More Tradional and Popular Melodies Sung by the Choir of KAJ

KAJ Choir Sings Bendigamos

The Choir of KAJ went out on a limb yesterday and added an unsual piece to their repertoire when performing at the Moriah Senior Center.

Who would expect that along with the traditional renditions of Mizmor L'Dovid, Lecho Dodi, Tzaddik Katomor and even an old Carlebach favorite, Eilecho, one would hear the beautiful Ladino bentching, BENDIGAMOS?

According to Wikipedia:

Bendigamos is a prayer said after meals according to the custom of Spanish and Portuguese Jews. It is similar in meaning to the Birkat Hamazon that is said by all Jews. Bendigamos is said in addition to Birkat Hamazon. The text is in Castilian (Spanish language). The prayer was translated by David de Sola Pool. … The melody is that of the “Az Yashir".

Bendigamos

Bendigamos al Altísimo,
Al Señor que nos crió,
Démosle agradecimiento
Por los bienes que nos dió.

Alabado sea su Santo Nombre,
Porque siempre nos apiadó.
Load al Señor que es bueno,
Que para siempre su merced.

Bendigamos al Altísimo,
Por su Ley primeramente,
Que liga a nuestra raza
Con el cielo continuamente,

Alabado sea su Santo Nombre,
Porque siempre nos apiadó.
Load al Senor que es bueno,
Que para siempre su merced.

Bendigamos al Altísimo,
Por el pan segundamente,
Y también por los manjares
Que comimos juntamente.

Pues comimos y bebimos alegremente
Su merced nunca nos faltó.
Load al Señor que es bueno,
Que para siempre su merced.

Bendita sea la casa esta,
El hogar de su presencia,
Donde guardamos su fiesta,
Con alegría y permanencia.

Alabado sea su Santo Nombre,
Porque siempre nos apiadó.
Load al Señor que es bueno,
Que para siempre su merced.

Hodu Lahashem Ki Tov Ki L'Olam Chasdo

English:
Let us bless
Let us bless the Most High
The Lord who raised us,
Let us give him thanks
For the good things which he has given us.

Praised be his Holy Name,
Because he always took pity on us.
Praise the Lord, for he is good,
For his mercy is everlasting.

Let us bless the Most High
First for his Law,
Which binds our race
With heaven continually,

Praised be his Holy Name,
Because he always took pity on us.
Praise the Lord, for he is good,
For his mercy is everlasting.

Let us bless the Most High,
Secondly for the bread
And also for the foods
Which we have eaten together.

For we have eaten and drunk happily
His mercy has never failed us.
Praise the Lord, for he is good,
For his mercy is everlasting.

Blessed be this house,
The home of his presence,
Where we keep his feast,
With happiness and permanence.

Praised be his Holy Name,
Because he always took pity on us.
Praise the Lord, for he is good,
For his mercy is everlasting

More videos from this event will follow shortly, but I'm interested to know who of my readers are familiar with or sing Bendigamos at their table.

How NOT to Perform Bikur Cholim

This one made me literally LAUGH OUT LOUD!
Enjoy.
HT: Rafi

Shabbos Flowers

I love natural beauty - Hashem's artwork if you will.

I appreciate brilliant flowers and eye catching stones.

With the new vase I bought, we can meld the two for a beautiful Shabbos table arrangement. The vase is a piece of quartz sliced from an unassuming rock, cloaking unbelievable beauty within, mounted on a hidden base.
...'מה גדלו מעשיך ה

Challenges Everywhere

I can't tell you what it is like to run a marathon. That is a challenge that I have as yet not attempted. The only thing that I can write about, is what it is like to be the proud mother and mother-in-law of marathon runners.

We too feel anticipation of the day, though our hopes are a bit different. We don't focus on a specific finishing time. We want our loved ones to be safe and feel good about themselves at the end of the race. In short - we continue to be "Jewish Mothers".

