Instead of ringing in the new year with a toast of expensive champagne, try an inexpensive alternative - homemade Kahlua. Hard liquor, as well as beer and some liquors do not require a kosher certification. But flavored liquors as well as wine does need a kosher symbol. Kahlua used to be available under kosher certification, but it has become harder and harder to find, as currently only those bearing a label in Spanish coming directly from Mexico seem to be under certification. So, we decided to make our own - it turns out it's not that hard, quite good, and decidedly much less expensive than buying a bottle. And, if I might add, a fun activity to do after the kiddies are asleep.

Taken... more

Why keep kosher?

Keeping kosher is one of those laws that doesn't have an obvious reason given for it in the Torah. The Torah says "Don't kill" "Don't steal" and "Honor your father and your mother" - I think it's pretty obvious what the thinking behind those commandments are. But why would G-d care if I eat shrimp or not? The following from jewfaq.org, which has a good and thorough article on the subject, has this to say on the rationale behined the laws:

The short answer to why Jews observe these laws is: because the Torah says so. The Torah does not specify any reason for these laws, and for a Torah-observant, traditional... more

The origins for keeping kosher can be found in several Biblical sources. However, those who may say that the Bible should be taken literally without any interpretation would never be able to figure out how to keep kosher without the interpretation and elaborations given by the rabbis. For example, part of the laws of keeping kosher include separating meat and milk products (i.e. no cheeseburgers allowed). However, the Torah's reference to this idea is "don't cook a young goat in it's mother's milk."

Biblical sources are as follows:

Of the "beasts of the earth" (which basically refers to land mammals with the exception of swarming rodents), you may eat any... more

People have asked me to go into a little detail on what it means to keep kosher. I've discussed this topic superficially before, but I thought I'd go into some more detail, and over the next few posts provide some resources, cookbooks and other points to ponder. Right now I'll start with a few myths and truths.

MYTH #1: Keeping kosher is hard. TRUTH: People often think that keeping kosher is hard - I think it's one of those things that may look that way from the outside looking in.

MYTH #2: Keeping kosher is just for Orthodox Jews. Truth: Keeping kosher is in the Torah, and therefore applies to everyone. Different denominations may interpret the laws of keeping... more

I don't make New Year's resolutions as a general rule (although every year I do strive to be more diligent in entering my finances in Quicken, as it actually makes sense for tax purposes to begin anew at the first of the year). Similar to my reason in being against Mother's Day (although I still expect a card, eh hem!) I feel like one should be able to make changes in their life, or create a goal to reach at any point in the year. January 1st is an arbitrary date. And just like Mother's Day really should be every day, we have the opportunity to say that "today is the first day of the rest of my life" every day of the year. But enough about that.

Although I don't generally make New... more

Here, in our neck of the woods, it's been unseasonably warm all throughout the fall and the bit of winter we've had so far. And I don't like it one bit. Really. One of my favorite parts about living in this area of the country is the changing seasons. We had neighbors growing up who moved to California. When they came back to visit, they said they missed the changing of the seasons the most. I love to watch the leaves change color - every year I say I'll go up to Maine or New Hampshire to go 'leaf peeping' or something. But then I realize that it's just... more

No particular number of random things about our family in no particular order and for no particular reason.

I like cold hot tea. Not iced tea - brew a cup of hot tea, add nothing, and let it cool completely. I smell all food - just in case - even freshly opened things. I fold my pizza. I live a measly three small blocks from our synagogue and will rarely get there before 10:30 (services start at 8:45am) I lied about my height on my driver's license - but only by an inch! I'm not a fan of sugar cereal, though I distinctly remember eating Lucky Charms as a treat for breakfast when I was little (from my pre keeping kosher days). I love to cook but hate to clean up the... more

Along with all the happy and joyous traditions we have at this time of year, it has unfortunately become the norm in many places to take this time to vandalize religious symbols, houses of worship or even cemeteries. My students are often surprised to hear that anti-Semitism is alive and well in this country. It is on the one hand nice to see that there is still innocence in this world and on the other hand sad to see that they - or their parents - have their eyes closed to the realities around us.

I would hope that we as adoptive parents, who hopefully take more time in teaching our children about tolerance and acceptance of differences, can lead the way in changing the moral standards... more

So, no offense to all you Christians out there, but there's nothing much for us to do in this country on Christmas. And I'm fine with that - I'm all for stores giving their employees time off, and I actually like it when the world is quieter and seems to shut down for a bit. But it's left me some years with trying to figure out what to do, or driving to the supermarket to go grocery shopping, totally forgetting that it's December 25th.

If you don't already know, it's a huge thing for Jews to go to the movies and eat Chinese... more

As an adoptive parent, hopeful adoptive parent, someone touched by adoption or someone just interested in the subject, it is important to learn about "Adoption Language." Adoption language is the idea that there are positive ways to describe people or situations related to the adoption, and the introduction of different terms that will hopefully come to replace clichés that have long been in use. "If you stop and really think about what you’re saying, positive adoption language is just common sense. For example, take terms such as real parent, real mother, real father, real family – these terms imply that an adopted child is not a real part of the family. By using phrases like this, you are... more