Pass on an Important Jewish Value Through This Moroccan Sukkot Custom

Looking for a social action/mitzvah project for your class, or for you and your family? A Moroccan Sukkot custom proves that sometimes you don't have to look further than your own backyard to do a good deed.

Sukkot is a time for Ushpizin -- the Aramaic word for guests. A widespread tradition for Jews around the world -- be it in the United States, Eastern Europe or the Middle East -- is to virtually invite a different Biblical guest (e.g. Avraham, Moshe, King David, etc.) during the seven days of the holiday to "join" the meal. While this is a wonderful learning opportunity (and a great custom to follow as well), many Moroccan Jews push the envelope by inviting a different poor person into their Sukkah every night as a replacement for a Biblical celeb. Not only do they reach out to the needy, but they make him feel like a king, placing him/her at the head of the table and providing a lavish feast.

The way I see it, this is an example of Jewish living at its best. Together, a family celebrates. Together, a family reaches out. Together, a family feels pride in belonging to the tribe.

Chag Sameach!

























Sukkah photo credit

Iranian Jews Know How to Make Strangers Feel at Home

It's that time of the year when we read about Abraham, the 3 angels and how Hachnasat Orchim -- welcoming guests into our midst -- became an integral part of the Jewish way of life. But are we practicing what we preach?

While none of us go to the pains that Abraham did by washing our visitors' feet, there are Jewish communities around the world who have their own special touch in making guests and strangers feel at home. This past January I brought up a unique custom practiced by Turkish Jews. After seeing a recent CNN Fareed Zakaria GPS piece on Iran, I decided to find out if there is a specific custom practiced by Iranian Jews. Sure enough, there is and it revolves around a tea ceremony.

Iranians use a samovar to heat and boil water, with the tea essence brewing on top. The water is carefully poured into small glasses. If foam appears in the water, it is not served. It must be crystal clear -- a sign of respect for the guest. Rose water -- which has a distinctive flavor and is an important ingredient in Iranian cuisine -- is provided in a separate glass for those who want to add it to their tea. Cookies are served as well. Sugar cubes are placed in a small glass server and handed around, with everyone taking a cube and placing it in their mouth. The tea is now ready to be drunk. All of this is done as soon as a guest enters the house. It's the Iranian way of showing guests they are wanted and respected.

This charming custom should get you thinking. Are you doing enough to welcome new members into your community.  Are you teaching your children the importance of this value? What about new students in a class? Are you making them feel wanted and part of the group? Have you dedicated a specific time and day for a welcome party? Think about how you can create your own Hachnasat Orchim custom that's your cup of tea.


Photo Credit

Connecting Gilad Shalit's Release with Jewish Values

A few weeks ago the NY Times' Thomas Friedman wrote a piece in which he lamented how Americans have lost sight of their original values. I gulped, thinking that I share a similar concern, only mine is over the loss of Jewish values among Israelis and the Jewish nation at large. On the spot I decided to devote part of the holiday gap period between now and Hanukkah to customs revolving around important Jewish principles. Then along came Gilad Shalit's release from captivity, the role the Israeli public played in this 5-year campaign, and voila! I knew I had the launching pad for customs relating to Jewish values. And I also realized that we're not as bad off as I thought.

What is it that connects the Gilad Shalit saga to Jewish values? That cardinal rule: Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh la'Zeh -- All Jews are Responsible for Each Other. Yes, it was the Shalit family that waged a tireless campaign. However, when a summary of the past five plus years was shown on Israeli TV the night Gilad was released, it became clear that it could not have been accomplished without the unending support of the Israeli public. Endless public protests, marches, petitions, concerts given by popular singers, and even a mock solitary confinement campaign conducted by the country's celebrities this past June turned the Shalits and the country into one gigantic extended family. Right after his release Israelis who never met Gilad showed up at his house to greet him. Not because they were nosy. Because they had fought for his freedom all these years. Because Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh la'Zeh -- All Jews are Responsible for Each Other. 

How does this translate into the classroom? There's a lot to work on. Let's start with cliques and their impact on other students. Next come the loners. How can you make them feel part of the class? Gilad Shalit was in isolation but we now know that he didn't feel totally "alone" since he knew about all the support he was getting back home. And last but certainly not least, let's get a handle on bullying. We want our children to learn how to stand up for each other, not emotionally or physically abuse one another. As we witnessed with Gilad Shalit's captivity, we Jews excel in organizing protests. So, how about planning an anti-bully protest in school. Have kids create their own placards, develop anti-bullying slogans that can be chanted, have kids speak out against bullying. At the same time, find out why the bullies are bullying. There may be some deep-rooted problems that you can help solve. It's all part of being responsible for each other.

Photo Credits

Top photo

Bottom photo

Jews in Turkey Welcome Guests with a Teaspoon of Apple Jam

We all know that Hachnasat Orchim – welcoming of guests into one’s home – is an important Jewish value dating back to Abraham. The question is how does one go about doing it? Certainly we are not going to wash our guests’ feet as Abraham did. Most of us feel that a gracious verbal welcome suffices. Not so for Turkish Jews. They go out of their way to make guests feel at home by turning their Rosh Hashana custom of eating home-made apple jam into a year-round Hachnasat Orchim practice. When a guest enters their house s/he is first treated to a teaspoon of apple jam and a glass of water. It’s their way of wishing sweetness and happiness to every visitor.

Why do I bring this up? To begin with, it is wonderful to see how one Jewish community reveres our values as much as our holidays. In addition, I believe that Hachnasat Orchim is a value so important that it should be engraved in the psyche of every Jew. When we made Aliyah in 1977 I was overwhelmed by the number of invitations we received. It didn’t take long for us to understand how essential it was to adapt this practice into our own lifestyle. Seven years later, we went to the States on our first Sabbatical. This time I was underwhelmed by the lack of invitations. Over the decades many of our friends and colleagues experienced the same treatment during their sabbatical years. When we were able to muster up enough courage to ask “why”, we couldn’t believe the answer: “It’s not worth our energy to invest in people who won’t be here after a year.” It was not until our last Sabbatical in Providence that we finally came upon a Jewish community that truly understood the meaning of Hachnasat Orchim. By then my expectations were less than low. Thirty-two years after making aliyah, I was once again happily overwhelmed.

Obviously, every community is different, as is every era. Nonetheless, Hachnasat Orchim is a timeless value that should be handed down by parents, as well as taught in the classroom. Turkish Jews have it right. It is so important, it is worthy of a custom.