouldn't put in too many different spices in one dish.
Combo Ideas
rosemary, thyme, and parsley in my squash. MMMMmmmmmm.. ... (A Klara acquaintance)
