Sunday, September 20, 2009

Rosh HaShannah and the Kiwi


...the fruit, not the people.

There are many symbols placed on the table in honor of Rosh HaShannah, none more common than apples dripping with honey. Before each food there is a blessing, professing that the year be similar to said food. May the year be renewed and sweet (like apples and honey); may our blessings be as numerous as the seeds of a pomegranate — and beyond.

Some families get creative, as did the Cohens on the first night of the big RH.

The word for kiwi in Hebrew is "kivi," or in Hebrew characters, קווי. And the Hebrew word for hope? Tikvah, תקווה, with a root of ק.ו.י (you're going to have to trust me on that — I've take a fare share of Hebrew grammar over the past two years). May all of this year's hopes be fulfilled. Well done kiwi. Well done Cohens.

Rosh HaShannah here was joyous and delicious across the board.

Particularly festive was the Silver Platter lunch, complete with fun people, bol-gougie, Rosh HaShannah chicken, Saks barley salad, my famous friends salad, fruit salad, dragon fruit and two home-made desserts. There is no better combination in life than fun people and delicious food. For real. I challenge you to find a better combination.

Per the Russos' suggestion, I went to Minyan Shivyoni Baaka for davening, a quasi-egalitarian minyan (essentially Shira Chadasha style, if that means something to you) filled with a mostly Israeli crowd. It has a family atmosphere — to the max. Kids everywhere, literally climbing on the windows outside. I still plan to shop a bit for my weekly davening location, but this could be it. I should note that it poured today for about 40 minutes, which caused quasi-chaos at said family minyan. Rain in September is an anomaly in Israel, and kids under six respond by screaming GESHEM!! When there are 30 of them, it gets a bit loud.

On the subject of kids, please see one of my favorite websites. On a scale of one to cute, these are, well, you be the judge.

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