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THE HOLE STORY OF THE CHANUKAH DONUT

THE NO CALOriEHOLiDAy FEAsT

MODERN DAY MACCAbEEs

GiFT iDEAs FOR YOuR SOul

>>EXCluSIVE:

CHANUKAH

GUiDE

בס׳׳ד

Winter 2014 / chanukah 5775 a little nosh for the soul

Chabad Lubavitch of Your Town

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5{FROM THE RABBI’S DESK}Dear Friend,Did Chanukah happen years ago, or is it happening now? Looking at the events today, you start to wonder. The story of a little candle pushing away the monster of frightening darkness, of human sensibility overcoming terror and brute force, of life and growth overcoming destruction — the battle is very much alive within each of us, and in the world outside of us.

It reoccurs at every winter solstice, at every dawn of each day, with every pho-ton of sunlight that breaks through the earth's atmosphere bringing it warmth and life-nurturing energy. With every breath of life, every cry of a newborn child, every blade of grass that breaks out from under the soil, every decision to do good in the face of evil, to be kind where there is cruelty, to build where others destroy, to move humanity forward when others pull us toward chaos. And that is Chanukah.

Chanukah is an eight-day spiritual journey. Many people know the story of Chanukah — but only as a historical pretext to give gifts and eat latkes. We can call that the body of Chanukah. The soul of Chanukah is its meditation, joy, warmth and light. Not only in our homes with our loved ones, but with the entire world. In this tradition, Chabad presents this historic Menorah Lighting. Our hope is that by igniting our souls, everybody will follow and light the world, one candle at a time.

We look forward to having you join us for the Public Menorah Lighting Cer-emony on Sunday, December 25th at 5:00 pm and making this Chanukah very special.

Sincerely,rabbi shliach

Director, Chabad Jewish Center

Don’t miss the rabbi’s Thursday Torah Class 7:00 pmThis is Jewish Thought 101. For thousands of years, the Torah has been the Jewish national treasure, and now is your chance to claim your inheritance.From Moses to David to You!Join the class by calling 714-555-5523 or logging onto www.Chabadofnow.com.

Join us shabbat Morning at 10:30 amJoin us for weekly Torah study and service. Our friendly, Non-Judgmental atmosphere, offers a place to talk to G-d in Hebrew and English. Kids are welcome. There are never any tickets or membership or affiliation required.

For more info call Rabbi Shliach at 714-828-5523.

Don’t miss the rabbi’s Thursday Torah Class 7:00 pmThis is Jewish Thought 101. For thousands of years, the Torah has been the Jewish national treasure, and now is your chance to claim your inheritance.From Moses to David to You!Join the class by calling 714-555-5523 or logging onto www.Chabadofnow.com.

soulwise is published by

Chabad lubavitch of Your Town

Rabbi Mendel Shliach, Director

123 South Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211

718-718-7180

www.ChabadofYourTown.com

Winter 2014 / Chanukah 5775 Winter 2014 / Chanukah 5775

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5 Winter 2012

maccabeesMODERN DAY

Just like the Maccabees fought for light and goodness, "Modern Day Maccabees" bring light into the world through their mitzvot. We searched far and wide to bring you some of the top "Modern Day Maccabees", who are changing the world for the better.

5By Ben Sherman

What is a Mitzvah? The simple meaning of the word mitzvah is command. It appears in various forms with that meaning about 300 times in the Five Books of Moses. In common usage, a mitzvah often means “a good deed”—as in “Do a mitzvah and help Mrs. Goldstein with her packages.” This usage is quite old—the Jerusalem Talmud commonly refers to any charitable act as “the mitzvah.” Often the word mitzvah is related to the Aramaic word tzavta, meaning connection. Tzavta can mean companionship or personal attachment. In this sense, a mitzvah connects the person who is commanded and the Commander, creating a relationship and essential bond. Find your Mitzvah and make a connection today.

THE TOWN’s sHOFAr sHEriFFRabbi Berel Levertov, co-director with wife Devora Leah of the Chabad Jewish Center of Santa Fe go door to door blowing the shofar for those unable to attend a service. Last year, these Mitzvaholics stood in the town’s historic center and blew a super large brown shofar, made from a long curling horn of a Kudu an-telope! As you can imagine, by the time they were finished, a crowd had gathered to hear it. “The shofar’s blowing speaks to the core of the soul,” said Levertov, who also arranged a Shofar Factory for children to make their own before the holiday. “It relates to our direct con-nection to G-d, which is beyond words.”

FrEE CHiCKEN sOUp, ANyONE?Grandma Ethel loved her chicken soup and her son Gary Howard understands how com-forting a bowl of homemade kosher chicken soup can be. Anyone, especially seniors and families in crisis, can feel the warmth and per-

sonal attention that goes into each serving of this heartwarming remedy. So Gary teamed up with his local Chabad in Los Alamitos, CA and they have already served up over 1000 servings of Kosher Chicken Soup. Most importantly, the soup comes with a personal visit. Chabad trained volunteers engage and “check up” on the older segment of the community. These critical visits can have life-saving effects and their impact is felt long after the soup is fin-ished.

THis rAbbi sAys NO TO DrUGsPrince Edward, the Earl of Wessex and young-est son of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, inau-gurated the latest satellite of the drug crisis prevention and counseling center known as Drugsline. The Gants Hill offices will also house Drugsline’s School’s Outreach Team.

Drugsline, brainchild of Rabbi Aryeh Su-frin, is a project of Chabad-Lubavitch of Ilford. The group provides services for those strug-gling with drug addiction, and offers free, im-partial support and information to concerned

family and friends. Since its foundation in 1991, Drugsline has reached many thousands of people and has expanded its services to in-clude education, counseling and support.

iN LiEU OF A GiFT, i’vE DONATED...In honor of the birth of his grandson, Jewish philanthropist Mr. Gennady Bogolubov gave $500 to every Chabad center around the world. There are well over 4000 Chabad centers glob-ally and I’ll let you do the math.

HEArD AbOUT THE sCOUT WHO sOLD CHALLAH?Luke Tumblin, 13, helped furnish his local Chabad center as his Eagle Scout Service Pro-ject, Luke sold fresh baked Challah, not cook-ies, to help raise the funds needed to complete his project. The newly enhanced Chabad cent-er in Las Cruces, N.M will never be the same thanks to the mitzvah of one young Scout. l



The Game of

LightThe story of a small group that brings spiritual

light to millions on and off the court.

