Noah Saves The Day: A Jewish Halloween Story

How do you teach a four-year-old about tzedakah? This year, Halloween provided us with an excellent opportunity. Regardless of whether or not you think Jews should celebrate Halloween (we do, because it’s fun and I like candy), our congregation has found a unique way to introduce Jewish values to the secular holiday.

Super kid!

Each year, Temple Sholom does something called “Project Boo!” for the families of HomeFirst Interfaith Housing & Family Services in Plainfield. This year, the Fanwood Presbyterian Church is partnering with us. Together, the congregations are throwing a Halloween party, complete with dinner, for families who don’t often get to celebrate special occasions because they are simply struggling to get by.

My family’s job (like several other families and individuals who volunteered) was to find the perfect costume for a particular little boy. So Noah and I—armed with a Living Social voucher—headed to the Costume Corner in Westfield on his most recent day off from school.

It just so happens that this child wanted the same superhero costume that Noah wanted. (At least that day. Noah’s changed his mind a few times since then.) And that gave me an idea.

“What are we doing, Mama?” my son asked.

“It’s called a tzedakah project,” I told him. “There’s a little boy who doesn’t have a Halloween costume and we’re going to get him one. We’re going to save the day.”

Noah’s face lit up. “Like superheroes? Yea!”

Together we combed through the racks and came up with a great costume. It turned out to be the perfect tzedakah lesson—Noah may not be old enough to understand money, but he understands how to do something good.

“Mom, I like to save the day,” he said. And there will be plenty more opportunities.

4 Ways to Use Your Etrog

One result of sending your kid to a Jewish preschool is that you become much more aware of Jewish holidays that most Reform Jews tend to ignore. In other words, Noah has the day off for Simchat Torah. So I enlisted his help for today’s blog.

Here are four ways to use your etrog once Sukkot is over.*

 I was going to have Noah make this while I wrote ,
but it turns out that etrog skins are really tough.
Instead, he handed me cloves and I shoved them in.
My hands smell really nice now. 

1. Shove cloves into it to preserve it and create a wonderfully scented spice box for Havdalah.

2. Make marmalade with this recipe from Food.com.**

3. Or you can soak it in vodka for a special liquer.**

4. Get pregnant. According my friend Rabbi Leah Doberne-Schor, etrogs are supposed to have spiritual properties that help with fertility when eaten. So, ladies, squeeze a little of the juice over your salad or into your water glass and see what happens!**

*Back when I was an associate food editor for Woman’s World magazine, I used to write a weekly column like this where I would tell readers the gazillions of ways they could use ordinary household items.  I now know countless ways to use vinegar, Cool Whip, dryer lint—you name it. If you’ve got extra of something hanging around, just ask me and I’ll tell you how to turn it into fabric softener or shaving cream or stuffing for your kid’s Halloween costume.


**So now I've been informed that you can only eat it if it's organic. See Leslie's comment. Well, that stinks.

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

I've decided that the answer is "stay." Sukkot ends tonight. When I began writing this blog, I wasn’t sure if it should be permanent or temporary, like our sukkah. It turns out that blogging about my family’s Jewish adventures is pretty fun, so I’m going to keep at it.

I’ve fixed the comment section so that you don’t have to sign up to comment, so I hope that makes it easier for you to join us by sharing your experiences and ideas, too. For starters, help me by answering this question: Should I keep the title or change it?

Thanks for reading!

(Not Quite) Sleeping in the Sukkah

For a four-year-old, the best time to be in a sukkah is at night. I mean, just look at these lights!

Noah's been dying to sleep in the sukkah, so the other night we took out the sleeping bag. This was taken a few minutes before it began to rain:

Oh, well. Maybe next year he'll get to sleep in there for more than five minutes.

Food For Thought

What does Sukkot tell us about feeding America's poorest children? Plenty, according to this essay at RJ.org. I'd actually like to take it a step further and say that we as Jews must actualize our responsibility to help the world's poorest people. While we have a responsibility to our neighbors in need, we can't forget that even our most desperate citizens at least have access to clean water. So while we're fighting for adequate food and health care here, let's see what we can elsewhere, too. Jewish or not, all people are God's children.


There are lots of easy ways to give, even if you feel that your budget is tight. For example, visit the World Food Programme to find out how you can spend a little money and help someone else a lot. There's no greater mitzvah than saving a life.

Sunday Sukkah Hop

Welcome to today's virtual sukkah hop! Our first stop is Leslie and Dov's in Fanwood, NJ:

I think it seats, like, 100. Well, okay, not 100. But quite a few!


Not so far away, also in Fanwood, we move along to Dana and Mitch's sukkah:

Simple and very fun! 


Speaking of fun, here's Adrienne's sukkah, in Cranford, NJ:

Lego my lulav!

