Italian Anousim Use a Three Branched "Menorah" to Light Shabbat Candles

Who says there is nothing new under the sun? I'm always finding something different when it comes to Jewish holiday customs.

Take this triple candelabra as an example. It is a family heirloom belonging to Rabbi Barbara Aiello who can trace her ancestry to the Anousim -- secret Jews -- living in Serrastretta, a tiny Calabrian village in southern Italy.

I recently had the privilege of speaking with Rabbi Barbara. She's a woman with a mission, and that is to connect the population of present day Serrastretta to their ancient Jewish roots. She herself began this journey in 2004, when she began living in Italy on a full time basis. The strange customs that were practiced by her grandmother  prompted her to engage on a personal exploration. For instance, candle lighting on Shabbat. Even though the family was living in Pittsburgh PA, her grandmother would go down to the cantina -- Italian for cellar -- every Friday evening to light Shabbat candles. Despite the exhortations of Rabbi Barbara's father that they were now living in the land of the free, her grandmother's Crypto-Jewish practices ran deep and her constant answer was "you never know."

The candle lighting itself was a beautiful ritual where the matron of the house first lit the middle candelabra taper -- called the shamash -- removed it, and handed it to the youngest family member who in turn lit her personal candle standing in its own candle holder, then handed it on to the next family member according to age rank. And so the ceremony continued. From the youngest it finally returned to the eldest,  who began the process and in turn ends it by lighting the left and right candles on the candelabra.

Indeed, a beautiful all-inclusive family ritual handed down from generation to generation, along with the 100-year old candelabra which has its own special meaning. Notice the peacock motif. It was traditionally used by Jews in southern Italy. When a male a peacock opens its beautiful feathers, the shape of an eye appears -- symbol of the Kabbalstic third eye that sees into a person's soul and provides inner peace.

A welcome thought at this particular juncture in our lives, ripe for debate.
May you find inner peace this coming Shabbat.

Samaritan Style Shabbat

Two years ago I took you to the Israeli city of Holon for Sukkot where part of Israel's Samaritan community lives. You might remember the fabulous indoor Sukkah I posted. This time I'm going to share a Samaritan Shabbat with you.

White is the operative color for Shabbat. An all-white caftan is considered the equivalent of a tallit. And talk about observing Shabbat according to the letter of the law? That's exactly what Samaritans -- Shomronim in Hebrew -- do.  Because the Torah specifically commands that we should not do work of any kind -- and work involves creation -- Samaritans do not light Shabbat candles because it is an act of work/creation, nor do they use electricity. To make sure they are literally not left in the dark, they leave one to two lights lit during the entire Shabbat.

In fact, the use of electricity is such a no-no, they use two refrigerators. They turn the electricity off of one fridge and put their Shabbat food in it, knowing that the cold air inside will keep the food in healthy, eating condition.  But perishables for the rest of the week that need constant blasts of cold air to keep them fresh? That food is placed in the second refrigerator which is kept on and never opened during Shabbat.

Quite a clever system.  But by now you must be asking if there is nearly no electricity in use, what do they do to pass the time? Let's not forget that Shabbat is a day of rest, so rest they do -- rest and sleep. Of course, not all the time.  Here's the schedule: Shabbat prayers Friday night followed by the Shabbat meal and family visit (usually 2 hours), after which they go to sleep. That means during the winter they're asleep by 7-8 p.m.!!! But they don't sleep the night away. It's up and at it at the synagogue at 3 a.m. for Shabbat morning prayers for both men and women, lasting approximately three hours.  At 6 a.m. they go to either grandparents or great uncles/aunts to read the Parshat Hashavua -- weekly Torah portion.

All this makes for a healthy appetite, so home they go for a sumptuous breakfast of Israeli salads. What's one of their favorites? Eggplant and pomegranate salad.  Try it for yourself and share this different way of celebrating Shabbat with your children and students. Shabbat Shalom....


Elderly Samaritan Photo Credit
Young Samaritan Photo Credit

Afghan Jews Make Choice, Juicy Fruits Part Of Their Hakafot Ceremony

Yes, you've dipped apple slices in honey on Rosh Hashanah. Yes, you've decorated your Sukkah with hanging fruits. But fruits as part of the Hakafot on Simhat Torah? Ask Jews of Afghani descent and they'll tell you exactly what to do.

Go to the market the day before Simchat Torah and buy the choicest fruits you can find. Wrap them in silver or gold foil, so that they resemble sweet candies. Place the wrapped fruits around Elijah's chair.

Elijah's Chair? That's right. The same chair normally associated with a Brit Milah is the Afghani focal point for the seven Hakafot. A single Torah scroll is placed on the chair and the Hakafot are performed around it. And the fruit? They are considered "privileged" to be part of the Hakafot. In fact, so special that at the end of Simhat Torah they are auctioned off for considerable sums.

