Category Archives: March
A HEARTFELT THANK YOU
I want to express my sincere thanks to Meriam and Nadyne for helping with the oneg, and to Nancy Green for the countless hours she has spent cleaning and reorganizing the closet.
KREPLACH
Kreplach are small pasta dough triangles filled with ground meat or mashed potatoes. Similar to dumplings, they are sometimes called Jewish ravioli or Jewish wonton. Sometimes kreplach is boiled and served in soup. Other times kreplach is fried and served as a side dish. It is customary to eat kreplach before the Yom Kippur fast, on the last day of Sukkot, and on Purim.
Why do Jews eat kreplach on Purim?
Some say that kreplach, stuffed cabbage and other foods with fillings are eaten on Purim because the hidden filling is reminiscent of the surprises and secret meanings wrapped up inside the Purim story.
Another explanation for the Purim kreplach eating tradition centers on the chopped meat in the kreplach. Jews in Eastern Europe began to eat food that had been chopped or beaten on Purim to be consistent with the Purim tradition to make noise, stomp feet, clap hands whenever Haman’s name is mentioned during the reading of the Book of Esther.
A final explanation for why Jews eat kreplach on Purim comes from Alfred J. Kolatch’s The Jewish Book of Why. Kolatch writes that the kreplach’s triangular shape symbolizes the three Jewish patriarch (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). And it was from her antecedents that Esther derived the strength she needed to save the Jews from annihilation in Persia.
KREPLACH
by Sharon Lebewohl and Rena Bulkin
From The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook
Ingredients
Wrappers:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons cold water
1 egg, beaten, for binding kreplach
1 tablespoon salt
<Meat filling:
2 tablespoons corn oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 pound chopmeat
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Potato filling:
2 tablespoons corn oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
1 egg yolk
1 cup cooked mashed potato
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced scallions
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cheese filling:
1 cup farmer cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
Preparation: Prepare 1 of the 3 fillings and refrigerate before you begin preparing dough:
Meat Filling
1. Heat corn oil in a skillet; sauté onions until nicely browned, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Add meat to the pan and sauté on high heat, stirring frequently until all meat is browned. Put the onions back in, and sauté with meat, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Let cool.
2. In a bowl, thoroughly mix meat-onion mixture with all remaining ingredients.
Potato Filling
1. Heat corn oil in a skillet, and sauté onions until nicely browned. At the last minute, add garlic, which browns quickly.
2. In a large bowl, combine onion-garlic mixture with all other ingredients, and blend thoroughly.
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and blend thoroughly.
Make wrappers and cook:
1. Sift flour and 1 teaspoon salt into a large bowl, and create a well in the center.
2. Pour eggs into the well, and, wetting your hands, knead into a dough. Add water, and continue kneading until dough is smooth. Roll dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover the bowl with a damp cloth, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. On a well-floured board, roll dough as close as possible to paper-thinness with a floured rolling pin. Cut into 2-inch squares. You can roll each individual square a bit thinner before you fill it. Have bowl with beaten egg, a teaspoon, and filling at hand.
4. Place a flatware teaspoon of filling in the center of the square and fold diagonally to create a triangle. Seal sides with egg mixture.
5. Bring a pot of water to a vigorous boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, drop in the kreplach, and cook for 20 minutes. Serve in chicken soup or, for dairy fillings, with sour cream and fried onions. Makes about 30.
Variations:
Easy Kreplach
Kreplach is much easier to make if you start out with commercial wonton skins for wrappers.
Ingredients:
1½ cup cooked chicken
¼ cupchopped onion
2 tablespoons schmaltz
Grivens, (if you have any)
Salt and Pepper
1 pack Won ton skins
Directions:
Place 1 teaspoon of meat filling in center of each won ton skin and fold into triangles. Pinch sides together. It helps to moisten the edges so they will form a better seal. Let stand on floured surface for 15 minutes to prevent sticking or opening during cooking. Drop into boiling salted water or soup. Cook about 15 minutes. Also good deep-fried. Makes about 15.
