Aloha Bread Lovers
Aloha Bread Lovers – tomorrow (Sunday) we will be serving a special breakfast at Motek – blintzes! Blintzes are a customary dairy dish – like a crepe – and can be both sweet or savory. We will offer both. Why, you may ask, are we serving blintzes? Because it is customary to eat dairy food during the Jewish holiday of Shavuout. And, what is Shavuout? Literally “weeks” and relates to the 7 weeks after Passover. In biblical times, Shavuout was one of three harvest holidays where during the time of the great Temple in Jerusalem, Jews would make a pilgrimage and offer the first fruits of the harvest at the Temple. After the destruction of the 2nd Temple by the Romans in 70 CE, the practice of going up to Jerusalem to make offerings ceased and Jewish scholars re-aligned Shavuout as a celebration of the receiving of the ten commandments and the Torah at Mt. Sinai. So, why the dairy? I have heard two different explanations. The religious explanation claims that prior to receiving the Torah, there were no dietary laws. When the Torah was received, it meant that there were now clear guidelines regarding what and when you can eat – what is known as the laws of Kashrut (Kosher). A key elements comes from the commandment in the Torah that forbids “cooking a kid in its mother’s milk” – i.e. you cannot eat milk and meat together. The story goes that once the Jews received the law, they had to discard the meat that they had prepared being that it was not in compliance with the new law. This left only dairy products to eat, hence the eating of dairy. The other explanation that I heard is more practical. It is customary on Shavuout to study all night long and into the morning. Eating a heavy, meat meal would make you sleepy. Either way, it is customary to eat dairy and even though we are not observant, we do honor some of the traditions and customs such as eating dairy on Shavuout. So, there you have it – a brief overview of an ancient practice. AND we will of course have our great Uke Jammers to fill the air with music and keep the good vibes coming.
On another note, a huge Mahalo for all of the very kind and comforting condolences. Losing a mother is not easy and the outpouring of love and support from this amazing community has meant a great deal to us and has been quite humbling in the best way possible.
Thank you – David and Yael
P.S. – A Joke: WARNIG -CLICK ON THIS LINKAT YOUR OWN PERIL - https://www.oldjewstellingjokes.com/2018/11/28/jack-brandman-talking-dog-for-sale-555/