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The 50th Yahrzeit: Remembering a Remarkable Oma
Oma taught us that hope is not the absence of suffering. Sometimes Emunah means having the courage to change course while never losing sight of who we are. Oma taught us that rebuilding does not always happen in grand gestures. Sometimes it happens by sewing clothing from your own dresses. By making shalom. By saving…
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Babylonia, Music and My Father
Tonight is the third yahrzeit of my dear and holy father ztL. My father was a paradigm of Torah learning and teaching, a humble and optimistic person much like Rabbi Akiva who laughed when others cried. He was one who sang as he studied Torah, dancing with his talmidim through the joys of finding…
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Devorah Haneviah: Prophet, Wife and Judge
Just as Yael became a Jewish role model for strength and action, Mom took upon herself to act with courage and effort and imbue a deep sense of purpose and responsibility into those around her. As Devorah led her people with light, devotion and gratitude through song, Mom lit her way through life bringing joy…
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Fitting In: a second year perspective
He was a gentle soul who was incapable of harming another. While he was out of step with his world, he was a modulator, slowing down our frenzied rhythm to notice and care for his needs. While his instrumental was silent and awkward, he made ours more divine and nuanced.
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What’s in the Name Devorah?
Today is the thirteenth Yarzheit of Devorah bas Yitzchok Aaron, my mother-in-law. It is hard to believe that so many years have passed since her petira (death). While in her life I did not always appreciate her rebuke, as the years go by, I appreciate and hope to internalize the lessons she taught me. Many…
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Finding the Divine in the Difficult
Menachem loved gefilte fish and Shabbos, yet could not modulate himself to his neigborhood’s cadence.
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Refoel Yisroel Yaakov
Today was one of the happiest days of my life. It was also one of the most difficult days of my life. Today, my newest grandson was named for my father zt’l. The experience of attending the bris and hearing my holy father’s name ascribed to a child of eight days was a bittersweet moment. …
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Compassion in All the Right Places
רְפָאֵֽנוּ יְהֹוָה וְנֵרָפֵא הוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ וְנִוָּשֵֽׁעָה כִּי תְהִלָּתֵֽנוּ אָֽתָּה וְהַעֲלֵה רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה לְכָל מַכּוֹתֵֽינוּ Heal us, Hashem, and we will be healed, support us and we will be saved You are our Praise. And, boost a total healing to all our affliction כִּי אֵל מֶֽלֶךְ רוֹפֵא נֶאֱמָן וְרַחֲמָן אָֽתָּה: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה רוֹפֵא חוֹלֵי עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל:…
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Restraint: Public and Private
In that brief and touching encounter, I felt Aba’s embrace in his disappointment, his trust in his only daughter overwhelming the anguish. That evening, I learned about standards. In that encounter, I also earned a lifelong lesson about restraint. Had Aba admonished me right away, the reprimand would not have been as effective. Had my…
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Games and Idioms
I selected my favorite game show host, Lazer, and with his assistance I replayed the 2018 Chanukah game with some of my father’s favorite sayings. I added an important twist. This time, in addition to guessing the original saying, Lazer would choose someone to explain the saying and describe why it is a memorable adage.…
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12 Words to Ponder
The two years of mornings took me through hopeful times, stressful times and everything in between. The modeh ani with kavana responsibility empowered me to start each day with the humility to thank G-d for another twenty-four hours, opening my eyes wide to His many kindnesses. The first word מודה challenged me to begin my…
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A Humble Maestro
So, I believe that my father was the maestro of a symphony of his time and his place, summoning confidence through shyness, creativity with no ego as he coaxed others to make the music of Torah through a melodious conversation with The Creator. His concert hall was the Beis Medrash (Torah study hall) and every…
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A Fox of Hope
I was still reeling from the pain and grief of the diagnosis, but my father had now framed the experience through the words and world view of Rabbi Akiva, the eternal optimist. I was determined to see hope and optimism, but I was no Rabbi Akiva or Reb Yankel Cohen, my father. It was difficult…
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Rav Yankel Cohen: My Father and Mentor
This month, we lost a Talmid Chochom (wise Torah student) of massive proportion who learned Torah with tireless strength and courage. He was addressed as a living Sefer Torah (Torah scroll) and the paradigm of an American masmid (Torah scholar). He was fearlessly honest. He had an amazing sense of humor. He was confident in…
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Sara’s Zara Shower and Edible Handbags
I have been trying to accumulate less “stuff” and instead, build more memories. So, instead of getting another gift for Sara, Leah and I decided to go all out and host a memorable shower for Sara.
