The secret to Ashkenazi Jewish Cooking

There is a famous story in the Gemara which only appears in the Talmud Babli (Mesechet Baba Meisa, Seder:Bedicha) that states: A Balaas Tshuva (newly religious) girl went and asked the famous Rebbetzen Netta Shamei to explain the secret of Heimisha Ashkenazi Jewish cooking whilst standing on one leg. The Rebbetzen who was doing shiputzim on her new split basari/chalavi/parave kitchen at the time and had no time for the girl's narishkite, chased her out with a wooden spoon. Undaunted, the Baalas Tshuva went to see the equally famous Rebbetzen Brenna Hillel and asked her to explain the secret of Heimisha Ashkenazi Jewish cooking (whilst standing on one leg of course). The Rebbetzen smiled, sat her down and said "So, you want to know the secret to Ashkenazi Jewish cooking? Well she said, "it's three simple ingredients":

"Onions, Eggs and Matza meal,

the rest is embellishment, now go and learn!"

Stick this basic table guide on your fridge door:

Dish	Main Ingredient				Optional	Style
Kneidelach soup	Chicken necks	Onions	Eggs	Matza Meal	Carrots	Boiled
Meat balls	Chicken or Beef	Onions	Eggs	Matza Meal		Roasted or fried
Fish balls	Minced Fish or Tuna	Onions	Eggs	Matza Meal		Fried
Gefilta Fish	Minced Fish	Onions	Eggs	Matza Meal	Carrots	Boiled
Fried Fish	Fish pieces	Onions	Eggs	Matza Meal		Fried
Kuegal	Lochshan or Potatoes	Onions	Eggs	Matza Meal	Carrots (optional)	Boiled and Roasted
Chicken Stuffing	Apples, Nuts, Wine	Onions	Eggs	Matza Meal		Roasted

If anyone has more dishes to add to the table, please let me know.

Good Shabbos

Shabbat Shalom

Windows 7 style gadgets for Windows XP

Many of you out there are still running Windows XP because either you (a) don't want to spend the money upgrading (b) your computer is not compatible with Windows 7 (c) you don't want the hassle of upgrading (d) other.

Still, you really like the look of Windows 7 don't you! Especially those gadgets like the clock, CPU and RAM meter and notes window.

Well, there are some nice programmers out there who have written Windows 7 gadget lookalikes for Windows XP and they are 100% free! I've been running these tools for some time now and have not detected any nasty surprises like toolbars, spyware or malware. They install flawlessly with no tricky questions. Highly recommended!

ClocX give you a beautiful looking analogue clock that sits on your desktop. You can add the option to display it "always on top" and modify its transparency effect. There are many different faces to choose from and you can modify the size of the clock to suit your taste.

Download ClocX here:

CPU and RAM Meter is a very nice RAM, CPU and UPTIME meter. It doesn't take up many resources and is actually very useful. It does lack any customization options though. I would have liked to for instance, removed the UPTIME clock or adjusted the size or colours. As they say, never look a gift horse in mouth. It does its job.

Download CPU Meter here:

Nargus DeskNote is a simple window that when not in focus, fades into the background so as not to interfere with the desktop display and when in focus shows up bright and clear so that you can jot down any kind of notes. No need to save any text. It is saved automatically. There are many customization options. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find on the Internet however and there hasn't been a new version for some time. Grab it while you still can.

Download Nargus DeskNote here:

See update to this post here

A Dynamic Leil HaSeder

There is an article in today's Jerusalem Post by Heb Keinon entitled Pessah passages

He writes that he misses the enthusiasm of his kids when they were younger. How they needed to be dragged away from the biur chametz bonfire on Erev Pesach and now they can't wait to leave before the pitta has even turned brown. He writes how he misses the time when every question his kids asked at the Seder could be answered with "to get the children to ask questions". He complains that his Seder no longer holds the magic and wonder it once had.

Maybe I'm stating the obvious but perhaps Herb should think about changing his Seder by learning new persushim that will be sufficiently deep and insightful enough to bring that magic and wonder back? Isn't that the message of The Arba Banim (The Four Sons)? To adapt your commentary to the level of your children?