In the late 18th century, a Jewish mys-tic and scholar living in a backwater of Czarist Russia, took a little known mid-rash and turned it into an ideology that

200 years later, finds its fulfillment in hot dog stands and sports arenas, in DIY woodwork-ing workshops and the great shopping malls of America.

When Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad, put forth the midrash that claims that “G-d desired a dwelling in the lower [i.e. physical] world” (Tanchuma) as the purpose of existence, well, ex-istence (at least for those in search of ex-istential redemption) took on new purpose.

His disciples, their imaginations fired by the possi-bility of closing the daunting divide be-tween heaven and earth, spirit and mat-ter, began to perceive sparks of light in the dense gloom of those days. They were em-boldened to release those sparks and fan them into flames that would transform the darkness. They would share the light so that others may also see and celebrate opportunities for holiness even in the most irreverent settings.

If you’re a product of Generation Z, or even a millennial, you can’t be blamed for thinking that the Chanukah Menorah lighting in your hometown’s public square or shopping mall was always there. Or that the Menorah on the White House lawn has been there since the first president. You probably don’t even know that once upon a time, the idea of lighting the menorah during half time at the games was unthinkable. And if the new kosher concession in the basketball arena at University of Illinois takes off, Jewish hoop fans will soon expect to see these kosher dogs everywhere.

Thanks to Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s meta-physics—(his release from Czarist prison was marked is marked annually on 19 Kislev, for so radical was his thinking that his own con-

temporaries attempted to suppress him from sharing his ideas) and as further interpreted by his seventh-generation descendant, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Chanukah holiday, once not even on the seasonal agenda, is now a popular, widely celebrated event, with major sports teams and home chain retailers getting in on the action.

In 2007, St. Louis Chabad Rabbi Levi Lan-da, pioneered the first Home Depot Chanukah event in the US, in which visitors to the store

had the opportunity to participate in a Do-It-Yourself Menorah making project. Since then, dozens of Home Depots across the world have introduced the idea, bringing colorful, hands-on opportunities for families to explore and prepare for the holiday.

Ditto the Westfield Group, owner of shop-ping malls in the US, the UK and in Australia and New Zealand who’ve partnered with local Chabad centers, hosting and sponsoring Cha-nukah family events, with menorah lightings, doughnuts and dreidel games.

Chabad of South Broward greeted thou-sands at the 34th Annual South Florida Chas-sidic Chanukah Festival in Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach.

No less participated in Jewish Heritage Night with the National Basketball Associa-tion’s world-champion team, the Miami Heat.

The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets cel-ebrated Chanukah with Chabad of Columbus. In Nashville, Chabad of Tennessee hosted its fifth Jewish Heritage Night with the Predators.

On Boston's North Shore, fans looked for-ward to Chabad's menorah lighting and Cha-nukah party before the Boston Celtics game against the Milwaukee Bucks. A glatt kosher concession stand was open all night.

And at the Philips Arena during the At-lanta Hawks vs. the LA Clippers game, where

Chabad of Georgia arranged for a ko-sher food stand, fans and players joined Chabad of Georgia's menorah lighting.

All in all, Chabad lit up at some 15,000 public venues world-wide during the eight-day Chanukah festival. And what with 2.5 million holiday guides in 13 languages reaching Jews in 80 countries, and 5,000 meno-rahs mounted atop moving vehicles, the guesstimate is that there were upwards of 30,000,000 lights this Chanukah.

It's a far cry since those days when Jew-ish kids experienced

seasonal envy and most Americans didn't know what Chanukah was, let alone pronounce it. Today, late night talk show hosts know they're out of the loop if they can't get the fricative back-of-the-throat pronunciation of the Chet sound in "Chanukah" or in "Chabad" right.

Most important, it was the Chanukah mes-sage confirming Judaism's values of goodness, justice and holiness that gained notice during this holiday. Given enough exposure, intensi-fied exponentially, the light of these values had the power to bring G-d Himself right into the ballpark. l

>>baila olidort is the director of communications at

lubavitch World headquarters in brooklyn nY. she is the

editor of lubavitch.com and former editor of Wellsprings

Magazine.

By Baila Olidort

once upon a time, the idea

of lighting the menorah

during half time at the

games was unthinkable.


The Game of

Light


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Chanukah is more than a holiday; it is an eight-day spiritual journey. In this tradition, we present Chanukah in a New Light. Many people know the story of Chanukah, the tri-umph of a small group of Jews who challenged their Greek oppressors and a little oil that miraculously kindled the lights of the menorah for eight days. The spirit of Chanukah is experienced when we apply its joy, warmth and light to our lives—not only in our homes with our loved ones, but with the entire world.

Alexander the Great was the leader of the Greek Empire who by the age of 21 had conquered most of the known world. He respected the Jews. He didn’t want to wage war against tiny Judea; he only required heavy taxes. The Talmud details many conversations that young Alexander had with the Jewish sages, many of whom traveled to Greece to tutor royalty.

After Alexander’s death, the Greek empire was split into three territo-ries: Greece, Egypt and Syria. In 175 B.C.E., Antiochus IV rose to power over the Syrian territories, which included Israel. The Syrian Greeks, called Seleucids, were not interested in co-existence, but in assimilation.

The Talmud, the Book of the Maccabees, Josephus and other works detail the events of Chanukah. Antiochus IV sent his ministers to force Greek culture on the people of Israel. Most Jews conformed. What else could they do against the might of the empire? The Zohar says of this period: “The Greeks darkened the eyes of Israel with their decrees.”

The festival of Chanukah is about light overcoming darkness. Our world is currently experiencing a particularly dark time. Our sons, daugh-

ters, friends and neighbors are halfway around the world, fighting an enemy that has no borders.

“The soul of man is a lamp of G-d” (Proverbs 23:27). Our challenge, whether we are on the front lines or fighting rush hour at home, is to bring light into the world.

The reason the Chanukah candles are lit after nightfall is to remind us that even in our darkest moments, we have the potential to illuminate if we kindle a flame.

spiriTUAL ANNiHiLATiONAntiochus IV, called Epiphanies (the Illustrious) by his friends and

Epimanes (the Madman) by his enemies, did not build ghettos, force conversions or set out

to annihilate the Jewish people, as Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar had plotted before him. Neither did he intend to destroy their culture. In-stead, he outlawed the observance of specific mitzvot (Divine actions), predicting that when the Jews would cease to observe these precepts, it would lead to the end of Judaism as a unique religion and nation. He wanted the Jews to be just another conquered tribe. And so, he declared war against their souls.

