MEGA CHALLAH BAKE

Yesterday I had the awesome pleasure of attending the mega challah bake sponsored by Chabad of Georgia. We were greeted with love and warmth.  There was so much love surrounding the place, there were prayers and songs and dancing and yes of course, making challah.  We learned the history of making bread and why we do it.  Why we separate the challah,  the wonderful prayer associated with it. I wish the whole world could participate in the weekly ritual that Jewish women do all over the world, baking bread for Shabbat.

I must also share some of the things that I was very disappointed with at this function many of the women there wear dress very inmodest I was shocked by the behavior of many of them and the conversation they had all the women at my table we are unfamiliar with making bread in fact they were asking me for help and I’m not even Jewish. I overheard a conversation of two girls as we left talking about drugs and getting drunk

#Ferguson : My Thoughts on an American Flashpoint

I noticed, to my utter disappointment, that not many of my friends talk about this case. Although, this is just the kind of thing I see them talking about when the person is Jewish. For days now, I have been trying to understand what makes this injustice different from the others. 1. the boy was not Jewish. 2. He was black. 3. he was said to have been a thug. 4. Will, I will leave that one in my head. A blogger I follow name Michael W. Twitty (we both have a love for food). put in words I don’t think I could have expressed. This all came about due to a picture being post of him in the street dead with food around him. I wonder if the person who took so much time to Photoshop the picture ever thought about the fact that a life was gone from the world. No matter what you think about the case in Ferguson, Missouri, the fact still remains true. It is still OK to kill the African………..

Afroculinaria

“…It was the corroboration of their worth and their power that they wanted, and not the corpse, still less the staining blood.”  James Baldwin, “To Be Baptized,” from No Name in the Street, 1972

I have been asked by many people to take a close look at the Michael Brown shooting case in Ferguson, Missouri and offer my opinion.  I felt it best to take a step back and really absorb all the circulating currents of opinion and matters of fact before I made any personal pronouncements.  This is my best attempt to answer that call, hopefully soberly, responsibly and with as much restraint as I can muster in the face of this deeply American tragedy.  This is inherently a blog about food and food culture, but anyone who regularly reads this blog understands that it also is a blog about social and cultural justice.  It is clear to…

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A wonderful article to share

I have a lot of people posting things that are so negative about converting.  One of my FB friends posted this article and I wanted to share it with all of you.  I think it is always good to see that there is another side or point of view to things.  Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/let-me-tell-you-about-my-experience-as-a-convert-to-judaism/

A simple act of caring creates an endless ripple

I saw this on FB posted by one of my friends.  The joy my heart felt inspired me to share it with all of you in hopes that you too will share it with all your friends.  When we bring light into the world, darkness can never stay around.

Click here to see an inspiring video: Caring

Two looks of the same wrap

I started out with one wrap and found my head starting to hurt.  I loved the colors and the look but I did not want to have a headache all day.  I changed the look to give me a little less bulk on the top but retaining the beauty of the color combination.  Which do you like best.

My first look this morning: 

I love this slash from #Wrapunzel.  I’m always looking for ways to incorporate it into my wrap.  It is so lovely and full of life.  I love the way the sun hits it.

Look number two:  This is a 4 braided (challah).

Wrapunzel Signature!

After a few trying I was able to wrap this beautiful pashmina.  If you would like to buy this Click Here

Learning a new language at my age

When you are young, learning to speak a different is somewhat easy.  The older you get the harder it can be for some.  I am one of them.  Part of converting to Judaism is learning to speak and read Hebrew.  It is impossible to convert with out these tools.  This can be harder, for some, if you are learning it online.

I’ve been studying Hebrew for almost a year now.  My first months of study was all about the basics.  Learning the Aleph Bet, understanding the vowels, nouns and adjectives, the “Shewa”, Hebrew word structure (that is not easy to get), The definite article, prepositions, construct chains, and so on……..

I also discovered there is a difference in Biblical Hebrew and social Hebrew (talking with friends).   There are words that can not be translated in to English and therefore you must learn that word without the aid of an English equivalent.

So may ask, “why do you need to know Hebrew to convert?”  Good question.  Most, or should I say some, of what you will read in Hebrew has not been translated into English.  Also, it is good to pray in Hebrew but only after you have gained an understanding of your prayers.  After all, what would the point be to pray in Hebrew and not understand what you are saying……

There are lots of books, programs, and online classes you can try to learn this language.  I went with an online class.  It is was expensive.  The program was 30 weeks of Biblical Hebrew A ( which simply means the beginning), for $131.00 a month.  Ouch!

I’m currently taking a course in everyday conversation.  This only cost me $259.00.  I will post a link to each program at the bottom.

Hebrew, like English, has many different ways of being written, spoken, and even read.  For example: there is script, Rashi, and yes block style when writing and reading.  You must learn them because they all look different when reading.  You also must learn to read without the vowels.  This will take some time.

I am still learning but I can read better now and I do understand little words when I hear them but for the most part, I am far from being able to hold a conversation.

eTeacherBiblical  and LearnhebrewPod  I also like Rosetta Stone.

Been away far too long….

Hello everyone,

I’ve been away for a while due to studying, traveling, and all the high Holy Days we had.  It is has been a lot and I have much to share.  For those that may not know in the Jewish faith we just completed some of the most Holy times in our history.  ( I say “our” because that is where I am heading).

In this month we completed Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hashanah Rabbah, Shemini Atzert, Simchat Torah and started the Torah over again.  Our reading this ween is the very first book of Torah, Bereishit.  We also have the blessing of the new moon this up coming week.  If you would like to know more about each of these Holy Days click on the name.

We also went on a cruise just before all the High Holy Days.  I will post pictures soon, or your can see some on my Facebook page.

I will be posting more in the come weeks but for now, I just wanted to check in.  Hope everyone is well!