Fulfilling My Talmudic Duty

The Talmud has this to say about a father's obligations towards his son:

"A father is obligated to do the following for his son: to circumcise him, to redeem him if he is a first born, to teach him Torah, to find him a wife, and to teach him a trade. Others say: teaching him how to swim as well." (Kiddushin 29a)

In other words, a father is duty bound to prepare his son to face the world. Most halachic (Jewish law) authorities state that if a father can not provide any of the above services for his son, he must hire a person who can.

This is a good thing since my circumcision skills are a bit rusty. As I go through the checklist, I can see what I've taken care of and what I have yet to do for both of my sons:

• Circumcision - check


• Redemption of the first born - check (we donated to the state of Israel instead of to a Kohen, but I count this as completed)


• Teaching them Torah - check. In fact, I wrote a rather large check to the Hebrew School.


• Teaching them to swim - check

As a matter of fact, I got to watch both Omri and Micah at their swimming class today. Shirah usually takes them since I often work until 6pm. Today I made a point of getting home in time for their class. "You've got to see how much they've progressed," Shirah told me.

She was right. Considering that both of them were starting from pretty much nothing this January, it was wonderful to see them gliding through the water, floating on their backs, and completely submerging themselves for as long as their breath held out. It's like a light went on in their brains, and they suddenly realized just how much fun swimming truly can be. For me this is wonderful, not just because I feel like I'm fulfilling my Talmudic duty, but because I love to swim and I want to pass on this affinity to my children. Maybe they'll grow up and live somewhere on a coast. And swim. And go SCUBA diving. And go boating. And invite me on their boat.

I know, I know...one thing at a time. First I need to teach them a trade and find them wives. Maybe I'll hunt for the wives myself instead of hiring a shadchan (matchmaker). I'm up for the challenge. If anyone is interested in setting up a shidduch (match), give me a call. My son's don't have trades yet, but at least they can swim. And they are learning Torah. Oh, and Omri can stick his foot behind his head.

Maybe I better hire a shadchan after all.

Peanut Butter Matzah Crunch

Well, we're rounding the curve on Pesach. Tonight was the sixth night. This means that we've used up the last of the Streitz's Passover coffee cakes and my family is clamoring for something new for breakfast. Even if we had another coffee cake, I don't think anyone could stomach another piece of almost-streusel topping.

My trick with the kosher for Passover coffee cakes is to mix a banana into the batter. This makes the coffee cake extra moist and it adds some nutritional value to...well...a breakfast of non-vitamin enriched simple carbs. But, now what do I do?

I came up with a new recipe tonight. I like it, but I'll test it on the kids in the morning. I call it Peanut Butter Matzah Crunch because that's about as descriptive a name as I can come up with. It can serve as breakfast or late-day snack. And frankly, it's no worse for you than the coffee cakes. It's got peanut butter and honey. What could be bad? I thought about adding flax seeds to the recipe, but I figured I'd give my family a break.

The nice thing about this recipe is that as it cools, the caramelized honey coating makes the matzah crispy. I haven't tested the recipe with milk, however, to see if the coating keeps the matzah crispy when wet.

"Crispy when wet" is not a phrase I ever thought I'd use on a blog. But I digress...

PEANUT BUTTER MATZAH CRUNCH

3 cups matzah farfel
2 Tbs. canola oil (or other pesadic cooking oil)
2 Tbs. peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cocoa powder


Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 2-quart saucepan combine oil, honey, peanut butter, and salt. Simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add to the farfel. Stir until the farfel is coated evenly. Spread onto a non-stick cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently (every 3-4 minutes) to prevent burning. Remove and cool. Break up any large chunks with a spatula. Store in an air-tight container.

Happy Passover

Chag Sameach, everyone. Happy Holidays.

We had our second night seder tonight. It was a small, short affair with just the immediate family...plus about five stuffed animal and dolls that my sons set up on the other end of the table with a children's Haggadah propped on one of the doll's laps. Just a typical dinner in our house.