The Greeks were great philosophers. They acknowledged the mitzvot as part of a great culture, and the Torah as a great work of Jewish litera-ture. What they would not tolerate was that “G-d, Creator of the Uni-verse, ordained the practice of these mitzvot.” In the words of the prayer

GUIDE{ c h a n u ka h }

Even in our darkest moments, we have the potential to illuminate if we kindle a flame.


recited on Chanukah, the Greeks set out to have the Jews forget “[G-d’s] Torah,” and to cease observing “[G-d’s] commandments.”

Whenever we do a mitzvah, we become G–d’s autograph on His mas-terpiece, declaring for all that this is not a jungle where the strong devour the weak. It is a beautiful garden, filled with the light of its Creator.

WAr AND pEACEHellenism, the Greek culture, meant accepting its pagan gods and

Greek philosophy. Jews who were sympathetic to the Hellenistic view quickly gained power and prominence. But many Jews remained loyal to their beliefs. Eliezer, a Kohen (Jewish priest), was executed because he refused to abandon his Jewish faith. Many Jewish women were murdered for having their sons circumcised. Seven sons of Chana, a simple Jewish woman, were put to death for refusing to bow down to pagan gods.

The big trouble for the Seleucids began in the village of Mod’in, when the aged Kohen Mattisyahu cried out, “Whoever is for G-d, join me!” Thus, the fight for religious freedom began.

King Solomon wrote, “Everything has its season... A time to be born, a time to die... A time for war, a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes). In Judaism, peace is the ultimate goal. Yet if one is being attacked, Jewish law forbids

a passive stance. Peace and the sanctity of human life require, at times, that one must defend one’s self, one’s family and one’s country.

Despite the fact that they were fewer in strength and in numbers, theystood up against the oppressor with complete faith in G-d’s mercy.

One lesson of Chanukah is that when we resolve to introduce spirituality into our lives, G-d assists us well beyond our limitations. G-d tells His children, “Make for Me a small opening, like the eye of a needle, and I will open for you an opening through which caravans can enter” (Mid-rash). We simply need to begin the process for G-d to help us attain that which we perceived as unattainable.

pUrE LiGHTAntiochus IV outlawed three specific mitzvot and rendered their

practice punishable by death. These mitzvot were “Shabbat,” which is a testimony to the fact that there is a Creator Who rested on the seventh day; “Blessing the New Month,” which determines when Jews can sanc-tify their holidays; and “Circumcision,” which imbues holiness into the human body. The spiritual ghetto that Antiochus IV tried to force on the Jewish people was a world without a Creator, time without sanctity and people with no connection to the Divine.

Though a person might have a burning desire to be spiritual, a con-crete action is needed to ignite a flame. Lacking the oil of genuine sub-stance, one’s passion can quickly fade, failing to introduce any enduring light into the world. A life without mitzvot is like a wick without oil—it yields little or no light.

There are nine branches on the Chanukah menorah, even though Chanukah is celebrated for eight days. The ninth branch is the shammash, the “servant” candle, which stands apart from the other candles. This can-dle is lit so that when we make use of the Chanukah light, we do so from the shammash, and not from the eight Chanukah flames.

“...These [eight Chanukah] flames are kodesh (holy). We are not per-mitted to make use of them, only to gaze at them” (Chanukah liturgy).

The Hebrew word “kodesh” literally means separate and beyond. In Judaism, although we can appreciate holy objects and observances on many levels, they are essentially higher than our finite understanding and perception, since they are rooted in the Infinite. It was this “holiness” that the Greeks failed to destroy. And it is this holiness that is manifested in the lights of Chanukah.

THE WArMattisyahu the Kohen, and his five sons, began to challenge the

Greek strongholds with a group of followers called the Maccabees. His-torical sources estimate their numbers at 6,000, while Antiochus IV sent 40,000 troops to overwhelm them. Yehudis, a young widow, used cun-ning tactics to assassinate Holofernes, a vicious Seleucid general. After significant losses in the cities of Shechem and Beit Choron, Antiochus IV sent an additional 65,000 troops. The Maccabees fought bitter, yet intel-ligent, battlesthat are studied by military tacticians to this very day. After three years and thousands of lives, Israel was finally free.

On Chanukah, we celebrate two miracles: the victory of the Mac-cabees over the forces of Antiochus IV in the battlefield, and the miracle of the oil which burned for eight days. The victory in the battlefield was miraculous, but it was physical; limited by time and space. The miracle of the oil, which enabled the Jewish people to resume the service in the holy Temple, was spiritual. Jews around the world emulate this miracle and spirituality today by observing Chanukah.

The Chanukah struggle is found within each of us. Chasidic teachings explain that we have two souls. One soul is drawn to the spiritual, the other to the physical. We may reconcile this duality by being involved with the material world, but toward a spiritual end. This is one reason why there are so many mitzvot in the Torah, all of them involving physical action. When the physical is engaged for spiritual purposes, the conflict is transformed into peace and harmony. A world of peace begins with inner peace. When one makes peace within, it has an effect on his or her home, environment and eventually the entire world.

UNTOUCHAbLEVictory turned bittersweet when the Maccabees found that the Tem-

ple was desecrated and the pure oil needed to light the menorah was defiled. Miraculously, the Maccabees discovered a single jar of pure oil, with the seal of the Kohen Gadol (Jewish high priest) intact. With this oil, the Holy Temple was reinaugurated.

Why didn’t the Seleucids just destroy the oil, as opposed to defiling it? Oil is a symbol for holiness. It can permeate anything. Yet when placed in water, it rises to the top. Defiled, not destroyed, oil is exactly what Antiochus IV wanted. He allowed the Jews to adhere to their culture and keep their laws, as long as it was “touched” by the Greek ideals and philosophy.

Chasidic teachings explain that despite any entity that tries to sever our connection to G-dliness, the essence of a soul can never be defiled. This spark of holiness

The Baal Shem Tov said, “The difference between nature and a

miracle is the frequency.”


continuously burns and longs to be fanned into a great flame. The uni-verse was created to perpetuate light, and it is inherently good (Genesis). But there are times when darkness invades G-d’s world. At such times, we search for the hidden “single jar of pure oil” (Chanukah liturgy), the pure and indestructible spark of Creation, which radiates goodness and holiness.

The Maccabees had done all that was physically possible, but the small jar of oil was only enough to light the candles of the menorah for one day. To prepare more oil would require a process of at least seven days. After defeating the world’s most powerful army and gaining religious free-dom for generations to come, the Maccabees were not about to give up. They lit the menorah with the little oil they found, and miraculously, the menorah shone for eight days, plus 2000 years, as Chanukah continues to illuminate our home and world today.