There is a difference between following the family minhagim of the Seder every year and not making the effort to make the Haggadah fresh, exciting and dynamic each year. The Seder should develop at the same rate as your kids do. This involves having to learn new perushim every year and buying a new Haggadah to gain different incites. Sometimes the "she aino yodaiah lishal" the son who does not know how to ask, is actually the cleverest one there. He doesn't ask any questions because he thinks he knows all the answers or even worse, he assumes that his father has no other answers other than the ones he gave last year and the year before, especially if the answer is "to get the kids to ask questions"! Yes, that is what Chaz"al say but that doesn't mean that this is the answer you give the kids. They need to be answered with something meaningful.

Instead of being melancholy for the simple no effort Seder you used to have with your young children, try next year to be excited about having to prepare a Seder which is at a higher learning level with deeper perushim.

Why not try giving your grown up kids sections of the Haggadah for them to prepare. You might be amazed what perushim they come up with.

This is exactly what we did this year at our Seder. I asked my grown up kids to choose at least two sections from the Haggadah, coordinating with themselves and I would fill in the gaps. The perushim were lively and full of discussion. I didn't leave our 9 year old out of the picture, making sure to tell him lots of Leil HaSeder stories and jokes. We didn't start eating the Motzi Matza until 12:30am and missed the time for Afikoman by about an hour and a half. Never mind, if the kids want to take their time then why rush through the Seder? Think about it. The mitzvah of "vehigaditah Levincha" is a mitzvah Deorisah where as eating that last piece of matzah before chatzos is a minhag.

Nothing I've said is anything new. In fact the Haggadah itself summarises everything I've said in one simple sentence:

וַאֲפִילוּ כֻּלָנוּ חֲכָמִים, כֻּלָנוּ נְבוֹנִים, כֻּלָנוּ זְקֵנִים, כֻּלָנוּ יוֹדְעִים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, מִצְוָה עָלֵינוּ לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם. וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח

"And even if all of us were wise, all men of understanding, all elderly, all of us knowing the Torah, there is still a Mitzvah upon us to tell about the Exodus from Egypt. And whoever elaborates on it is praiseworthy."

Kasher LePesach Toiletries and Hygene products

*** UPDATED ***

Every year the same questions come up regarding chometz Alcohol in Toiletries. People see alcohol in the product and panic. Very often however, they are suitable for use on Pesach.

These guidelines come from a shiur by Rav Zev Leff (Shlit"a)

Rav Moshe Feinstein (zt"l) ruled that we should only really be concerned about liquids and gels that contain chometz based alcohol. In theory, these liquids could be distilled (similar to whisky) and turned back into drinkable alcohol. These items should be put away for Pesach and sold. As creams cannot be distilled we should not be concerned about any alcohol ingredients. Many however are strict and put even creams away that contain possible chometz alcohol based ingredients.

Lipsticks: You should buy new lipsticks for Pesach with a Kasher lePesach hechsher.

Mouthwash: You should buy new for Pesach with a Kasher LePesach hechsher. (BTW, the most common mouthwash, "Listerine", contains grain based alcohol).

Toothpaste or Lip ointment: Despite being pastes or ointments, we are strict when it comes to anything that comes near or enters the mouth and so one should buy new for Pesach with a Kasher LePesach hechsher. (BTW, The most common lip ointment, "Blistex", contains grain based alcohol).

Liquid Toiletries: Deodorants, Perfumes, Lotions etc, try to buy with a kasher lePesach hechsher.

However if they have no hechsher then you can follow these general guidelines:

Chometz Free Alcohol

Methanol alcohol is made from wood or other organic substances and has no chametz components.

Isopropyl alcohol is made from propene or petrol and has no chametz components

Stearyl alcohol is made from  Stearic acid which comes from either animal or vegetable fat.

There is no problem as far as chametz is concerned but consult your Rav if you find this in any lipstick or lip ointment)

Cetyl alcohol is made from Palm or other vegetable oil and has no chametz components

Danger of Chometz based Alcohol

Ethyl alcohol (Ethanol, also known as SD - Special Denatured) is made from grain and contains chometz components.