Cherry Kreplach
These are traditional at Shavuot, which happily occurs when cherries are in season. Instead of using canned cherries, stew a pound of fresh cherries in 1 cup water and sugar to taste. Don’t overcook them.
Kreplach are given different shapes in different places. Polish Jews often fold them into ear-shaped pieces (uzhki), while others shape them like ravioli. When the dough pockets are made in half-moons, they are called cherry varnishkes. To make pareve cherry kreplach, boil the cherry syrup with 2 teaspoons cornstarch until thickened, then let cool before using.
dough: pareve; filling: dairy
Ingredients: (serves 8)
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
about 5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Filling and topping
1 can (16 ounces) pitted sweet cherries
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Method:
1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the water until smooth. Gradually add 3 cups of the flour and the salt and sugar, beating constantly to form a stiff dough.
2. Sprinkle your work surface generously with flour. Turn out the dough, and knead thoroughly, adding more flour if necessary, until it no longer sticks to your hands or the work surface.
3. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
4. Roll out dough on a floured surface and use a wine glass or cookie cutter to cut out 3-inch rounds of dough.
5. Drain the cherries and place 2 cherries on each round. Fold the dough in half like a turnover.
6. Moisten the edges and pinch them together, or press with the tines of a fork to seal.
7. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the kreplach and bring back to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to prevent the water from boiling over, then increase heat again and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Drain the kreplach, then serve with sour cream and cinnamon. If pareve, serve sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.
TEN REASONS FOR CELEBRATING PURIM
1. Making noise in shul is a mitzvah.
2. Levity is not reserved for the Levites.
3. If you’re having a bad hair day, you can always wear a mask & no one will know who you are.
4. Purim is easier to spell than Khanuka, Chanukah, Chanuka, Hanuka — the Hebrew name for the Festival of Lights.
5. You don’t have to kasher your home and change all the pots and dishes.
6. You don’t have to build a sukkah and eat outside.
7. You get to drink wine & you don’t have to stand for Kiddush.
8. Mordechai – 1; Haman – 0.
9. You won’t get hit in the eye by a lulav.
10. You can’t eat hamentaschen on Yom Kippur.
11. Mordechai – 1 ; Haman – 0!!!!
ADAR: CELEBRATING PURIM, EXPERIENCING JOY By Student Rabbi Rebecca Reice
The Hebrew month of Adar started last Friday (February 23). Adar is a unique month on the Hebrew calendar. In fact, when the Jewish calendar has a leap year, the entire month is repeated. We have a leap year on the Gregorian calendar this year, adding February 29. In a Jewish leap year, there is Adar I and Adar II. Not 12 months, but 13! Of all of the Hebrew months, why would the ancient rabbis, who established our calendar, choose to double Adar?
The last words on page 29a of tractate Ta’anit in the Babylonian Talmud states: משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה (Mishenichnas Adar marbim b’simcha) or “when [the month of] Adar enters (meaning: begins) joy increases.” This statement establishes the entire month of Adar, the month of Purim, as the high point of rejoicing on the Jewish calendar. I think this statement is the answer to the question of doubling. If we are going to have an extra month, shouldn’t it be a month of joy?!
But, what does it mean for joy to increase at the beginning of a month? I think it means that the winter months are starting to give way to spring (at least in the land of Israel). I think it means that it is starting to get lighter, with every passing day growing gradually longer. I think it means we celebrate a festival of joy and silliness, called Purim (literally meaning “lots,” as in the phrase “drawing lots”).
Most of all, I think the joy from the month emanates from the Festival of Purim and the story of Purim. It is the upside down victory of the Book of Esther, the scroll read at Purim, which specifically maximizes the joy for me. In the narrative of the Book of Esther, the Jews of the ancient Persian Empire are brought near to destruction by the king’s wicked adviser Haman. In the end, after much intrigue, the Jewish people see Haman and his sons destroyed and they are saved from his plot. I believe it is this brush with destruction, and experience of salvation, that enhances the sweetness of our celebration.