However miraculous their victory, some would attribute the Macca-bean military success to their superior strategy. The last night of the holi-day is called Zot Chanukah, “This is Chanukah.” Our Sages explain that

“zot” refers to something when it is revealed and tangible, “when it can be

pointed to with a finger.” When the Jewish people witnessed a scientific impossibility, the miracle of the oil, there was no denying G-d’s presence.

Why does G-d perform miracles? Without miracles, such as the oil found in the holy Temple, one might believe that the laws of physics define reality. However, once we see the inexplicable, we witness a trans-cendent reality and attain a higher consciousness. We can then look back at physics, point with our finger and realize, “This too is a miracle.”

The Baal Shem Tov said, “The difference between nature and a mira-cle is the frequency.”

The Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, teaches that the ultimate miracle is not the splitting of the sea, manna from heaven, or the sun standing still. It is described as the subtle and, at the same time, dramatic transforma-tion of the universe that will occur with the arrival of Moshiach. At that time, nature itself will uncover its miraculous essence. What is now perceived as a wall between the physical and spiritual will be revealed as a bridge. How can we bring about this miracle? With the light of our collective mitzvot.

WHErE TO pLACE THE MENOrAH?Many have the custom to place the menorah in a doorway opposite the me-zuzah (such is the custom of Chabad-Lubavitch) so that the two mitzvot of

mezuzah and Chanukah surround the person. Others place it on a win-dowsill facing a public through-fare.

HOW TO sET Up yOUr MENOrAH?It is preferable to use cotton wicks in olive oil, or paraffin candles, in amounts large enough to burn until half an hour after nightfall. If not, regular candles can be used as well. The candles of a menorah must be of equal height in a straight row. The shamash, the servant candle that kindles the other lights, should stand out from the rest (i.e. higher or lower).The Chanukah Lights must burn for at least half an hour each night. Be-fore kindling the lights, make sure that there is enough oil (or if candles are used, that they are big enough) to last half an hour.

WHO LiGHTs THE MENOrAH?All members of the family should be present at the kindling of the Cha-nukah Menorah. Children should be encouraged to light their own Meno-rahs. Students and singles who live in dormitories or their own apartments should kindle menorahs in their own rooms.

HOW TO LiGHT THE MENOrAH?On the first night of Chanukah one light is kindled on the right side of the Menorah, on the following night add a second light to the left of the first and kindle the new light first proceeding from left to right, and so on each night.

bLEssiNGs FOr LiGHTiNG THE MENOrAH:1. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik ner Chanukah.Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.

2. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech ha-olam she-a-sa ni-sim la-avo-te-nu ba-ya-mim ha-hem bi-z'man ha-zeh.Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.

3. On the first night of Chanukah add the following blessing:Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam she-heche-ya-nu ve-ki-yi-ma-nu ve-higi-a-nu liz-man ha-zeh.Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.After kindling the lights, the Hanerot Halalu prayer is recited.

spECiAL sHAbbAT rEQUirEMENTsOn Friday eve the Chanukah Lights are kindled before the Shabbat Lights (which are lit 18 minutes before sundown). Additional oil or larger candles should be provided for the Chanukah Lights insuring that they will last half an hour after nightfall. l

laws ofLIGHT


a comedian once told me: “Most Jewish holidays can be summed up in nine words: "They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat."

Just think about Passover and you auto-matically imagine a crowded table with food and family. Sukkot is basically the same people eating in a man-made hut in your backyard. You can almost have a food item as an icon for each Jewish holiday.

“They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat!” While we may laugh at this over-simplification of Jewish resilience, there seems to be some truth in this rather simplistic, yet sanguine, view of centuries of Jewish history. But did you ever wonder why food?

It wasn't until my personal trainer ques-tioned the last two words of the nine that I began my journey into the food of our faith. Why couldn't it be: “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s dance!” Or Lets sing! Or lets blow a shofar?

The answer to this gastronomical mystery is hidden in the zero calorie feast of Chanukah.

The struggles and triumphs chronicled by the Jewish calendar are always more than a struggle for physical survival. The Exodus, commemorated and re-experienced each Pass-over, is not merely a people's liberation from slavery to freedom; it their extraction from pagan Egypt to receive the Torah at Sinai and enter into a covenant with G-d as His "nation of priests, and a holy people." On Purim, we remember that Haman wished to annihilate the Jews because "they are singular people... whose laws are different from those of all other

nations"; thus it celebrates not only the salva-tion of the existence of the Jew, but of the Jew's identity and way of life.

Yet the battle waged by the Hasmoneans against the Greeks was the most spiritual bat-tle in Jewish history. The Greeks did not en-deavor to physically destroy the Jewish people, or even to deprive them of their religion and way of life; they merely wished to Hellenize them — to enlighten their lives with the cul-ture and philosophy of Greece. Keep your

books of wisdom, they said to the Jew, keep your laws and customs, but enrich them with our wisdom, adorn them with our art, blend them into our lifestyle. Worship your G-d in your temple, but also worship the human body in the adjoining sports stadium we'll build for you. Study your Torah, but integrate it with the principles of our philosophy and the aes-thetics of our literature.

The Hasmoneans fought for independence from Hellenic rule because the Greeks "sought to make them forget Your Torah and make them violate the decrees of Your will." They did not fight for the Torah per se, but for Your Torah — for the principle that the Torah is G-d's law rather than a deposit of human wisdom which might be commingled with other depos-its of human wisdom. They did not fight for the mitzvot as the Jewish way of life, but for the mitzvot as the decrees of Your will — as the supra-rational will of G-d, which cannot be

rationalized or tampered with. They fought not for any material or political end, not for the preservation of their identity and lifestyle, not even for the right to study the Torah and ful-fill its commandments, but for the very soul of Judaism, for the purity of Torah as the divine word and its mitzvot as the divine will.

The spirituality of Chanukah is emphasized by not having a feast, rather by the festival's principal mitzvah, the kindling of the Chanu-kah lights. We are physical beings, enjoined to

anchor our every experience to a physical deed: on Passover, we cel-ebrate our freedom with matzah and wine; on Purim, we read the Megil-lah, give money to the poor, send

gifts of food to our friends, and feast and drink. Chanukah, too, has its ritualistic element, in which a physical act and object embody the festival's significance. But here the vehicle is calorie free and is the most spiritual of physical phenomena — light. On Chanukah, the over-riding emphasis is on the spiritual essence of our struggle, so that even its physical face is an ethereal flame dancing in the night.