Denat (Denatured) Alcohol is a form of Ethyl and contains chometz components.

Alcohol. Any product that simply states "Alcohol" should be treated as if it contains Ethanol, as this is the most common form of Alcohol for cosmetics and hygiene products such as mouth wash.

Matza Confusion?

You go to the supermarket to buy Matzos and you see mountains of all different kinds ranging from NIS 25 up to NIS 125. It's enough to make one quite giddy. What's the difference between all of them?

Matza "Chametz"

These are identical to Pesach Matza in look and taste but with the word "Chametz" written on the box either at the front or on the side. Do I really have to say that these are Chomeitz Gamor (Actual chomeitz) and should be treated as bread to be eaten or destroyed before Pesach? As a side point, it would seem to me that those who have the minhag not to eat Matza from Rosh Chodesh Nissan, that this would include also not eating even Chomeitz Matza despite the fact that it is obviously not suitable for the mitzvah of Achilas Matza on Leil HaSeder. This is because Chaza"l tell us that the taste of Matza should be fresh in the mouth.

Matza Ashira / Egg Matza / Fruit juice Matza / Sweet Chocolate Matza

This looks exactly like machine Matza but is made with fruit juice instead of water. The halachik definition of Matza is that it must have had the potential to have become chomeitz and that means that it must contain flour and water. Being that Matza Ashira contains no water it cannot be used for the mitzvah of Achilas Matza on Leil HaSeder (at least according to Ashkenazim). Moreover, Ashkenazim do not eat Matza Ashira throughout all the days of Pesach despite the words "Kasher LePesach" on the box. This is because Ashkenazim hold that if one mixes the Matza Ashira with water it might become Chomeitz Gamor on Pesach. Sefardim however hold differently.

If Ashkenazim wish to invite Sefardim to their home during Pesach, it is a good idea in order to avoid embarrassment, to ask them not to bring Matza Ashira which amongst Sefardim is a common gift presented by guests. One should appreciate that the situation is far worse than bringing something containing kitniyos (kitniyot) into an Ashkenazi home as this at least can be eaten by your Sefardi guests or put away until after Pesach. However regarding Matza Ashira, as already mentioned, Ashkenazim hold that this is to be treated as actual Chomeitz!

Most hold that Matza Ashira should be included in the minhag not to eat Matza from Rosh Chodesh Nissan despite the fact that it is technically not Matza (as explained above). Some are however lenient and give it to their young children before Pesach. The reasons given are that it will not turn their Kasher LePesach home treif and that Matza Ashira is sweet and tastes different to regular Matza.

The use of Matza Ashira on Shabbos Erev Pesach

Some use Matza Ashira for Lechem Mishna when Shabbos falls on Erev Pesach rather than using Chomeitz.

The advantages are obvious. If one has young kids then there is a great fear that they will drop Chomeitz in the home just hours before Pesach enters. Having Chomeitz around on Erev Pesach might cause undue stress which leads to a lack of Shalom Bayis. Moreover, if one has left over Chometiz Chometz, it is not easy disposing of this in a halachik manner on Shabbos before the deadline of Biur Chomeitz.

There are however many problems associated with using Matza Ashira for Lechem Mishna on Shabbos Erev Pesach. Some hold that it is sufficiently like Matza to be included in the isur of not eat Matza on Erev Pesach even though technically it is not Matza. Some hold that even if adults can tell the difference, kids cannot and it will spoil the experience of eating Matza for the first time on Leil HaSeder. Moreover, many hold that Matza Ashira is closer to cake with a bracha of Mezonos rather then Pas Lechem. In this case, one would have to eat a huge amount of Matza Ashira in order to be able to say Birkas HaMazon over it. Lema'aseh, (for practical halacha), your local reliable Orthodox Rabbi (LROR) should be consulted.

Machine Matza - Kasher LePesach with a regular teudas hechsher

This Matza is made from Kasher LePesach flour that was supervised (Shemura) from the time it was ground into flour. This is the minimum requirement for Matza which has to be Shemorah – guarded or supervised to be suitable for fulfilling the mitzvah of Achilas Matza on Leil HaSeder.

