Apologia
By Rachel Kann

Forgive me,
I have done it all wrong.
In every way that I hoped not to act,
I have failed.

Forgive me,
I love you beyond logic
Where the loudest blossoms shout yellow, pink.
Listen to the fragrance of bloom.
Inhale the whisper of nature.
My lips part for your kiss only.
You know my mouth’s deep intimacy.

This is my long-form farewell tour.
I am but a bank of buttons and knobs
Laid plain for you to press up against.

This is past chest-pounding,
This is specific,
Forgive me
For whispering in symbols while
I watch stars dance between palm fronds.

 

We Remember Them
by Sylvan Kamens & Rabbi Jack Riemer

At the rising sun and at its going down; We remember them.
At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter; We remember them.
At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring; We remember them.
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer; We remember them.
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the autumn; We remember them.
At the beginning of the year and when it ends; We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as We remember them.

When we are weary and in need of strength; We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart; We remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make; We remember them.
When we have joy we crave to share; We remember them.
When we have achievements that are based on theirs; We remember them.
For as long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as, We remember them.

By Shannon Sarna for The Nosher

Ingredients

4 lbs sweet potatoes
2 lb Russet potatoes
1 lb pitted prunes
1 lb baby carrots, or whole carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
3 lbs flanken
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Place one or two pieces of flanken on the bottom of the casserole. Scatter half of the sweet potatoes, white potatoes, prunes and carrots over the meat.
2. Sprinkle half the brown sugar and lemon juice over this layer. Place the remaining flanken on top and cover with all remaining ingredients.
3. Fill the casserole with water until the ingredients are barely covered. Bring to a boil on top of the stove and then reduce heat to a simmer.
4. Cover casserole. Simmer ingredients for 90 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
5. Carefully, remove meat, potatoes, carrots and prunes from the gravy. Arrange them in an oven to table serving dish. Pour gravy in another container. Place both in fridge overnight.
6. The next day, preheat oven to 375°F. Remove casserole and container of gravy from fridge. With a slotted spoon, remove the thick layer of fat that will have formed over night. Taste gravy. Add more brown sugar and/or lemon juice depending on your taste. Pour gravy over meat and vegetables.
7. Place casserole in oven and bake for 2-3 hours uncovered. Baste constantly until gravy has thickened and glazed the Tzimmis. If the top layer begins to brown too much, cover the casserole lightly with foil and continue to cook.
8. Serve hot. This recipe can be cooled completely and frozen.

CARROT - ZANAHORIA - GEZER

The Hebrew word for carrot gezer is similar to ligzor, to decree, so we ask that God judge us with a positive decree.

La palabra hebrea para zanahoria "gezer" es similar a "ligzor", decretar, así que le pedimos a Dios que nos juzgue con un decreto positivo.

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתִּרְגֹז עָלֵינוּ גְזֵרוֹת טוֹבוֹת
Yehi ratzon milfanecha Adonai Eloheinu v'elohei avoteinu, she'tirgoz aleinu g'zeirot tovot.
Yeji ratzón milfaneja Adonai Elojeinu v'elojei avoteinu, she'tirgoz aleinu g'zeirot tovot.

May it be Your will, Eternal our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors, that you decree for us good outcomes.

Que sea Tu voluntad, Dios Eterno y Dios de nuestros antepasados, que nos decretes buenos resultados.
 

Fruit
By Rachel Kann


Know this:
you are wonderful-wild.
Do not deny it, contort
akimbo,
reach your glorious limbs skyward. 
No more mourning
your exclusion from the orchard—
you were never meant to be regimented,
thank heaven.

The predatory parasites
who hijacked the canopy,
clawing toward your inner sugar,
have all been evicted. 
They could never truly penetrate;
never rip to the center of you. 
They tried to prune your shine,
you bloomed through it.
Their attempts to graft you
proved fruitless, 
they carved their tags into your trunk,
underestimated your fortitude. 
How could they predict
you’d claim your scars as splendor? 
Your roots go deeper
than you ever imagined.
You are steadfast
and untamable. 
Your leaves unfurl face-up
toward the
massive gentleness
and outrageous abundance
emanating in waves of electric radiance. 
Your existence bridges
earthly with celestial. 
Today, it begins.
Awaken, under cover of cold snap.
Be your sweetness, revealed.
Your glow is a holy permission slip. 
Beneath the harsh winter—
hidden growth. Humble/pliant,
you are safer than you realize.

Here is a secret worth knowing:
To dance, you must let the wind
whip your branches.

To sing, permit the breeze
to whistle through you. 
Your very being is a map of eternity.
You are inviolable,
fairly spilling with potential. 
Come to blossom;
Come to fruit.