So for eight nights a year enjoy a zero calo-rie feast. Gather your family and friends for a light dinner. Literally. Set you menorah by the doorway or the window and feast upon the triumph of light over darkness. Savor the spir-ituality of life itself while you feed your mind and heart with miraculous stories of not so long ago. I would suggest having some actual refreshment for your guests if you want them to stay or ever come back. l>>ben sherman is an advertising executive and freelance

writer who lives in los angeles with his wife and 5 children.

ZER CALORIEChanukah Feast

TH

E

Gather your family and friends for a light dinner. Literally.

By Ben Sherman


By Shira Gold

THE BATTLE:Body vs. Soul

Does it feel like the ultimate show-down is happening off the court and in your mind? Do you feel fatigued from the constant battle with your children or even your own heart? The Chanukah lights just may con-tain the secret to your winning strategy.

Mankind is comprised of a soul and body: a spiritual essence that the Chassidic masters call "literally part of G-d above," and the physi-cal vehicle via which it experiences and impacts the world.

That’s why we’ve all experienced some soul days and some body days. Did you ever get lost in the dream and forget about the little details? Or did you get so caught up in the details you no longer remember the inspiration?

In life this seems to be the ultimate show-down. Whose life is it? Does the body have a soul or does the soul have a body? Who works for who?

According to Jewish thought, the body was designed to serve the soul in its mission to de-velop the world in accordance with the divine

will. Of course, man has been granted freedom of choice. The body might thus rebel against the dominion of the soul; it might even subject its rightful master to its own desires, making the pursuit of material things the focus of life and exploiting the soul's spiritual prowess to this end. But in its natural, uncorrupted state, the body is the servant of the soul, channeling its energies and implementing its will.

There are, however, many levels to this sub-mission, many degrees of servitude of matter to spirit. The body might recognize that the pur-pose of life on earth lies with the soul's aspira-tions, yet also entertain an agenda of its own alongside the greater, spiritual agenda. Or it might selflessly serve the soul, acknowledging the spiritual as the only goal worthy of pursuit, yet its own needs remain a most visible and pronounced part of the person's life, if only out of natural necessity.

The spiritual beauty of the Menorah’s flames is a real knockout. Chanukah teaches us that there is a level of supremacy of soul over

body that is so absolute that the body is virtu-ally invisible. It continues to attend to its own needs, because a soul can only operate within a functioning body; but these are completely eclipsed by the spiritual essence of life. One sees not a material creature foraging for food, shelter, and comfort, but a spiritual being whose spiritual endeavors consume his or her entire being.

For all but the most spiritual person, it is not possible, nor desirable, to perpetually maintain this state; indeed, it is Chanukah for only eight days of the year. But each and every one of us is capable of experiencing moments of such consummate spirituality.

So this Chanukah let us hear the flames and seek moments in which we so completely lose ourselves in our commitment to our spir-itual purpose that our material cares become utterly insignificant. Let us seek a seamless life of body and soul working together to make the world around us a brighter place. l >>shira Gold is a long time staff writer at soulwise Magazine.


With 400 wineries in California’s Napa Valley, it is said that wine runs through the veins of those who live there. Most locals are involved in the wine industry in some

capacity, managing vineyards, working for wine companies or actually owning them. Surrounded by picturesque mountains, the region attracts over five million tourists every year.

For a native of Brooklyn, being in Napa is a dreamlike experience. One is completely surrounded by green, with a blazing sun during the day and a pleasant breeze at night. To Napa natives, I am also guilty of a faux pas: I actually like sweet Concord wine, a cardinal sin in this part of the country. Yet if I had come here some eight years ago I would have had good company, in the form of Rabbi Elchonon Tenenbaum, who came here to open a Jewish center in 2006.

Born and bred in Brooklyn, Rabbi Tenenbaum, a Chabad chasid, was raised on sweet wine made from Con-cord grapes grown on the East Coast. To Napa Valley locals, such beverages are barely worthy of the appellation.

When Rabbi Tenenbaum, the re-gion’s only Orthodox rabbi, and his wife Chanie landed in Napa Valley, he suddenly found himself surrounded by a foreign culture—one that didn’t make much sense to him. “To me,” he says, “wine was something that was purchased off the shelf and quickly downed after making Kiddush. It was a religious obligation.”

In his new environs, however, he quickly learned that wine is some-thing that should never be gulped down but enjoyed slowly. He is appar-ently a good pupil, as today the “Wine Rebbe,” as he is called, produces his own line of wines, with some varieties selling for several hundred dollars per case.

Like any good rabbi, he begins our interview with some teachings: “It states in the Talmud: ‘When wine enters, secrets exit. When you drink wine your essence is revealed, whether deep or shallow.”

Another Talmudic statement he likes to quote is that there can be no happiness without wine.

He then branches out to Kabbalah. “It states in the Torah that man is likened to a tree. One thing you learn from actually working in a field is that in order for a tree to produce good fruit you have to thin out the branches. Similarly, in order to improve himself a person needs to pare down his negative traits. That way, you end up with a beautiful fruit, a mentsch.”

DiGGiNG iNMy efforts to understand Rabbi Tenenbaum’s dual vocation as rabbi

and winemaker find me interviewing him in his office on Mare Island, a historic naval shipyard off the coast of California.

After 140 years of serving on the forefront of defense of America’s West Coast it was closed down in 1993. Not long afterwards, Touro’s Col-lege of Osteopathic Medicine was established on a 44-acre property on

the southern portion of the base, and today its sprawling campus boasts 23 buildings. Rabbi Tenenbaum is Touro’s campus rabbi.

When he arrived with his with his wife to open a Chabad center, was whether they were involved in the wine

industry. Rabbi Tenenbaum would answer that he had come to Califor-nia to reach out to Jews, not to make wine. “They always suggested that I should try it anyway,” he says. “At the time, though, I didn’t consider it seriously. I felt that my job was to be a spiritual guide, not to get involved with wine.”

Living in Napa, however, did have a gradual effect on the Tenenbaums, as they subconsciously absorbed the culture that pulsates throughout the region. “You develop an appreciation for the whole thing.”

The rabbi began by studying wine in Torah and Jewish history.He learned that the famed Biblical commentator, Rabbi Shlomo

Yitzchaki, known as Rashi, lived in a grape-growing region in France. “While it’s debated whether he was a vintner or just a merchant, everyone agrees that he was involved with wine in some way or another. I came to realize that wine is deeply ingrained in Judaism, an integral part of the

"When you drink wine your essence

is revealed, whether deep or shallow."

TheRabbiVintner

By Dovid Zaklikowski


Jewish story. For thousands of years there’s been a cup of wine at every-one’s circumcision and at Jewish weddings.”