Most yiras Shomieyim Jews will not use this Matza for fulfilling the Mitzvah on Leil HaSeder and insist on only using Matza whose flour has been guarded from the time of the field harvesting. This is commonly known as Matza Shemura.

Most religious Jews will even avoid eating regular Matza throughout the entire Pesach even though most hold that it is not considered Chomeitz. (There are those however who do consider it Chomeitz Gamor!). The reason for this is that dough gets caught in the machinery and left alone for more than 18 mins. This dough will inevitably become Chomeitz gamor. Moreover, his Chomeitz will inevitably get mixed into the next batch of Matza dough. However, as these Matzos are made before Pesach one can rely on the inyan of Bital BeShishim (one part in 60) and say that this small amount of Chomeitz is nullified. However to rely on this fact leChatchilah (before hand) is very questionable.

It goes without saying that these are the cheapest Matzos to be found bought by the majority of secular Israelis.

Machine Matza "Chai" (18 mins Matza)

They are called Matza "Chai" because the Hebrew word adds up to 18 in gematria as well as the fact that the word "Chai" means "life". These are Matzos made from Kasher LePesach flour, supervised from the grinding only. However, they are made using machines that are stopped every 16 mins and cleaned for loose pieces of dough, stuck in the machinery. This means that no dough will be sitting there for 18 mins to become Chomeitz and then be mixed in with the Matza dough. They usually have a higher teudat hechsher as they are not considered kasher LePesach bedi Avad.

Most yiras Shomayieyim Jews will eat these during Pesach but will buy Matzah Shemurah for fulfilling the mitzvah of Achilas Matza on Leil HaSeder.

Machine Shemora Matza

These are made from kasher LePesach flour, guarded and supervised from the field.

The flour is picked in the heat of the day so that no dew is left on the grain to turn the flour chomeitz. The flour is ground by a machine. The Matza baking process is the same as "Chai" matzos, that is, the machines are cleaned every 16 mins.

Hand Baked Matzos – "Matzot Yad".

It’s a common mistake to call hand baked matzos "Shemorah Matzos" but there are also machine Shemora Matzos as already mentioned above. One should not assume that all hands baked matzos are of equal kashrus level. One cannot even assume that the flour is Shemora. One should check the hechsher of hand baked matzos as well as machine.

Amongst those that have a Chareidi Badatz hechshir there are two kinds.

Matzos RASHA"M and RASH"I. RASHA"M are made from machine ground flour whereas RASH"I are made from hand ground flour. Obviously RASH"I cost considerably more than RASHA"M. Prices can vary from NIS 85 a kilo to hundreds of shekels a kilo.

I have noticed that this year that hand baked Matza is readily available in supermarkets in single kilo boxes. One has a a hechshir from the Rishon LeTzion (around NIS 95), the other is Badat"z Eidas Chareidis (around NIS 117).

Some are machmir (strict) and insist on eating matza Shemorah all the days of Pesach (either machine or Hand baked).

There is a basis for this chumrah as the Ramba"m holds that there is a mitzvah Deorisah (from the Torah) to eat Matza all seven days of Pesach.  If one follows the psak of the Ramba"m then it makes sence to insist on only Matza Shemorah throughout the whole of Pesach.

Some only eat machine-baked Matza, others insist on only eating hand-baked Matza

There are those who insist on only machine baked Matza throughout Pesach. They argue that there is far less chance of mistakes being made and therefore far less likelyhood that the Matza might be chomeitz (chas veshalom). Moreover they argue that quality and hygene standards are higher in commercial factories. From a practical standpoint, machine baked Shemorah Matzos are considerably cheaper than hand-baked.

Others however insist on only eating hand-baked Matzos. This opinion, held by Rav Shlomo Kluger amongst others, argues that machine baked Matzos lack the required kavanah (intention) for the mitzvah whilst they are being produced. The halachah states that the Matzos should be made "beshem mitzvos Matza" and everyone involved in baking Matzos by hand, from the one who mixes the water and flour, to the one who kneads the dough, to the one who cuts the dough up into pieces and rolls them out into circles, to the one who puts the holes in the circles to the one who puts them in the oven and removes them; All have kavanah that they are part of the Mitzvah of producing Matzos for Leil HaSeder. Those who argue in favour of machine-baked will claim that the one who pushes the button to start the machinary has kavanah for the mitzvah and this is sufficient.