I spent the day racing around the city, from downtown Brooklyn to Williamsburg (the New York Times caught a better shot, but I had fun trying to get a photo of the natives trying to dodge the runners as they crossed the street {now THERE'S a challenge!} - see my photo below), then on to the Bronx and Manhattan's East Side. I think I covered more miles on the subway than Joey did on the course, and I made WORSE time (I actually missed him in one location and near missed him in several others...). I couldn't have done it without a certain person who hates to be mentioned on blog but who knows the NY Subway system like nobody's business. So you know who you are - thanks a LOT!!

We were there to cheer on the runners, provide sustenance in the form of bananas and "goo", and rejoice in the spirit of goal setting and accomplishments.

... and the end result? Two very happy runners who are eager to push themselves again to achieve newer and greater heights.

Cristoph Niemann of The New York Times, embarked on a project to "live illustrate" the marathon as he ran. He completed the course, and 46 sketches in an undisclosed amount of time but the results are quite entertaining. You can see his works here.

After Months of Training - NYC Marathon Day Arrives

G6 Jrs. Get Ready for Race Day

Technology is finding more and more ways to become a part of Marathon Sunday.

Aside from being able to track your favorite runner with cool smartphone apps that pinpoint their locations with surprising accuracy all along the route, Asics, one of the race’s sponsors, is allowing people to send a message, video or text to specific runners that they will see as they pass giant screens along the route.

Message submitted at SupportYourMarathoner.com will be seen by racers in three spots along the course, because the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag in their bibs that track their time will also send signals to the big screens and trigger the messages at the exact time that the runners approach.

Here's one that my granddaughters made to cheer on their father as he triggers the sensors along the route:

Food Photo Friday - Marathon Birthday Cake

My daughter Erica is totally rocking the buttercream transfer technique. That little marathon runner on the birthday cake she made for Moshe (shhh ... it's a surprise...) this weekend (complete with his actual bib number for Sunday's race) is not fondant, but buttercream.

I reall need to try this out!

In Others' Words: Why Joey and Moshe Will Be Out Running. Why I'll Be Out Watching

Mary R. Wittenberg, president, New York Road Runners Club:

"A marathoner is a marathoner regardless of time. Virtually everyone who tries the marathon has put in training over months, and it is that exercise and that commitment, physical and mental, that gives meaning to the medal, not just the day’s effort, be it fast or slow. It's all in conquering the challenge."

Kathrine Switzer, women's marathoning pioneer:

"If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon."

The New York City Marathon will be held this Sunday.

Both my son and son-in-law will be running.

I will be dashing madly through the NY Subway System from mile marker to mile marker, ringing a big orange cowbell in support.

They are covering this 26.2 mile course to raise money for the Blue Card Fund. It is not too late to donate to this worthy cause which helps holocaust victims.

It's also not too late to make plans to be somewhere along the route to cheer the runners on.

Thanks to Steve Jobs, I will hopefully be able to pinpoint Joey's location with incredible accuracy throughout the run. Shoot me an email if you'd like to be kept updated.

And to everybody, everywhere who refuses to remain content with the status quo in their life and insists on challenging themselves constantly to achieve new heights and accomplish greater goals - I Salute You!

Scene Around Town - Green Leaves Atop Snow

Here's a sight you don't see often anywhere.

Fresh green leaves laying atop a blanket of snow.

It's global warming, I tell you!!

"Dinner" Etiquette III

It's been a while since I've done an etiquette post, or linked what I think is a must read article for all guests, so for all those who've gently and not so gently prodded me to continue the series, here goes.

This post concerns guests with special diets.

I always make it a point to ask potential guests if they have any food allergies or strong food preferences at the time I extend the invitation. This affords me enough time to shop for and prepare a meal that the guest will enjoy. A guest that eats with gusto makes the hostess feel that her endeavors were not wasted. So a little advance knowledge is a win/win situation for everyone in my book. For instance, I don't have to serve a fish appetizer if my guest hates fish. There are other options.