The rabbi’s reluctance to get involved with wine was gradually weak-ening.

One day, while Rabbi Tenenbaum was visiting another local Jew, someone suggested that he meet a man named Jeff Morgan. Morgan is the owner of Covenant Wines, a company whose kosher products were consistently receiving 90 to 94 points in the trade magazines—an accom-plishment by all accounts, even in the general wine market.

At the time, the only thing remotely Jewish Morgan knew was that he had to have only “Sabbath-observant Jews coming in contact with the kosher wine I was producing.”

As he tells it, this actually served to make the process more meaning-ful for him. “Making kosher wine requires you to stay focused. You’re aware that you’re making a Jewish beverage that’s in sync with our tradi-tions and heritage.”

Like everyone else, Morgan thought it would be cool if the rabbi made some wine. “He was a typical East Coaster, completely disconnected from wine production. I thought this might make him more connected.” What he failed to take into account was Rabbi Tenenbaum’s passion and calculated approach to everything that he does.

The rabbi collected some grapes and rented some wine-making equip-ment. He put the grapes into a fermentation bucket in the garage and let them ferment. “Twice a day you have to stick your hands in and check the temperature. You get your hands full of grapes, getting the process go-ing. The understanding is that the smaller the batch, the more care goes into it and the better the wine is.”

Rabbi Tenenbaum was shocked by how labor-intensive the process was. Making wine required constant involvement, and the fermentation needed to be conducted in the perfect temperature.

“If it’s too hot the grapes will go bad. If it’s too cold the fermentation will stop. At first I set everything up in my garage, where the temperature was just right. But then it started getting too cold at night so I brought the bucket into my bedroom.”

Fermentation, he says, is the neatest and cleanest part of the process. “All you’re doing is making sure it’s fermenting properly and gently press-ing the grapes so the juice comes out.”

One unexpected result was a greater appreciation for many seemingly unrelated topics. “You learn about all these Jewish observances that are connected to the ground yet you never apply to something tangible, like tithing and leaving the corners of the field for the poor.”

“Getting his hands dirty” made all these things much more real. The end result of the experiment was a single case of wine, one bottle of which he presented to Jeff Morgan. “It actually tasted pretty good,” he recalls. He jokingly dubbed the wine “Cuvée Chabad,” French for “a very fine wine collection,” and the name stuck.

Morgan has a simple explanation for Rabbi Tenenbaum’s success.“Anyone can make wine. But if you make wine without passion it’s go-

ing to be reflected in how it tastes: flat. Elchonon is very passionate about whatever he does. They say that wine is part science and part art. I think it’s mostly art and only partially science. To be a good artist you need pas-sion. The rabbi takes that passion and shares it with everyone with whom he comes in contact.”

By Divine providence, the same day Morgan tasted the rabbi’s wine he was visited by a woman named Naomi Glass, who asked him if he knew someone who could take care of her vineyard. “It was a small plot of land,” he says, “and the caretaker had decided he wasn’t interested in tending it anymore. In payment for allowing someone to use the one acre,

Naomi said she would accept a case of wine.”

For Morgan, it was as if all the puz-zle pieces had fallen into place. “What are the odds that on the same day I taste the rabbi’s wine I find this woman who wants someone to take care of her vineyard? I called Elchonon and said,

‘I’ve got a project for you. Why don’t you try it? I’ll show you what to do.’”Unfortunately, the 150-year-old vineyard was in poor condition. It

was the month of January and the vines looked totally lifeless. The first step was to start pruning. “I had to learn everything from scratch,” Rabbi Tenenbaum recalls. “Where to prune the shoots; how much to bring them down; where you want the clusters to grow. You don’t want to stress the vines because then

you’ll have lower-quality grapes. It took an enormous amount of physical and mental labor.”

The rabbi spent hours tending to what would ultimately be about a ton of Zinfandel, Syrah and Carignan grapes. But even when he wasn’t working there, he loved to hang around the vineyard, listening to Torah classes and lectures by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on his iPod. As a Brooklyn boy, he couldn’t believe how much he enjoyed the pristine landscape and chirping of the birds.

He would reflect upon the wonder of taking the physical grapes and turning them into a vehicle for spirituality by using them to make Kid-dush, the blessing over wine said on the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.

The first time he worked in the vineyard it took him three days to recover. The next time his muscles cooperated, a little less. The original

“Making kosher wine requires you to

stay focused. You’re aware that you’re

making a Jewish beverage that’s in

sync with our traditions and heritage.”Rabbi Elchonon Tenenbaum at

work in the vineyard

A Napa Valley VineyardRabbi Tenenbaum & Jeff

Morgan in a wineryRabbi Tenenbaum

pressing the grapes


plan was to leave the grapes on the vine for as long as possible to increase their sugar content. However, if you leave them on for too long they turn into raisins, “Which is only good if you want to make jam.”

It took some time, but with the guidance of Morgan and other ex-perts, the rabbi eventually perfected his technique—and his wine. “It took me two and a half years but I felt an amazing sense of accomplishment. Learning how to make wine has been a truly remarkable experience.”

The first batch resulted in some 25 cases of wine that immediately sold out. All of the proceeds went to support local Jewish activities. But

there was another result as well, in that it made him a part of the wine community and opened many doors for him. “Without the wine it would have been a lot more difficult to connect to the locals,” says Morgan. “This has given him a sense of belonging in the community.”

Rabbi Tenenbaum agrees. “This has definitely gotten me a foot in the door. In these circles, it’s an accomplishment to have a rabbi with his own line of wine. When locals hear about it, they’re really impressed.”

Nowadays, Rabbi Tenenbaum gets his grapes from Morgan and pro-duces wine in conjunction with his company, to the tune of about 100 cases a year. However, they aren’t easy to find, as they quickly sell out.

A sHArED pAssiONJeff likes to say, “Without kosher wine you wouldn’t be talking to me

today—and I wouldn’t have any connection to the Jewish world.”Several years ago, because Morgan had the distinction of not only be-

ing a vintner but also a wine reviewer, he was asked to write an article on kosher wines for Passover. The article reconnected him with his roots, and when it was suggested that he produce his own kosher wine he jumped at the opportunity. “It was kind of a dare,” he says. “Somebody dared me to make a good kosher wine, and in the process I got interested in Judaism.”

Morgan was born on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. “For the next 40 years, while I was playing my saxophone and making wine I had nothing to do with Judaism. Of course, one of the first questions Rabbi Elchonon asked me after we met was if I wanted to put on tefillin.”

