Newsletter:
Passover 2003
Volume 3, Issue 1
The
"Global Village" Congregation | Passover
2003 | Calendar of Events | A
Wedding on Saturday? | Mazel Tovs
| Revisioning the Seder | Feed
the Body While you Feed the Soul
To
Prepare for Passover
Review
the following Biblical References:
- The
Book of Esther
- Exodus
Chapters 12 and 13
- Deuteronomy
Chapters 7 and 16
- 2
Chronicles Chapters 30 and 35
- Joshua
Chapter 5
The
“Global Village” Congregation
Temple Shabbat Shalom
How
do we define ourselves within the community?
Try this short poem? Me? We.
My “Me” becomes “We” as I work
together with you
to become community. We “find” ourselves in
community and the primary community is the Home.
Our goal at Temple Shabbat Shalom is to offer a
model to congregants on how to turn your home into
a Temple. Since our community is scattered around
the world we need to make special efforts to remain
connected and networked. Our website is expanding
to include a virtual tour of the home as a Temple.
We await your comments so that we may continue
to serve your need to find community. We look
forward to hearing from you.
Rabbi
Aryeh and Karen Alpern
Passover
2003 Shalom
and Blessings:
Preparing for Passover
The
Rabbis teach: “We research and discuss the traditions
of Passover thirty days before the Holyday. Check your
calendar and you will see this backs us up to the holiday
of Purim. Purim revolves around the Scroll of Esther.
I recommend that each of you read the Book of Esther before
Passover.
Esther,
in the book named after her, is a female messiah, a savior
of our people. In contrast to Passover the Book of Esther
contains no apparent miracles and no divine supernatural
interventions to save our people. The entire narrative
is enigmatic. God is not directly mentioned in the Esther
story. In fact, the very name Esther means hidden. Is
she a female Moses? Moses’ role is “revelation”.
What about Esther?
On
Purim we become intoxicated attempting to distinguish
the curse of evil Haman and the blessing of our saviors
Esther and Mordechai. On Passover we drink four cups of
wine and soberly discuss bondage and liberation. Some
elements of Purim, however, spill over into Passover.
Moses
is not mentioned directly in the Haggadah, the narrative
of the story of our liberation from Pharaoh. The Maggid,
the first telling of the Exodus story credits God with
the Liberation. What were the Rabbis thinking?
As
we prepare for Passover we consider the role of each participant
at the Seder. Freud’s Father recited the entire
narrative from memory at his Seder. That patriarch created
an entirely new Egypt. We are in bondage, each of us in
every generation, if we do not become our own saviors
and save our own lives. God is not mentioned on Purim
because there is no need to state the obvious. A leader
like Moses will redeem our nation from a history filled
with the plagues of irrational hatred, oppression and
violence. In the meantime we prepare to liberate a slave
from bondage, ourselves.
Calendar
of Events
| Purim |
Sundown
March 17th |
| Passover
Begins |
Sundown
April 16th |
| Passover
Ends |
Sundown
April 24th |
| Shavout
(Pentecost) |
Sundown
June 5th |
Introduction
to Jewish Mysticism and Kabballah
Begins March 18th at 7PM
August
Service and Study Group
We will study the prophetic visions of Isaiah
on the Sabbath of Comforting.
Call for reservations 518-893-0808.
A
Wedding on Saturday?
At
weddings I teach that Shabbat is a Temple in Time-a honeymoon
each week. The spirit of Shabbat is summed up in the Ten
Commandments: To Remember and Observe the day and keep
it Holy. According to Rabbi Pinchas Peli of Jerusalem,
if we were to condense all of Judaism- it’s faith,
thought, life, poetry and dreams – into a single
word- that word would be Shabbat. Rabbi Peli has Orthodoxy
to define ritual, to give Shabbat a structure. What about
those of us who are not Orthodox?
The
Sabbath is a major teaching of Biblical religion. The
verses about Shabbat are limited but the ritualistic rules
make up a thick volume in the Talmud. These rules are
“mountains hanging from a single thread”.
The rules are a “fence around the Torah” to
protect the teachings and the holy mountain. What do we
do if the fence keeps us out?
What
about a wedding on Shabbat?
We
greet the Shabbat- We sing Lecha Dodi – “Come
my beloved, come greet the bride”. The Shabbat is
personified as a bride! Shabbat is a wedding.
I
imagine the ideal Shabbat would be a wedding within a
wedding. Family and friends seated around a great table
experiencing the intimacy of Shabbat. Bride and Groom
retire to their chamber on Mitzvah Night. An entire day
set aside for family values. A day for recreation, picnics,
fun and prayer.
Shabbat
will become a reality when we accept the invitation to
the wedding, the honeymoon and the family time that weekly
bridges the generation gap.
Shabbat
is a wedding, so have your wedding on Saturday or Friday
night.