Last, but not least, is a sukkah I actually got to visit, Rabbi Joel and Michelle Abraham's:

And there's my family eating cookies inside. You'll notice it's from a kit similar to ours. We both got ours from The Sukkah Project. They used pine branches on top, which smell much nicer than whatever I've got and apparently stay up better in the wind.

That's it for today! Hope you get a chance for your own sukkah hop. Don't forget--you can visit sukkahs at local synagogues, JCCs, college campuses and just about anywhere else you find Jews. Don't be afraid to ask! It's as much a mitzvah to invite people into the sukkah as it is to "live" in one.

Disaster Strikes!

First thunderstorms, now this! The wind blew all these branches off this morning. And notice how the leaves have already turned brown? The rain made them them icky and a bit smelly. Next year I'm getting the bamboo mat. 


During the times when the weather is nice, we're making the most of our sukkah. Yesterday we had some of Noah's friends over for lunch.

Today we had breakfast in the sukkah. Even our dog Lacey joined in!

Come back tomorrow for a vitual sukkah hop!

A Day of Firsts

Noah and I had our first meal in the sukkah today when it stopped drizzling around lunch time. Grilled cheese and apple slices. He was thrilled. We even had time to put up the lights and  some beads.

Dessert in the sukkah. (Don't worry--the candles are fake.)

Our first guests arrived this afternoon--Noah and Evelyn's cousins Elissa and Jacob and my sister-in-law Elana, followed by Eric's brother Adam. The kids had a blast sitting in the sukkah stringing beads and making posters to decorate. Elissa brought an adorable decoration with paper fruit that she made at daycare. It rained during the kids' dinner time, but then we got to eat dessert out there. The kids even shook the lulav and etrog for the first time.


Who would have guessed that having a sukkah would be so much fun? By the way, etrogs smell amazing. Ours is in our dining room and every time I walk by it's like I'm getting a whiff of the world's best air freshener.

Shake Shake Shake

Our first dinner in the sukkah has been postponed due to rain. It wouldn't be Sukkot without it! Instead, I bring you this lovely poster explaining how to shake your lulav. 


Perhaps I shall shake mine in the morning. (Thanks to Rabbi Abraham for telling me about Nice Jewish Artist!)

If Martha Stewart Was Jewish ...

I’m willing to bet this would be her favorite holiday. So many ways to design a sukkah and make it beautiful! So many craft projects … that I’ll never do. Because, while I’m an awesome cook (ask my husband), I am no Martha.

Good thing there are plenty of easy ways to make a sukkah pretty. I decided to go with mostly fake pumpkins, gourds and flowers because a. they won’t attract insects and pests, b. they won’t get yucky in the rain and c. they’re actually better for the environment (and, okay, cheaper) because I can use them over and over for years.

The hay bales are cute, and they’re a great place for kids to sit.

My friend Adrienne gave me the idea for the beads. She and her kids had a great time stringing beads for their sukkah, so I went and bought an assortment for Noah and myself. In the center here is the first one he made. We’ve got lots more to hang up!

This poster is more than decorative. It was given to me by Rabbi Abraham from Temple Sholom and it’s used in the Jewish tradition of ushpizin—inviting Jewish ancestors into the sukkah. At first the idea of inviting dead people over for a meal sounded more like Halloween than Jewish tradition, but this isn’t ghoulish. It’s more about making memory a part of our present.

Traditionally, the images displayed in sukkahs were of Biblical figures such as Issaac, Jacob, Abraham, Joseph—you know, men. These days, progressive Jews also include women. This poster represents several influential Jewish women, including Sarah and Miriam.

All we need now to get started is our table and chairs. We haven’t put them in yet because it’s raining. Let’s hope that stops soon.

Chag Sameach.

Swimming in the Sukkah

The temperature hit 85 degrees today, so Noah decided we needed to have a pool party in our sukkah.

It's Up!

Whew. We’re all sweaty and dirty and pretty proud of ourselves. It’s about 80 degrees out, of all things. Great sukkah-building weather.

Eric and Noah started putting the framing for the walls together just before 9:30.

When Evelyn went down for her nap, I started cutting up the big branches for s’chach.

Noah helped put up the frame. He’s quite the construction worker!

After Eric put up the lattice walls, we handed the branches to him for the roof.

Dah-dah!

Coming up next, decorating! Thanks to Cyndy Lynn-Woller for telling me about Creative Jewish Mom. I'm not exactly the craftiest mommy, but these are pretty inspiring. 

The Lulav Arrives

First of all, thanks to the New Jersey Jewish News for this article. Noah was so excited to see his picture on the front page!


My lulav and etrog arrived at the temple office today. Even though it's probably the busiest day of the year there, Barbara took the time to call me so I could come get them right away. They actually arrived yesterday, but the etrogs were so puny that they could pass for lemons, and one of them was green, so Rabbi Abraham had them send new ones to arrive asap. The new etrog is gigantic! Guess they took him seriously.