Morgan told the rabbi he had never done so before, “so he made me an impromptu bar mitzvah.”

“The rabbi,” Morgan says gratefully, “has helped me through some very rough times. He is a very grounding force in our community. I think he’s opened my eyes to a lot of things I would never have noticed if he hadn’t shown up in Napa Valley when he did.”

Rabbi Tenenbaum says that Morgan, whom many in the wine in-dustry call “the wine Messiah” for having redeemed kosher wine from its

former servitude to sugar, is a very connected Jew.Today the two men are united in another mission: to try and wean

Jews from their addiction to sweet Concord. “Concord grapes are not the species that grew in ancient Israel,” says Morgan. “It’s a species of grapes that grew wild in America before there were Jews here. G-d created it for the animals of the forest and other people who just like to eat grapes. They were never meant to be fermented.”

He says that when Jews arrived on the East Coast, where Concord grapes naturally grow, it was the only option available for making wine.

“That’s all they had so they made the best of it. Today many peo-ple believe that that’s the tradi-

tional kind of Jewish wine, but that’s only because they got used to it.” Our forefathers, he insists, drank dry wine in ancient times.

Morgan categorically insists that sweet wine was never a part of Jew-ish tradition. “Do you think that Rashi drank wine made from Concord grapes? Do you think Maimonides drank Concord? Do you think that any Jews in the Old World drank that stuff? It’s an American phenom-enon that was later imported to Israel by Baron Edmond James de Roth-schild, who started Carmel wines.”

Rabbi Tenenbaum explains that all good wines are dry because there isn’t any sugar camouflaging the real taste. “With dry wine you taste eve-rything that’s there. Sweet wine is like a pharmacist sugarcoating a pill to disguise its bitterness.” The underlying taste of sweet wine, he says, is of poor quality.

Morgan emphasizes that wine isn’t intended to be gulped down. “It’s not a good idea to gulp down anything that contains alcohol.”

Rabbi Tenenbaum is humbled by the fact that if not for his high-quality product, many people who wouldn’t ordinarily purchase kosher wines are doing so. Indeed, this is a big part of his motivation. “Why should a Jewish connoisseur even entertain the thought of not drinking kosher wine? I feel that this is a big part of my mission, to bring good kosher wine to these Jews.”

Morgan agrees that Rabbi Tenenbaum is filling an exclusive niche. “He’s educating lost Jews through good bottles of wine. Kosher doesn’t have to mean boring. And wine has a unique capacity to bring people together. The rabbi’s wine has connected more Jews to Judaism than I ever thought it could.

“The rabbi came here to offer us a portal to Yiddishkeit and taught us a lot. But we taught him something too! We hope he’ll continue to make Cuvée Chabad for many years to come.”

L'chaim! l>>Dovid Zaklikowski is a freelance writer and could be reached at [email protected].

"Wine has a unique capacity to bring people

together. the rabbi’s wine has connected more

Jews to Judaism than i ever thought it could."

Cuvee Chabad corks Rabbi Tenenbaum admires the first batch of wine


The route of every Jew who becomes kosher observant is unique. One of the turning points on my jour-ney occurred at a large Iowa university with a minuscule Jewish population, where during my freshman year of 1963–64 I was the only under-graduate female who identified herself as Jewish.

Among my roommates during my first term was a junior taking a child development class on cultures. She decided to join the committee researching the Jewish culture because she had a ready-made resource to interview—me. As a fourth-generation American descendant of Re-form Jews who emigrated from Germany before the U.S. Civil War, I didn’t know much about Judaism, but I did my best to answer her ques-tions. The relief that I felt when she finished questioning me was short-lived, however. Every term after that, the child development professor gave my name to the committee studying Ju-daism. To meet this challenge, I would have to learn something about my heritage.

The college library had two shelves of books on Judaism. I started at one end of the upper shelf and began reading. They gave me basic information about Jewish history, tradition and beliefs. With the help of the books, I managed to get through the questions during the winter term. Then, in the spring of my freshman year, I met Janet.

Janet was a Southern Baptist from a small town in Iowa. Like many students at college, she

came from a family for whom church was a ma-jor focus. Her beliefs guided her behavior in all aspects of her life.

I was the first Jewish person she’d ever met. She told me that she had chosen to write about the Jewish culture because she wanted to learn about the origins of her faith. Could she come with me to synagogue?

The town had a small Reform congregation that met Friday evenings in the parlor of one of the churches. I agreed to take her, and as we

strolled through the quiet streets, she asked me about my religious life. “Where do you eat?” she asked suddenly.

Mystified, I gave the name of the dorm din-ing hall.

“How do you manage?” she asked.“What do you mean? I just eat.”With an edge to her voice she said, “How

can you ‘just eat’? We get ham, pork or shellfish three or four nights a week, and most of the rest of the time there’s meat and milk at the same meal.”

“Oh,” I said confidently, “You mean kosher. I’m Reform, and we don’t keep kosher.”

“You don’t keep kosher? But from everything I've read, kosher is one of the cornerstones of Judaism. Why don’t you keep it?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know; we just don’t.”Janet stopped and turned to face me, hands

on her hips. I can still picture her standing there in the light of a street lamp, dressed the way she would for church, in a navy suit, a small white hat and white gloves. She looked me up and down as though I were a bug on a pin. Then she said words that still reverberate through my mind: “If my church told me to do something, I’d do it.”

In the long silence that followed, I rolled the words over and over through my mind.

If my church told me to do something, I’d do it. Janet’s words took my Jewish soul and shook me until I had to sit down, right there on the floor beside the library stacks. When I stopped shaking, I knew that I had no choice. I was a Jew, and the Jews kept kosher. It was that simple.

My going Kosher took many years, and many more lessons in faith. But my first big step began that Shabbat night, when a Christian girl challenged me to stand up and act like a Jew. lRead more about Kosher at www.KosherSpirit.com

WHy i WENT

Kosher

{PERSONAl STORY}

By Hanna B. Geshelin

then she said words

that still reverberate

through my mind: “if

my church told me to

do something, i’d do it.”



listen up ladies, our hottest gift, The Friday Lights, was specially designed for women and girls (ages 3 and up), and will bring peace and harmony

to any home. So grab a match and light candles

every Friday afternoon, at least 18 minutes before

sunset, and let your soul enjoy a Shabbat of total

relaxation. Repeat weekly, and of

course, before Jewish Festivals.

This gift comes perfectly wrapped

and is already custom-made for any guy

(ages 13 and up). All you’ll need is a kosher pair of

Tefillin (black leather boxes containing small parchment scrolls). Every morning, unwrap the gift

and treat your soul to a moment of “Teffillin Therapy.”