Shabbat
Shalom,
Rabbi Alpern
Mazel
Tovs
2003
Newlyweds
Amanda & Brian-Ohio
Brian & Cara – Pennsylvania
2003
New Born
Lucas Ian- to Deb & Steve Dempsey
2003
Newlyweds to Be
Stu & Colleen-Pittsburgh
Arthur & Elizabeth-Massachusetts
Matt & Alisa-Maine
Yamini & Ben- Philadelphia
Jonathan & Monica-NY
Melissa & Emile- Lake Placid
Susan & Mark- Saratoga Springs
Jennifer & Kevin- California
Kate & Marc- Connecticut
Glen & Marissa-Union Chapel
Lori & John- NY
Ellen & Michael-Saranac Lake
Melissa & Dan- Fairport, NY
Ken & Jenny-Brant Lake
Neil & Carrie- Sagamore,Lake George
Andrew & Carrie- NY
Heather & Scott-Woodstock, Connecticut
Matt & Leslie- Geneva, NY
Jonathan & Emily-Ottawa
Raina & George- Naples, Florida
Michelle & John- Minneapolis
2004
Renewals and Weddings
Reg & Gail- Ottawa
Scot and Shauna- NY
Happy
Anniversary
Rachel & Alvis-March 10
Patricia &Morris – March 31
Gail & Doug- April 21
Amelia & Schuyler- April 22
Julie & Matt- May 4
Lisa & Jason- May 6
Audrey & Mike- May 18
Karen & Jake- May 25
Amy & Jay- May 27
Eva & David- June 1
Jamie & Matt-June 2
Wendy & Loal- June 2
Michele & Mark – June 9
Michelina & Alec- June 10
Josh & Rona- June 15
Rita & Jason- June 16
Christine & Ed- June 16
Fred & Sarah- June 16
Lisa & Jim- June 22
Janice & Dan- June 23
Lianne & Tony-June 23
Joe & Wendy- June 29
Brett & Arley—June 29
Joel & Sonya- June 20
Revisioning
the Seder
I
am a traditionalist at heart and I approach the Seder
text, the Haggaddah, with awe and respect. I
love the Hebrew and songs, each and everyone of them.
Revisions of the Haggaddah often dismay me. I
am not comfortable with rote updates nor do I endorse
a patriarchal Seder in Hebrew that few can understand.
I
recommend a complete review of the traditional Haggaddah
weeks before the Seder with all who will be involved choosing
parts. In a traditional family the children understand
how unusual it is to wash the hands and speak and eat
hors d’oeuvres before blessing bread. Modern families
who do not weekly follow this ritual are clueless and
children have no idea they should question. Remember the
original order of the Seder placed the reading of the
Haggaddah after the meal. This is our approach.
Recite
Kiddish on the wine. Speak from the heart about
the sanctity of the moment, the sacredness of Family and
thank God for allowing you to reach this moment.
Explain
to all that this evening will be different from all others
and this Seder is different from all other Seders. First
explain to the youngest the meaning of the Exodus in terms
they understand. Explain that the Haggaddah text
will be the basis of table talk this evening.
EAT.
While
discussing the basics at the Table explain that a Seder
after the Seder will take place that will last to the
morning. Invite those who are so “inclined”
to discuss every dimension of the Story to join you for
this fifth cup of wine, Elijah’s poets Seder.
The
Poets Seder
Thirty days before the Seder ransack your library to prepare.
Begin with the Five Books of Moses. Move on to the conquest,
the Judges, Kings, Prophets and discuss Leadership and
Exile.
Elijah
leads the Poets Seder so prepare your list of questions
for the Prophet.
Elijah
announces redemption and religion that is a song of songs
not a confusing of fundamentals with fundamentalism. Elijah
will teach how to update the Holy Bible and understand
what the God of History has been up to the past two thousand
years!
This
Seder brings us to the dawn.
Listen
Israel-then the Lord is our God-then the Lord will be
one.
Amen.
Sealah. Happy Poetic Passover.
Rabbi
Alpern
Feed
the Body While you Feed the Soul
Traditional
Hamantashen
Makes about 20 small pastries
For
the filling you will need:
1 pound uncooked prunes
1 small apple
2 teaspoons honey
knife, cutting board, medium sauce pan, chopping bowl,
chopping knife, medium mixing bowl, grater, measuring
spoons
1.
Put the prunes in the pan. Add enough water to cover.
Bring to a boil and cook at medium heat for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat. Let the prunes cool. Take out the pits.
Chop or grind the prunes and put them in the bowl.
2. Wash and grate the apple and add it to the prunes.
Add the honey and mix well. Set the filling aside.
To
make the dough and shape the hamantashen, you will need:
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
2-3 tablespoons water
bowl of prune filling
extra flour for coating board & rolling pin
2
cookie sheets, large mixing bowl, fork, mixing spoon,
pastry board, rolling pin, 2 teaspoons
To
Make the Hamantashen:
1. Grease the cookie sheets
2. Put the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt into the
bowl. Mix well, counting 35-40 strokes, to blend thoroughly.
3. Cut the butter into little pieces and add to the bowl.
Mix with the fork or with your hands until you have an
even crumbly mixture. Be patient-it’ll take a few
minutes. Add the egg and water. Mix until dough sticks
together in a ball.
4. Wash your hands if they are sticky. Sprinkle flour
on the board, the rolling pin, and your hands. Leave a
little extra flour on the back corner of the board.
5.
Pinch off a piece of dough. Roll it between your hands
into a 1 1/2 inch round ball. Dip the ball in the extra
flour. Roll it flat with the rolling pin. To about 1/8
inch thickness. More experienced cooks may roll out all
the dough and cut circles with a cookie cutter.
6. Take a teaspoon, scrape the filling off into the middle
of the dough.
7. Fold three edges of the dough and pinch them together
to make a triangle. Put it on the cookie sheet. Repeat
steps 5,6, and 7 until you have used up all of the dough.
8. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees. When it is warm, put
all the cookie sheets and bake for 20 minutes.
There
are two other mixtures you can use to fill your Hamantashen:
1. Soak 1 cup poppy seeds overnight. Drain them. Grind
in a food grinder. Add 4 tablespoons of honey and mix.
2. Mix 3 ounces of cream cheese or farmers cheese, 2 tablespoons
jam and 1/2 cup chopped nuts.
We’d like to hear
from all of you:
Rabbi & Karen Alpern
518-893-0808 or RabbiAlpern@aol.com
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