We went to a family friend's house for the first night seder up in South Bend. We haven't seen most of them since last year at Pesach, so it was great to see them all again. Of course, by the end of the seder, we're all getting punchy. After the seder meal as we were nearing the hallel (songs of praise near the end of the seder), after everyone was questioning whether they should have had that last macaroon or piece of chocolate torte, as everyone was calculating the number of pages left in the Haggadah, I said...just loudly enough for my side of the table to hear... "if you roll doubles three times, you have to go back to page 26." Everyone thought it was pretty funny. Or maybe it was the fourth cup of wine kicking in.

Micah sang the Four Questions this year and did an outstanding bang-up job. I was so proud. Older brother Omri had to do them for a couple of years before Micah was old enough, and I'm sure he's happy to pass on the torch. Of course, my friend Rafi, who is about seven years my junior, had to say the Four Questions for 26 years straight until Omri finally took it over from him. I remember when Omri first recited the Four Questions at the seder. Everybody was very impressed. Rafi was ecstatic.

Yes, Pesach is a time to be thankful. I'm mostly thankful that my weigh-in day for the Biggest Loser contest was one day BEFORE the first night of Pesach. This is definitely NOT the holiday to try to lose weight. I think Jews are single-handedly supporting the egg industry this week. I love reading recipes for Pesadic (kosher for Passover) sponge cakes that start with 9 eggs. Yeaaaahhh! Now, that's a celebration!

It might be time to get my cholesterol level checked soon. But not for another week. And then it's back to eating water.

Just a Random Thought...

Too often we measure ourselves against young people and their accomplishments. For example, when faced with a 13-year old who owns his own business, we not only comment on the talent of the kid, but we also consider our own shortcomings. While this kid was becoming an entrepreneur, I was struggling to learn my Torah portion for my bar mitzvah. Etc.

But why do we not compare ourselves to people at the other end of the age spectrum as well? When I am 81 years old, what will I be doing?

Speaking of which, Pope Benedict XVI just turned 81 last week. Mazel tov to him. Benedict became pope in April 2005 at the age of 78. That means that being pope is his retirement job.

Wow. Beats being a Walmart greeter.

Veggie Breadsticks

I get tired of listening to my children negotiate, stall, or whine whenever their dinner consists of one or more vegetables not on their favorites list. You'd think I was raising a family of carnivores (and not vegetarians) the way they pick at their peas. So, I am happy to report that I have found a new way to disguise...uh, I mean incorporate...vegetables in a "snack food." I present to you my recipe for veggie breadsticks.

The great thing about this recipe is that it can be made with any vegetables on hand. I would also recommend substituting tomato paste for some of the liquid. But please do add the ground flax seed. What better way is there to get your omega 3 fatty acids, not to mention fiber, manganese, magnesium, and folate?

And by the way, Micah ate three of them tonight. On his own. Without negotiating, stalling, or whining.

VEGGIE BREADSTICKS

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 small carrot

1/2 cup packed volume of frozen spinach (thawed and water squeezed out)

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. basil

2 Tbs. ground flax seed

garlic salt

Grind the spinach, carrot, and spices in a food processor until they form a thick paste. In a large bowl, combine the veggies, yeast, warm water, and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Mix well to blend. Add oil, salt, and remaining flour and stir until the dough sticks together.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about five minutes. If the dough gets sticky, sprinkle it with a little flour. If the dough gets too dry, sprinkle water 1 tsp. at a time and knead in.

Roll the dough in a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel and set in a warm but not hot place to rise until doubled in volume, 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat the oven to 450 deg. F.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. When the dough has risen, punch it down, knead it a couple more times, and roll it out with a rolling pin onto a baking sheet until it forms a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

Using a knife or other sharp edge, cut the dough into strips 1 inch wide by pressing straight down on the dough with the edge. Spray the breadsticks lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle them with garlic salt. Bake in the center of the oven for about 10 minutes.

The recipe makes 8-10 breadsticks.