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Remembering my Mother-in-Law: Calaniot and Bees
The fields, the mountains, and the flower stands all over Israel abound with calaniot (anemones) in every color of the spectrum. These calaniot are the national flower of Israel and they represent all that Israel is. They add color and hope to the darkest season in the most barren places.
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Yisroel Simcha z’L: a Study in Opposites
We spent this past Shabbos at the beautiful home of our cousins who hosted a yahrzheit Shabbos for our dear cousin, Yisroel Simcha. It was an uplifting Shabbos of inspiration, learning, delicious food and ambiance and beautiful Divrei Torah (words of Torah). There was an incredible siyum by family and friends who gathered to spend…
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Pulled Turkey Pizza
This recipe is simple to prepare and is perfect for those Thanksgiving leftovers. It is a fleishig (meat) version of pizza and is really a cinch to make. The first time that I prepared it, I served it for Shabbos lunch to the rave reviews of my guests.
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Aufruf Rice Krispies Treat Cake
Candle lighting was at 4:12 PM. And, there was so much to get done. Thankfully, we had an aufruf to look forward to attending Shabbos morning.
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Tomato Medley with Arugula Pesto
Don loves arugula. He will eat a bag of arugula as a snack. I love tomatoes. In fact, my mother has told me that “tomato” was my first word. I pronounced it as “apimanus” and would do anything for a tomato. I still will. I just think that the juiciness, sweetness and unique character of…
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Crockpot Pulled Turkey
This morning, I bought half of a turkey breast on the bone. It was the first turkey purchase of the holiday season and I intended to make it memorable. I placed the turkey breast in a crockpot and topped it with sliced Vidalia onions and a handful of garlic cloves. I poured one cup of…
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Marshmallow Tulips
The flowers were colorful and gorgeous. They piqued my interest because they were so simple and yet so beautiful. Their beauty belies the unity of the ingredients and the simplicity of their design. And, yet, these flowers transport me instantly to that special place in Jerusalem that, for me, represents unity and beauty.
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Basic Rice Krispies Treats
INGREDIENTS 1 large jar of marshmallow fluff 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 box of Rice Krispies cereal DIRECTIONS Over low heat in a large pot, melt butter or margarine. Add marshmallow fluff and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies, 2 cups at a time. Using a firm spatula, stir until…
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A No-Bake Wedding Cake
The task was simple. I repurposed a rose-shaped silicone mold. Davida prepared a batch of Rice Krispies Treats and I packed the batter firmly into the pan. After a short few minutes, I inverted the mold onto some wax paper. I pressed the love birds and the embellshment into the cake and the SimpletoWow wedding cake was…
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A Shabbos of Grapes
From these grape-related facts, I’d like to weave some simple to wow marriage lessons for you, YA, as you leave our home and embark on your life together with Hindy.
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Love Birds Floral Arrangement
Hindy and Yitzchok Aaron’s efforvescence has been infectious and my father called occasionally to provide updates on them, always referring to them as the “love birds”.
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Creamy Mushroom Tortellini Soup
This blog is about preparing simple things that create a wow. Simplifying recipes and preparations without sacrificing taste and presentation has really become an art form for me. One of the “aha” things that I have discovered is that simple really is better. It really is best to prepare a few delicious signature dishes with…
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Farro: The New Farfel
A few months ago, I prepared farro with sauteed onions in the rice cooker. After running some errands, I discovered that the farro had been nearly finished. Both Aaron and Leah sheepishly told me that they couldn’t resist “tasting” the farro and that it tasted just like farfel. So, farro has now become the…
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Pulled Beef Babka
I thought long and hard about how to prepare this simply with minimal cleanup. And, I think I nailed it. Because, it really was simple to prepare. And, it was easy to clean up afterward. Best of all, the pulled beef babka was delicious and gorgeous.
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Yerushalmi Kugel Reinvented
I reinvented the Yerushalmi Kugel recipe. It is now simpler. It does not use margarine. And, it looks like a challah.
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Pink Baby Carriage Cookies: Simple to Wow
For Charley’s kiddush, Davida prepared these adorable carriage cookies. They really were Simple to Wow! INGREDIENTS Hadar-Tirosh chocolate half-moon biscuits Paskesz mini Oreo cookies frosting Pink piping or frosting DIRECTIONS Using a small spatula coated with frosting, adhere two half-moon cookies together at right angles to create base of carriage. Since these cookies are double-sided, …
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