Rabbi Abba once sat at the gateway of the Town of Lud.

He saw a traveler sit down on a pile of rocks at the edge of a mountain overlooking a cliff. The man was exhausted for his journey and immediately fell asleep. R. Abba watched this innocuous scene for a bit until to his dismay he watched as a deadly snake slithered out of the rocks making its way towards to the sleeping man.

Rabbi Abba, who for some reason was immobilized and transfixed by this unfolding drama, suddenly watched as a new turn of events happened. A giant lizard jumped out between the rocks and killed the serpent.

Rabbi Abba continued watching and saw that the man stood up and was perplexed to see a beheaded snake lying in front of him. He quickly gathered his possessions and rose to continue his journey. At that instant the pile of rocks he was sitting on collapsed and fell into the ravine below.

The man was about to wander off when Rabbi Abba ran after him and recounted everything he had witnessed. Rabbi Abba asked the man, “My friend, to what do you attribute all these miracles that just transpired?”

The traveler at first did not want to bothered but felt the sincerity of Rabbi Abba’s question and confided in him.

“Throughout my life I have never gone to sleep without forgiving someone for hurting me in any way. Anyone who would hurt me, I would endeavor with all my heart to resolve whatever animosity was between us. And lastly, I would turn the hateful situation to doing acts of kindness for the person involved in the misunderstanding.”

When Rabbi Abba heard this and figure out that it’s no surprise that God performs miracles on a daily basis for this blessed man.

This story is copyrighted © 1997, Eliahu J. Klein.

The Prickly Pear

Who would expect something that looks a bit dangerous to be so delicious? This fruit from the Nopales Cactus has a taste that’s a cross between bubble gum and watermelon. A native of Mexico, and found mostly in the Southwest, these tasty treats are making their way across the country to specialty markets. They can be chopped up and used in salads or eaten as is. The juice of the prickly pear is often used in candies, jams and even in cocktails.

If you purchase your prickly pears at a market they will most likely have been trimmed of their prickly thorns. But just to be sure, you’ll want to wear gloves when removing the skin from the fruit. Cut off both ends and then make a slice down the fruit body. Peel the skin off and discard. From there you can chop up the prickly pear and eat the entire fruit (including the seeds), or you can just use the juice. Put the pear in a blender and liquefy. Strain the pulp and seeds to enjoy a delicious, unique drink.

Take one cup of honey and 3/4 cup of fresh herbs, such as rosemary or lavender. Place the honey in a double boiler (one pot with honey inside a pot of boiling water), squeeze or smash the herbs to release flavor and drop them into the honey. Heat the water in the double boiler, and maintain the temperature for ten minutes. Remove the pan of honey and let it cool for several minutes, then strain the honey while it is still warm, using cheesecloth (or, in the event of a true last-minute gift emergency, a new stocking works too). Pour into a nice, clean jar. Add a decorative ribbon and savor the accolades of a winning gift-giver.

Have a Sweet One.

By trade, he was a beekeeper, and he was Jewish.

As the story goes, it was a chilly evening as Johnny tended to his bees. His wife, concerned with the long hours he worked, visited him with his bees, and brought a snack. Sliced apples, delicious, and Johnny was thrilled with the sustenance. Sadly, though, she tripped as she delivered the wares, oy vey, and the apples fell into a vat of honey.

However, what could have been a story draped with misfortune, turned into a blissful experience. Johnny learned that there is nothing more delicious than a crisp apple dipped into succulent honey. At this moment, he had a revelation, and he would spend the rest of his life planting apple seeds so he could share his experience with his Jewish kindred. Thus, the tradition of dipping apples in honey began, and it’s continued today in Rosh Hoshanah celebrations across the world!

C’mon, laugh a little.

1. Turn the knob on the oven to 325. Oy vey! Are you trying to cook? Really?
2. Prepare a rectangular (Don’t be a square!) baking pan with cooking spray, and a cut a sheet of waxed paper to line the bottom.
3. Put the first four ingredients in a bowl. Swirl them around and set the bowl aside.
4. Then in another bowl, combine the coffee grinds and water. Then incorporate the oil, honey, orange peel and brandy.
5. In a large bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Gradually mix in the sugar, and beat some more, until eggs look pale yellow.
6. Starting and ending with the floury stuff, take alternating turns dumping small amounts of it and the terrible coffee in with the eggs. Be sure to mix well after each addition.
7. Add the walnuts, if that’s how you roll.
8. Pour batter into that rectangle we talked about earlier.
9. Put rectangle in the hot box for 50 minutes. Maybe use a timer.
10. Use oven mitts. Take cake out of the oven and invert cake onto a wire rack to cool (That means put it upside down!)
11. Take the waxed paper off before you try to eat it, enjoy!

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Rosh HaShana: The Epitome of G-d’s Kindness

By Rabbi Yehudah Prero

The meaning of the words Rosh HaShana literally is “Head (beginning) of the year.” However, this holiday carries much more significance than merely being the day on which a new calendar becomes necessary.

The Sefer HaChinuch explains that Rosh HaShana is the day on which the whole world is judged. Each individual creature is judged as an individual. This judging has been compared to sheep passing in single file under the watchful eye of the shepherd. Just as each sheep is scrutinized alone, separate from the flock, so too are we judged on Rosh HaShana, as individuals, separate from everyone else.

Why do we have a day of judgment? The Sefer HaChinuch explains further that this holiday on which we are judged is truly a kindness of Hashem. Hashem, because we have this yearly holiday, reviews our deeds yearly, thereby preventing our sins from amassing. As we “only” have to deal with our sins one year at a time, there is still room for repentance and atonement. Furthermore, as Hashem judges us with kindness, if there are few sins, they are pardoned. If there are sins for which punishment is needed to cleanse the person, the punishment is exacted in small doses, bit by bit. If the accounting of our deeds did not take place on a yearly basis, our sins would accumulate until the point that Hashem would decide to end the existence of the world, because of all the evil and disregarding of His words.

Rosh HaShana is the day which ensures the continued existence of the world. It is therefore fitting to have this day as a holiday. However, as this is the day on which we are judged, it is only proper that we conduct ourselves on Rosh HaShana with a level of fear and awe not seen on other festivals. This is the reason why we do not say “Hallel” (a special prayer of praises of Hashem): It is not fitting for a person to sing songs of praise while standing in judgment.
Source: torah.org

1 shot (2 oz) Wild Turkey American Honey
1 shot Apple Cider *
1 shot Ginger Ale

Shake first 2 ingredients in a martini shaker filled with ice (crushed is best).
Pour into large martini glass and top with Ginger Ale. **
Garnish with thin slice of apple. Makes One drink.

* If you can’t find cider, Simply Apple brand 100% juice is quite good and very cider-like.
** I prefer Vernors Ginger Ale, which has a stronger ginger taste than others.

Source: weheartthis.com