Moreover, Rav Shlomo Kluger argued that the machines were taking away the parnasah of skilled Matza Bakers who earned their livelyhood from supplying Matza to the community.

Many insist on only using hand-baked Matza at least for the three Matzos on the ke'erah (the Seder plate). The reason has nothing to do with kashrus standards but everything to do with chinuch (children's Torah education). The simple fact is that hand-baked Matza looks far more impressive to a child and much more like "the real thing" we ate in Mitzrayim (Egypt) than the square uniform boring looking machine-baked versions. Others however argue that machine-baked are easier to chew and swallow and find hand-baked too hard. Whichever one you choose, either hand-baked or machine-baked, you have great Rabbanim to rely on, on both sides.

Cardboard or machine-baked Matza?

Chag Kasher veSamayach

Britian will soon cease all British passport services in Israel

**** UPDATED ****

It all started with an email that was circulating amongst the British community in Israel that Britain was to cease all passport services in Israel and that from May 3rd, we would have to apply directly to the embassy in Paris, France of all places!

Some thought that it was a hoax or some kind of April Fools joke. I happen to have a contact in the British Consulate in Tel Aviv so I wrote to her. She passed me to the head of passport services who unfortunately confirmed the rumours.

We won't even be able to apply for renewals by post to the UK. We will have to go through Paris.

The Consulate insisted that this was all part of a planned global restructuring:

This is part of a global policy by the British Government to streamline its overseas passport operation to reduce administration costs while improving security and maintaining a high quality of customer service.

I fail to understand how sending British passports, original birth and marriage certificates through the post from Israel to Paris can improve security.

I fail to understand how he can possibly claim with a straight face that this will maintain a high quality of customer service. When they cease to process all passport requests in Israel it will mean no customer service at all!

I'm also curious to know why this radical change of practice was not officially publicised. Indeed it still isn't. The Consulate informs me that they will have an official notice up on the web site by the beginning of April. Only four weeks before this is supposed to come into effect. It looks very much as if this has come as a surprise to them as well.

Nothing the official reply I received will succeed in quashing the rumours that this move by the British Government is somehow connected to accusations that Mossad used British passports in Dubai.

If this is the case, why punish British citizens living in Israel?

I received an email from Melanie Phillips. She is of the opinion that there is no connection between Dubai and the British Government's decision to close the passport office in Tel Aviv. It's simply that Britain can no longer afford to behave as if it's a world power anymore. Staff numbers are being cut back all over the world, not just in Israel.

Chain email: Holocaust Remembrance Day - May 2

Just received this chain email twice this morning.

What I find distasteful about this email is the fact that the author thinks that G-d will be somehow impressed if the reader waits 20 secs until he closes the browser! Then we are informed that G-d will be even more impressed and consider it the fulfillment of some mitzvah if we send this email to all our Jewish friends in order to reach the figure of 6 million before May 2nd.

The first thing to say is that this is a chain email, just like for instance, the famous free Nokia phones offer that tells you that if you send it to 10 friends then somehow Nokia will know about this and send you a free phone. These chain emails rely on a common Internet myth that somehow, all these emails can be traced back to the sender and somehow counted. They can't! In fact, the only one who would ever know how many of these silly emails were actually forwarded to Jews who, (according to the "halacha"), also had to wait 20 secs before sending them to all their Jewish contacts (to fulfil the mitzvah according to all the deiyos no doubt), is G-d and as I have already said, I would guess that, out of all the mitzvos that Hashem has given the Jewish people to perform, this gesture would not fit under any of them.

I have a policy of never forwarding any chain emails but had the email asked us to say some Tehillim or to mention a Holocaust victim or even Jewish town in our tephilos or even to learn a single pasuk from anywhere in Tanach then I'd understand the thought behind it. However, getting people to forward this just to show to G-d that there are 6 million Jews who know how to mouse click is actually quite pathetic don't you think? I would advice not to forward this email.