There are some guests though (usually the ones with the most restrictive and complicated requests), who "don't want to inconvenience" the hostess and don't mention their food preferences until very late in the week. Now to my mind - this is rude. Don't come to me Thursday night with a laundry list of off-limits foods and tell me "not to bother".

Either:

a) tell me earlier in the week and I will bother or

b) don't tell me at all and I won't bother

But telling me Thursday night with the caveat not to do anything different is disingenuous.

I have mixed feelings about option "b" by the way. If your diet is highly unusual, you run the risk of having nothing at all that appeals to you, and then I feel like a failure, despite your gentle smiles and demure assurances. You are trying to save me the work, but you create a different problem in the process.

Belated (and Photoless) Food Friday - Sweet Potato Leek Soup

This weather BEGS for comfort food.
So I'm going to share with you a new favorite of mine.
SWEET POTATO LEEK SOUP.
This recipe was given to me by a friend of mine and I adapted it a bit.
It's been home and blog reader tested and you don't need to like sweet potatoes to love this soup! It's not sweet. It's savory with a little kick of cayenne (it had a bigger kick - that's one of my adjustments. Feel free to "up" it if you wish...).

2 Tablespoons Oil

1 Large Onion, chopped

1 Clove Garlic, minced

2 Leeks, chopped

4 Sweet Potatoes, cubed

1 Tablespoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

32 ounces Broth (or water seasoned with a bullion cube)

Heat the oil. Add onions, garlic and leeks. Sautee five minutes. Add sweet potatoes, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix and cook five minutes more. Stir in broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Puree.

This is a very thick soup. If you'd like it less thick (though I can't imagine why...) either cut back to two sweet potatoes, or add more water.

Delicious on a cold and snowy October (?!?!?) night!

GWC2D Succah Hop - Succos In The City Part II

The Bryant Park succah has always been a favorite of mine. The park itself offers free ping pong (free ice skating each year in the winter, but not over Succos) a well stocked outdoor "reading room" for little ones (tiny tables and chairs provided), a sweet carousel for children and a lovely fountain - all in a few square blocks. (Special events take place throughout the year - definitely worth checking out)

The succah is beautiful, well appointed and spacious.

Not to mention the fact that the Bryant Park bathroom is without a doubt the nicest public bathroom around (full time attendant, piped in music, fresh flowers, automatic seat covers....).

Your Mother Doesn't Live Here......

... kindly "clean up"accordingly.

You might not guess from the title of this post, but it is NOT about our homes... it is about SHUL.

It is surprising how many people who need to revitalize their arba minim over Succos, think nothing of leaving the detritus of their lulav's previous life scattered about shul. Dead haddassim. Woefully overshaken arovos. Just left for garbage where ever they were removed. Is this kovod beis hakneses? Am I expecting too much? Does your wife follow you around with a garbage bag at home?

Don't get me started on residents and guests alike who borrow seforim, siddurim and machzorim from the back of shul and when davening is over, just leave them at the seats. You're passing the book shelves on your way out any way, IS IT SO MUCH TO ASK TO RETURN THINGS TO THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE??! Am I the only one, who when travelling out of town for Shabbos or Yom Tov still returns seforim to where I got them? Is this also becoming passe? "Go with the changes... Lighten up".

Must I?

GWC2D Succah Hop Visits Moriah Senior Center

As a rule, I don't blog about work.
It's too personal.... it's too real. (Those of you who think you really know everything there is to know about us bloggers, THINK AGAIN!)

I'm making an exception this time because it fits so nicely with the theme of the Hop.

Moriah Senior Center hosted a Succos Lunch today and I just had to share a photo or two (OK... three) from the event. Though the main dining hall remained open, over 50 seniors chose to dine al fresco and enjoy a fun filled, music filled afternoon. (Our own Music Man dubbed it a "Senior Bais Hashoeva")