A Dish Full of Love

Tomorrow night at sunset, Jewish people all over the globe will begin celebrating the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana (literally "head of the year"). Rosh Hashana marks the beginning of "The Days of Awe" (Yamim Nora'im). This is the holiest time of the year...A time of year where we are given a chance to atone for our sins and to G-d willing be given a clean slate for the upcoming year.

Rosh Hashana and the days that follow are a time for introspection. A time to have a mirror up close and to take a good look at what we see. It is a time to make amends with people we have wronged and to accept apologies from those who have wronged us. It is a time to make plans for the upcoming year. To think about ways to break free from the chains that enslave us(ie. addictions to things such as technology and food). It is a time to commit to spending more time with the family and less time on Facebook. A time to decide once and for all to join that gym and attend those aerobics/Zumba classes a couple of times a week. A time to make more time in the day for learning Torah and doing chessed( acts of loving kindness).

In the big whirlwind of planning the menu for the upcoming 3 days (6 meals, as we go from Rosh Hashanah straight to Shabbat), it can sometimes take the focus away from what these days really mean. Don't get me wrong. I love my family and I love food. I love having guests around our table. I love feeding my family and I love feeding the honored guests around our table. But I also really want to stay in tune with the other important places my head and my heart are supposed to be for the upcoming days and weeks.

A wonderful and very wise Ima I know gave what I consider to be AMAZING advice: "Please, try to avoid over-preparing. Take the short cut on food prep, accept invitations and maybe share meals with other families. It's a fact that an overwhelmed Ima is going to have a fussy baby, children... and it takes its toll on shalom in the home." I am so happy I took her advice. We are hosting two meals and are being invited out for 4. I am preparing a dish or two for some of our hosts, but that's it. This makes my cooking experience pure JOY. No stress. Just a lot of love going into every dish and a real ability to go into these Days of Awe with a sense of peace and serenity.


To my dear readers who observe Rosh Hashanah, I want to wish you all a Shana Tova V'Metuka. May the new year bring with it boundless blessings of health, joy and fulfillment for all of Am Yisrael. May we all be Signed and Sealed in the Book of Life.


With Love,


Cigal