This Friday night, we will engage in a few of the classic traditions of the Festival of Purim. For example, people will come to services in costume. In the Book of Esther, Esther hides her Jewish identity and reveals it at a key moment in the Book. We disguise ourselves, masquerading as characters from the Book of Esther, from popular culture, and from our own imaginations. On Friday night, we will tell the story of the Book of Esther, including a Beatles-themed retelling or spiel. Our Erev Shabbat/Friday night worship will reflect the upside down nature of the holiday of Purim and add to the silliness and celebration. Listen for the page numbers, so you don’t get lost!
All in all, the most important part of Adar is that you join in the celebration. Eat a delicious meal. Give presents, especially tasty foods, to your friends. Donate to charity, to spread the joy to people who are struggling. Dress in costume. Laugh, a lot. Let go of the decorum of other holidays and embrace the silly fun!
PURIM IN RHYME
The Book of Esther in Rhyme
By Fay Kranz Greene
It happened in the days of Achashverosh the King
A boor and a fool to boot
He made a great feast for the nations he ruled
To display his treasures and loot
He had no shame, did not fear G-d’s name
The fortune was not his to keep
It was stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem
Which lay in a sorrowful heap
Yet invitations were sent addressed to the Jews
At the palace to celebrate
Though they were warned, they did not stay away
And G-d’s anger was kindled, irate
The festivities lasted one hundred eighty days
The wine and the spirits flew
Destruction and deliverance were being prepared
But at the time, nobody knew
The drunken king ordered Queen Vashti to appear
She refused him unceremoniously
Upon advice from his court he cut her head off
And regretted it almost instantaneously
So a beauty pageant was quickly announced
To choose a new queen in her stead
All the maidens vied for this honor so great
But beautiful Esther was filled with dread
Her kinsman was Mordechai, a Jew so renowned
Her lineage from King Saul’s royal gene
She tried to hide, but fate would not be denied
Achashverosh chose her as his new queen
Mordechai gave her instructions precise
To the palace he came every day
Esther was not to reveal her nation of birth
Yet remain Jewish in every way
The stage was now set for Jewish salvation
Esther was a powerful force
She urged Acheshverosh to choose an advisor
The Jew Mordechai, of course
One day Mordechai heard two soldiers plot
To kill the king was their aim
He told it to Esther who saved the king’s life
But gave credit to Mordechai by name
Now an ill wind was brewing for the Jewish nation
In the guise of Haman the Aggagite
The royal ring was bestowed on him by the king
Though he was a wicked anti-Semite
Haman was proud, he preened at the gates
He commanded all to bow
But Mordechai refused, he said I’m a Jew
And my G-d does not allow
Haman wanted revenge on all the Jews
To annihilate them was his vow
He’d slaughter them all on one bloody day
The only question was how?