You may notice that your soul will smile frequently

during these sessions. This gift only comes in black

and should not be used on Shabbat or Festivals.

Keep your soul happy and healthy

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This thoughtful gift was designed to

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not surprise her with the study of Torah Daily? Even just a few lines of Torah contain the infinite wisdom of

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let your soul feel safe and secure with the perfect

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In addition to the laws, Jewish tradition provides many insights into the mitzvah of kosher. We hope that by sharing these insights, you will gain a greater understanding and motivation to keep kosher.

Nevertheless, it should be understood that the Torah’s commandments are of Divine origin and can never be fully comprehended by human intel-lect. We keep the mitzvoth because they are G-d’s gift to the Jewish people. But keep reading.

The spirit of KosherReligion is popularly portrayed as dealing with prayer, meditation,

charity, ethics and sometimes various forms of self-denial. These under-standings view the soul as purely spiritual and the body as completely physical. The former is concerned with mission and meaning; the latter with survival and pleasure.

Judaism, however, specifically encompasses every aspect of life. The Torah tells us not to reject the physical but rather to sanctify it. When we follow the Torah dictum to “know Him in all your ways” our most ordi-nary daily activities become imbued with holiness while the highest spirits are further raised by our careful attention.

Kosher represents this meeting of body and soul.In this vein, we sanctify the act of eating by eating kosher food, and by

reciting a blessing before and after we partake.

The Meaning of KosherKosher food is the diet of spiritual nutrition for the Jewish neshamah,

(soul). It is designed to bring refinement and purification to the Jewish people.

What does this mean? Modern nutritional science recognizes what Ju-daism has always taught: to a large extent, we are what we eat. The food we eat is absorbed into our flesh and blood. Birds of prey and carnivorous animals have the power to influence the eater with aggressive attributes. These are among the foods that are deemed not kosher and forbidden.

Forbidden foods are referred to in the Torah as abominations to the G-dly soul, elements that detract from our spiritual sensitivity. For a Jew, all non-kosher food diminishes spiritual sensitivity, reducing the ability to absorb concepts of Torah and mitzvoth. Both mind and heart are affected.

History demonstrates that when kosher observance is strong, Jewish identity remains strong. It is easy to see why kosher is often considered the farthest-reaching of all the mitzvoth.

The power of KosherA Chassidic teaching based upon the mysticism of the Ari-Zal (Rabbi

Yitzchak Luria) illustrates the power of kosher food: The Ari-Zal gave a lit-

eral interpretation of the verse, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by the word of G-d”. It is not the food itself that gives life, he explained, but rather the “word of G-d”—the spark of G-dliness—that is within the food.

All matter has within it some aspect of the “G-dly sparks” that give life and existence to the world. When we eat, the digestive system extracts the nutrients while the soul extracts the G-dly spark found in nature. The Divine energy in the food is thus the actual source of its ability to sustain and nourish the body.

Kosher food has a powerful energy that gives spiritual, intellectual and emotional strength to the Jewish soul. A Jewish person who consumes non-kosher food achieves the opposite effect. The kosher diet is truly the health-food diet for the soul, containing the spiritual nutrition necessary for Jewish survival. l

Read more at ok.org

Does G-d really care what I eat?

FooD for ThouGhTMany people think that keeping kosher is based upon ancient health precautions which no longer apply to modern life. But is that the whole story? What is kosher and why is it more relevant today than ever before? We asked the experts at OK.org and here’s what they said:

Gluten Free

latkesRecipe from Nosh on This: Gluten-Free Baking from a Jewish-American Kitchen

nothing says tradition better than a well-seasoned, crispy potato latke topped with sour cream

and chives or applesauce. no chanukah is complete without at least one potato latke meal.

We have three variations that should please any latke fan: traditional, mixed potato,

and mixed root vegetable.

be sure to use high-heat oil, which will help keep things from burning. Pay attention

to the temperature of the oil—keep it between 325° and 350° f—and you’ll be rewarded

with extra-crispy latkes that are not at all greasy, just tasty. also, if you have a latke

assistant, the recipe can be doubled, tripled, gazillioned for chanukah parties.

Makes 24 latkes l Frying time: 6 to 8 minutes l Dairy-free option available

inGreDients3 large russet potatoes (3 pounds)1 large yellow onion (225 grams, ½ pound)½ cup superfine brown rice flour (60 grams)3 extra-large eggs (180 grams)1½ teaspoons kosher salt½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper32 ounces safflower or other high-heat vegetable oil (896 grams)

toPPinGsApplesauceSour cream or non-dairy sour cream

Directions1. Preheat the oven to 170° F or your preferred keep-warm setting. Line a baking sheet with layers of paper towels.2. Peel the potatoes, cut to fit a food processor chute, and place in cold water to keep them from turning brown. Cut the onion in half. Using a grater attachment, grate all the potatoes and onion together. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Using the cutting blade, finely grind half of the mixture. Return to the bowl with the remaining grated potato and onion, and mix to combine. Alternatively, if grating by hand, coarsely grate half of the mixture and finely grate the other half, then combine the two mixtures in a large bowl.3. Line a colander with a clean dish towel. Place the colander in a large bowl. Place the potato mixture in the lined colander. Squeeze the life out of the mixture to get the liquid out. It will be messy, but keep going until it is pretty dry, because too much liquid in the latke mixture spells greasy, icky, heavy, messy pancakes.

4. Empty the liquid from the large bowl. Place the potato mixture in the bowl and add the flour, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix well.5. Fill a cast-iron skillet with ¼ inch of oil. Heat the oil until a tiny bit of the mixture sizzles when dropped in. Maintain an oil level that is ¼ inch deep with a temperature of 325° to 350° F at all times.6. Scoop ¼ cup of batter for each pancake, flatten to 4 inches in diameter, and fry over medium heat until nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. If the oil is not hot enough, the potatoes will absorb the oil and just be greasy; if the oil is too hot, the potatoes will be black on the outside and the inside will be raw—325° F is the right temperature.7. Place the finished latkes on the paper towel–lined baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven to keep warm while finishing up the other latkes.8. Serve the latkes warm, topped with applesauce and/or sour cream. l

Latke VariationsMixed Potato Latke: Replace the russet potatoes with a combination of Yukon Gold, red, sweet and purple potatoes.Mixed Root Vegetable Latkes: In addition to the three large russet potatoes, add no more than 45 grams (⅓ cup) of mixed shredded carrot, parsnip, and acorn or butternut squash.


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