I had matza ball soup and chopped liver and apples and honey and kishke and stuffed chicken and mandel bread -- minus the mandel due to my allergies -- and challah and, though I'm really not sure why, we always get sour pickles and pickled tomatoes. My grandmother did not cook this year because my grandfather is recovering from surgery, but the ordered food was worthy of praise. Oh, yes, and knishes, beef knishes. Mmmmm.
Oh, and chocolate bubke. Yes, there was chocolate bubke too.
Well first there were raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, then bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens....
No, wait, wrong movie.
To Life, to Life, L'Chaim!
Let's see....
First we say the kiddush over wine, then wash our hands and eat bread.
Then, even though it's already 10:00 PM and everybody's hungry, we say the ritual "Yahee ratzon's" (May it be Your Will) over the symbolic foods for the New Year.
First we say the blessing before eating a fruit and we eat a date (AHA- Oy such a malokes.... It is traditionally an apple, but the fact is that in order of prominence the date comes before the apple and the rabbis actually declared that the date should come first, but, oy, who wants to change a tradition - well, this year we did - as a shilah (question) was asked of the Rosh Kollel regarding this and he did prove the date should come first, so it did....)
Then a piece of apple dipped in honey, then a piece of carrot; then cabbage; beets; squash; pomegranate seeds; a fish head and then the real first course, gefilte fish.
At each symbol, we say "May it be Your Will, G-d, that our enemies be.... consumed; destroyed; obliterated; wiped out; smashed; Crushed; SQUASHED; STOMPED; JUMPED UP AND DOWN ON UNTIL THEY ARE NOT EVEN JELLLLLLYYYYYYY!!!!!!
Ooops. Sorry. No, not really... We also ask G-d to make us strong; make us leaders; sustain us; etcetera....
On to the soup course, in this case, a nice matzo ball chicken soup.
Then roast chicken; barbecued strip steak; Potatos Au Not Gratin, but similiar tasting; garlic and pine nut string beans; a billion different things in the salad and by now I've lost track - a few more vegetable dishes at least. Several bottles of fine wine - a Shiraz Carbernet; a Cabernet Merlot; plain Shiraz; and a New Harvest Chenin Blanc. Being that it was late and the next day's praying started at 7:30 AM, we did not indulge in the Scotch. That was the first night....
We repeat the process the next day, the next night, Friday, Friday night and Saturday.....
Then, today, we fast.
This makes some sort of sense.
Happy New Year.
Sounds like dinner at your house was wonderful, Moishe. May you be inscribed and sealed for another year.