The lulav came in pieces. My good friend Rabbi Leah Doberne-Schor told me yesterday that when I got it I should refrigerate the myrtle and willow parts when not in use, so they're sitting on top of some leftover pizza. The etrog is in its box on my buffet table. Leah said I could refrigerate it, but then it won't smell as nice. 


Tonight is Erev Yom Kippur, so I hope everyone has a meaningful holiday and a good fast. By tomorrow night, that etrog is going to look pretty tasty. (Stay tuned after Sukkot for ways to serve a leftover etrog!)

We Got S'chach!

No, it’s not a 90s music genre. It’s the roofing material for a sukkah, and it’s arguably the most important part. A sukkah can have as few as 2 ½ walls and anything can cover those walls—sometimes they aren’t even covered at all. The whole point of the sukkah is to hold up the s’chach, which must be made of organic material, provide more shade than sun, yet still let the people inside see the sky.

So I was just a tiny bit freaked out today when Barbara e-mailed me to say that the town of Fanwood didn’t drop off as many pine branches at the temple as they usually do and there wasn’t enough to fully cover my sukkah as well as the temple’s. Fortunately, about half an hour later I heard saws outside my window. A crew was at my neighbor’s house doing some major tree trimming. Score! With a few funny looks but plenty of smiles, the helpful guys doing the yard work passed several large leafy branches over the fence. All set! That couldn’t have been any easier.

When I finished piling these up, I realized I’d better call the lawn guys before they come over to mow and wonder what strange things we’re doing out here.

Lumber Party!

Noah's first non-Lego construction project with Eric and Grandpa Stu!

It turns out that Lowes will deliver lumber the same day that you order it. So we’re all set! Although we’re not putting up our sukkah until October 9 (the day after Yom Kippur, which happens to be a Sunday), Eric decided to get a head start by putting all the brackets in the wood this afternoon. (In case you’re curious, the walls are the cheapest lattice we could get, but we splurged a few extra cents for pressure-treated lumber for all of the beams except the roof slats.)

The Sukkah Project claims its kits are Klutz-proof, but we discovered a couple of issues that could trip a klutz like myself up. So Eric, ever the engineer, wrote up this little report for the next folks who put one together:

Deviations and issues from Sukkah Plan:

1. We were told to order seven 2” X 4” X 93” studs. We could only get  2” x 4” x 8 ft studs that needed to be cut down to 2” x 4” x 93”.

2. The 2” x 4” x 93” studs did not easily fit the brackets sent with the Sukkah kit.  One of the eight brackets required us to shave down one of the studs about 1/32” to fit the bracket.  Three other brackets needed to be gently forced on with a hammer (Used a block of wood cut from the stud above between the hammer and the bracket to ensure no damage to the bracket).  It should be noted that these issues were related to the studs and not the brackets.  

  

Thanks, hon! 

What is That Thing? Explaining Sukkot to Non-Jews.

A lot of my non-Jewish friends have noticed that I’m writing this blog, and they all ask me the same thing: “What the heck is a sukkah?” This post is for you. (Jews—feel free to pass this on to your sukkah-curious friends.)

Think back to Bible school, if you attended one. Does the Feast of Tabernacles sound familiar to you? This is it! It’s not just something ancient Hebrews celebrated. We still do it. Tabernacle is a long (and pretty silly, if you ask me) word, so instead we use the Hebrew word sukkah, or its plural, sukkot.

The sukkahs (tabernacles) themselves are temporary huts we build for the week-long harvest festival of Sukkot, which is held each fall just after the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It starts on a different day each year because the Jewish calendar is based on cycles of the moon, not the sun.

All around the world for thousands of years Jews have built these huts in their fields, in their yards, on the balconies of their apartments, on their college campuses and anywhere else they happened to live or eat. If you travel to Israel or through an Orthodox neighborhood during Sukkot, you’re going to see them in people’s yards and over the outdoor seating section of restaurants. It’s a mitzvah (good deed, literally a commandment) to eat in the sukkah and live in it as much as possible during Sukkot.

Many Jews practice Sukkot at their synagogues by helping to build the congregation’s sukkah, decorating it and enjoying a picnic there. Youth groups often hold “pizza in the hut” events.  Lately, many of us are discovering the joys of building and decorating our own sukkahs and inviting friends and family to come over to eat in them.

If you’re invited to someone’s sukkah, it’s customary to bring something to help decorate, especially seasonal fruits and vegetables. Pumpkins and gourds are a great choice. (Although I’ve been warned that the squirrels will eat the pumpkins when you’re not looking.) Some hosts ask their guests to bring canned goods to be donated to a food pantry for a different kind of harvest. Sukkahs can also be decorated with posters, banners, paper chains, fairy lights (okay, Christmas lights) and whatever else you can think of.

Think all of this sounds a little crazy? Well, look who’s cutting down trees to stick in their living rooms.