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jillbcooks 4/13/2009 2:07:00 PM
Passover is also known by another name, Hag ha-Aviv, which means Festival of Spring. The timing of the holiday shifts, as it is based on the vernal equinox and the cycles of the moon and the Hebrew calendar. If the month of the holiday (called Nisan, and Passover begins the 15th of Nisan) arrived and spring had not, an additional month (called an intercalary month) would be added to the calendar to delay the coming of Passover until it was truly springtime.
One way to celebrate Hag ha-Aviv is by eating fresh, seasonal foods. This helps counterbalance the heaviness of some other traditional Passover foods like baked goods without leavening agents. Pass...
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spring, Matzoh, Nectarine Salsa, Passover, Salmon
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jillbcooks 4/10/2009 9:25:00 AM
If you have ever attended a religious school, like parochial school or a Jewish day school, you might know a little something about watching the clock tick during morning prayer. I was a teacher at a Jewish day school, which had a compulsory prayer period every morning. As you can imagine, some students took it very seriously, some were present and indifferent, and some were truly misbehaved. The administration of our school recognized that students might be more engaged if they had some meaningful activity related to Judaism instead of traditional prayer. A fearless young teacher, I volunteered for the program’s pilot and was assigned Jewish Cooking, wi...
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Matzoh, Matzoh Brei, Melon Cucumber Salad, Passover