Hmm...that's a new slant on fundraising. Is there a way it can be translated into a classroom setting? I think so. Just like you have a model Seder before Passover, hold model Hakafot using luscious, wrapped fruits for accessories. Have enough for a mid-morning or mid-day snack. Connect each piece of fruit with an act of Tzedakah, and "auction" it off so that the student "winning" the piece of fruit promises to perform the good deed and report about it in class.

Two for the price of one -- Simhat Torah and Jewish values. A lesson plan that truly bears fruit.

Chag Sameach.



Photo Credit 

Lulav Customs Connecting Sukkot with Passover

Finding customs that connect one holiday to another has become a favorite activity for me. You may remember the wonderful Italian custom I discovered linking Tisha B'Av with Hanukkah. This time, a little sleuthing has led me to a lulav custom that connects Sukkot with Passover. I'll make it short and sweet. Syrian, Moroccan and Baghdadi Jews put the lulav away after Sukkot and take it out erev Pessach to burn the Chametz.

Yemenite Jews save the entire package -- lulav, aravim and hadassim -- and use it as oven fuel for baking shemurah matzot.

What's the logic behind these customs? They are based on the Talmudic principle (Berakhot 39b and Shabbat 117b) of reusing an item that was employed for one mitzvah to do another one. Hey -- doesn't that sound like today's "reuse and recycle"?

Finally, here's another wrinkle I found last week: save the lulav and use it as the broom for getting the chametz out of your home (and classroom).  Remember, it has a sharp tip, making it easy to get into the corners. Plus, you know what they say about new brooms -- they make a clean sweep.

Chag Sameach.

Lulav Photo Credit

Green Sukkah, Iraqi Style

Dried vegetation for building a sukkah? It certainly looks like the raw material used for creating this part of a Sukkah entitled Fractured Bubble -- one of the winning entries at New York's 2010 Sukkah City (click on the link to see the entire Sukkah).
My question is -- did the creator of this installation have Iraqi roots (pun intended)? I ask because during my recent research on Sukkot customs I found a photo of a Sukkah in Shanghai, China, circa 1930, built by the president of the Baghdadi community. Following the custom of Jewish community leaders in Baghdad, this Sukkah was made from branches of local vegetation -- not just the sechach (roof covering), but all four walls.

I have no idea if they used fresh or dried vegetation, but let's assume it was the latter and connect it with today's environmental mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle. Using dried up vegetation is a wonderful way to create a green sukkah. Agreed, it may be A LOT of hard work, so here's my suggestion. This year make a miniature prototype. If you live in a house, check out your hedges and backyard greenery. Instead of throwing weeds, dried up leaves and branches away, connect them green lego style. Live in an apartment? How about taking a trip to your local florist and ask what they do with unsold, wilted flowers. Those stems can be easily recycled. Other ideas? I think I'm going to let you take it from here. Think green and out of the box. I'm sure you and your children/students will come up with more innovative sukkah building ideas.

Fractured Bubble Sukkah Photo Credit

Connecting Kol Nidre with Bullying

Finding a unique Yom Kippur custom is not easy. Even though I haven't found one that will knock your socks off, that very (literal) image got me thinking. About bullying. Is there a connection between bullying and Yom Kippur?  I think we can create a link by examining the introductory lines framing the Kol Nidre prayer chanted on Yom Kippur eve.  Translated into English, the Cantor -- or whoever is leading the prayers -- says: "By the authority of the Court on High and by authority of the Court down here, by the permission of One Who Is Everywhere and by the permission of this Congregation, we hold it lawful to pray with sinners."

In other words, listen up bullies: despite your actions we are still open to accepting you in our midst. How? Perhaps by showing bullies that Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur is a time to examine one's deeds and understand what motivates one's behavior. Once they do that, hopefully they will stop the taunting and be ready to sit by our side on Kol Nidre.

On a personal note, these introductory words were penned by one of my husband's ancestors -- Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg -- in the late 13th century. A century and a half later they were endorsed by the Maharal of Prague (the creator of the Golem). Clearly, these two great Jewish leaders understood that even people who have wronged others are allowed a second chance.

Gmar Hatima Tova.













Sign credit

Lithuanian Jews Combine a Rosh Hashanah Custom with a Hebrew Lesson

Who hasn't heard of the carrot and stick approach for learning or eating sweet carrot tzimmes for Rosh Hashanah? But eating plain carrots on Rosh Hashanah because of its Hebrew term? Yup that's the creative approach of Lithuanian Jews. They eat sliced carrots because the Hebrew word for carrot is gezer and on Rosh Hashanah we pray for good gezerot -- decrees.

I bet you're saying that's a stretch. Still, this out-of-the-box custom got me thinking. Maybe they're on to something. Maybe this is a good way of getting kids to enjoy their Hebrew lessons.

Here's the next Rosh Hashanah veggie connection that I thought of.

Explain the Tashlich custom by offering your children and students celery sticks. Selek is the Hebrew term for celery and our aim at Tashlich is to le'salek -- throw away our sins.

Food for thought? Let's face it, in the crunch our aim is to make our Jewish heritage palatable and fun.




Carrot photo credit

Celery photo credit