But this evil man thought of a plan
He devised a kind of lottery
To determine the date for the poor Jews’ fate
The thirteenth of Adar it was to be
Now Haman pleaded his case to the King
That the Jews were of no use at all
Achashverosh agreed, and it was quickly decreed
That our people were slated to fall
When Mordechai learned of this treachery
Sackcloth and ashes he donned
Weeping and wailing he ran through the streets
Knowing Esther would surely respond
Dear Esther, he said, your time has arrived
For this you were chosen as queen
To plead on the throne on behalf of your folk
Divine providence can clearly be seen
For her people Esther would risk her life
She had but one request to make
For three days the Jews must fast, regret their past
And all other gods forsake
Esther and her maidens would likewise fast
Then make a move so bold
To see the king unbidden was forbidden
Unless he extend his scepter of gold
Dressed in royalty and cloaked in Divinity
Esther was grace personified
Her prayers were answered, hope was at hand
The king invited her inside
Half of my kingdom is yours he said
Esther should have been delighted
But she was waiting for a sign Divine
So to a party she invited
Not only the king but Haman too
A move calculated to distress
The Jews would put their trust in G-d
And the king would become jealous
Esther waited for an opportunity
But there was no sign in sight
She had to stall and risk it all
With a party a second night
Haman was gloating ‘the queen chose me’
It was just the King and I
But his bubble bursts and his anger spurts
When he sees the Jew Mordechai
His wicked wife Zeresh comes up with a plan
Build a gallows about fifty feet
Go ask the king, to let Mordechai swing
And your joy will then be complete
What a night was ahead, the kingdom’s astir
No one is sleeping it seems
Esther is planning, Mordechai is praying
And the king has disturbing dreams
In the very heavens the angels are weeping
G-d hears his children in need
The king is awakened, his sleep is forsaken
From his royal book he begins to read
The pages turn as if on their own
To an entry long ago recorded
Mordechai the Jew saved the life of the king
But his loyalty was not rewarded
Achashverosh hears Haman in the courtyard
And calls him in post haste
How can I honor a man who’s deserving
I have no time to waste
Haman lays out a course of grand action
All the while thinking it’s he
A gala parade astride the king’s horse
Who else would he honor but me?
But his downfall was near, his end was in sight
Imagine his horror and dread
When the king said go do, to Mordechai the Jew
Exactly the things that you said
When Esther heard this turn of events
She knew it was her cue
And that it was right at the party that night
To reveal that she was a Jew
If I have found favor in the eyes of the king
And your highness will agree
Please spare my life and the lives of my people
From death by an evil decree
Who would dare to threaten my queen
Asked Achashverosh in a great fright
It is none other than your trusted advisor
Haman the Aggagite
The king was enraged, he needed air
From the room he quickly fled
And on the gallows intended for Mordechai
He had Haman hanged instead
Now letters were swiftly dispatched
To all the kingdom near and far
For the Jews to prepare, their foes to beware
On the thirteenth of Adar
The Jews were triumphant against the enemy
They fought bravely for their nation
And the days that were slated for destruction
Became days of celebration
Now proclamations were sent to all the Jews
Rejoice and be of good cheer
Remember these days of Purim
And commemorate them every year
By sending mishloach manot, food gifts to your friends
And eating a feast galore
By reading the megillah not once but twice
And giving charity to the poor
Purim means ‘lots’ chance and conjecture
G-d’s name was absent, concealed
But Esther means hester hidden, obscure
Unmask and all is revealed
HAPPY PURIM
MARCH 2-4 WEEK END UPDATE
Please make plans to join us the week end of March 2-4.
- Friday evening, March 2: Shabbat Services led by Student Rabbi Rebecca Reice at 7:30 P.M. at The Bethel. Oneg to follow.
- Saturday morning, March 3, 10:00 A.M.: Torah study with Student Rabbi Rebecca Reice at The Bethel.
- Saturday afternoon, 5:30 P.M.: Milchig (Dairy)potluck with adult discussion following, at The Bethel.
RABBI HOSPITALITY
Todah Robah to the following people for hosting Student Rabbi Rebecca Reice:
- Airport Pickup and lunch — Ann Grobosky
- Friday dinner — Mimi Wolf
- Oneg — Joy Breslauer
- Saturday lunch — Stuart Lewin
WEEK END HOSPITALITY NEEDED
Student Rabbi Rebecca Reice will be in Great Falls the week end of March 2-4. Her reservation is confirmed at Motel 6.
Here is her schedule:
- Friday, March 2: She will arrive in Great Falls at 1:57 p.m. via Alaska #2326. She will need to be picked up at the airport, and will need lunch and dinner.
- Saturday, March 3, after morning study at 10:00 A.M.: We will need a lunch host.
- On Sunday she will need a ride to the airport.
Thanking you in advance, Helen
The Aitz Chaim Ram's Horn 