Jewish Gifts and Knowledge

It’s been a long time since we celebrated a Passover Seder at my parent’s

home. My mother had changed the dishes, cleaned the refrigerator & stove,

used a feather and candle to be sure all of the chumetz were removed, and

we switched to “Kosher for Pesach” foods.

As our relatives and guests entered our home, they kissed the mezuzah,

which was on the doorpost of our house. We also had personalized

mezuzahs by our bedroom doors.

Our guests brought us beautiful Jewish gifts. We received candlesticks, matza

plates, Kiddish glasses, cute aprons, platters with Passover pictures

painted on them and many other Jewish gifts.

Each person was asked to recite a part of the Passover story from the

our beautifully illustrated Hagodahs, which were written in both English and Hebrew.

There were separate Hagodahs with easy-to-read text for the younger children.

Each year a different child asked the four questions as our family

continued to increase in number. As the child finished, his or her

parents would kvell with pride at the recitation.

After a couple of hours of prayers, we began to pass around the foods on

the beautiful Seder plate: haroses, matzoth, gefilte fish etc. We would open the door

for Elijah to be welcomed to the dinner. For the children, it was

exciting to think someone might mysteriously enter the house and join us.

Then the dinner began…from chicken soup with matzah balls to brisket to

potatoes. We also had mandrel brot, chocolate cake, sponge cake, and

cookies for dessert.

After dinner, with stomachs full and eyes getting droopy, we sang

songs… with some of the men pounding the table to the beat of the song.

Some of us had practiced the songs from recordings. The children went

to play with their Jewish holiday gifts as they waited for the dishes to be

cleared. Later, everyone kissed one another goodbye.

As a child, the Seder seemed to go on forever. Now, as an adult and with

my parents deceased, it is one of my favorite memories…those of my

father leading the prayers and my family participating in a very

ritualistic experience. During the Seder, we told the story of the

Egyptians and the Jews. It was a story of our history and made us proud for being Jewish. It also gave my extended family a

perfect time to spend a warm and friendly evening together.

by Susie Klein

No Comments | In: jewish gifts | tags: jewish gifts, Passover, seder plate, Susie Klein. | #

When someone close to you moves into a new residence, one of the best Jewish gifts you can give is a mezuzah, which means doorpost in Hebrew. The mezuzah is a piece of parchment that is contained in a decorative case. The mezuzah is also inscribed with certain Hebrew verses from the Torah.

The mezuzah is one of the most important Jewish gifts that have religious significance for a newly married couple. Some people interpret Jewish law to require a mezuzah on every doorway in the home.

However, a mezuzah should not be put on doorways of bathrooms or closets that are too small to be considered an actual ‘room’.  Many Jewish people place a mezuzah only on the doorpost of the front door entrance to their home.

To ensure that the mezuzah is Kosher, the parchment should be prepared by a qualified scribe who checks the mezuzot parchments for defects. This is a very meticulous process and every detail of the parchment paper is examined. As a result, genuinely Kosher parchment paper is often sold for around $150 or more.

Let’s say you give your son or daughter a mezuzah, but what if they don’t know how to properly affix a mezuzah?

Here are the instructions according to Halakha (Jewish rules) on how to properly affix a mezuzah to your doorpost:

• The mezuzah should be placed on the right side of the door.

• Place the mezuzah in the upper third of the doorpost.

•  Jewish law requires that all mezuzot be attached within 30 days of moving into an abode outside of the state of Israel.

•  For a residence in Israel , the mezuzah is attached immediately upon moving in.

• Any Jewish person can recite the blessing if that person can understand the importance of the blessing. That means men, women and children are fair game.

• When attaching several mezuzot, you only have to say the blessing once after putting up the first mezuzah.

Many Jews throughout the world, even those who are not religiously observant, affix a mezuzah to their front doorposts. This is one of the most important of all the Jewish gifts you can give a person who is important to you.

No Comments | In: jewish gifts | tags: jewish gifts, Jewish Wedding Gifts, mezuzah. | #