Weekend Hospitality

What a feeling!  Married off my son and gained a daughter.   The wedding was very special.  As befits our family, it went off according to schedule, even finishing 15 minutes early.  Yet, no-one felt that it was too short or that something was missing.  The dancing was perfect and the shtick funny and smooth.  All in all, a good evening was had by all. The young couple are like cats that have just eaten the bird.  They walk around with a big grin.  No worries.  What a wonderful time to be young, in love and married!  May they have many such years together in happiness and health. The weekend after the wedding it is traditional for the families to have meals together.  The mother's of the couple have arranged to serve meals at the local synagogue.  Of course, both families are making parts of the meals.  Like the marriage, this weekend is a partnership. My father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law and two brother's...

My oldest is getting married on Monday!  We are very happy and deep into the execution phase of this event.  We believe strongly in the National Geographic motto: "Dream It, Plan It, Do It" .  We have passed the planning phase and are now in the "do it" phase.  Most of the preparations are in place.  Family is arriving from across the globe (so far, my mother-in-law, my parents and my brother).  Friends are stopping by.  Presents for the new couple are mysteriously arriving on our doorstep.  Excitement is in the air! Our tradition is to have a men's event for the groom the weekend before the wedding.  This is sometimes called an Ufruf (OoffRoof).  My son invited a number of his friends to stay the weekend.   My wife and her mother are going to stay at a friends house so that the testosterone can flow freely at our house.  No females allowed (at least for meals). For lunch, some friends from the community are also eating wit...

This was it, the last quiet before the wedding storm.  Guests begin to arrive this week.  Next shabbat is the groom's weekend.  My wife is running away from home for the weekend and we will be invaded by 20 something men.  Then the wedding and the follow-on parties, culminating in Purim and our traditional pizza and sushi feast.  10 days of pure excitement. I need a break already. This weekend, we hosted my sister's niece and my sister's sister-in-law.  They experienced the full jaffe shabbat, complete with food, games and a bleeding child from the park next door.  Never a dull moment.  A friend of mine took me for a two hour walk shabbat morning to a near-by forest.  It was quiet and peaceful.  Now if only my legs can recover from the hike. Food was good this weekend.  We ate out at a friend Friday night.  It was so nice to be able to enjoy being a guest.  The company was great and we caught up on current events. ...

Welcome to winter in Israel.  From where we post, it is in the high 40's (6-10 Celsius) and raining.  The biggest problem is not the cold, but the houses.  Since it does not stay cold for very long, and since it NEVER freezes, there is usually no central heating.  Once the house cools down, it stays cool.  Average indoor temperatures are in the low 60s.  So this weekend, we finally get to be home and have a "normal" shabbat.  Smallish meals, with 10 for dinner and 9 for lunch.  The menu is comfort food, warm and simple. The guests are all old friends in keeping with the theme. My mother-in-law is the first arrival on the wedding train.  She will be staying with us for three weeks until just after the wedding.  Like mother like daughter.  She arrived yesterday night and spend all morning cleaning.  When I get to my destination, I want to sit back and relax for at least 24 hours.  Guess that's why I love my wife, we comple...