Rosh Hashana 5774

While I hate being apart from Mike, I am so happy to have had the opportunity to come home to my parent's house for Rosh Hashana this year. There have been many years where I have been passed around on the phone or skype from various countries and it brings me such joy to be able to spend the holidays with my family and collective Winston-Salem families. My family always hosts the huge lunch after services for Rosh Hashana and it's one of those sure thing kind of meals where everyone has their special food that they bring.

This year services were one to remember. The Rabbi spoke about the Unetaneh Tokef, before beginning the prayer and reflecting on being written into the Book of Life and if we should take it literally and its meaning to us individually. He bean reading the prayer in English speaking of the ways we may die. As he spoke the words "who by fire" the fire alarm went off in the building and the entire congregation had to get up from their seats and make their way outside. Turns out they burnt something in the kitchen next door in the education building and set off the alarm but at the time it was hilarious.



After services we made our way home and were ready for our traditional meal. One family brings the brisket, another roasted vegetables, there's a vegetarian lasagna for the vegetarians as well as some sort of quinoa or couscous dish. My mother always makes honey chicken drumsticks. And of course enough challah, apples, and honey to fill you up until next Rosh Hashana. As we sip our wine and feed our bellies, we reminisce over the sermon from earlier in the day, comparing it to the previous night and previous sermons, joke about the fire alarm, and discuss all of our current news: how we like our jobs, what we are doing, and the general playing catchup- never skipping a beat, falling right back in as if we saw each other yesterday. 


At some moment in the afternoon, the china is cleared and small dessert plates are brought out. We move from the 'kids' table to the dinning room where we nosh on my mom's famous ruggelah, both the chocolate and cinnamon variety, brownies, cake, and my newest cupcake recipe- apple cinnamon with honey cream cheese frosting. This year's cupcake recipe comes from two websites- luckily someone else already tested both and determined these to be the winners. And they certainly were!


We continued our chatter, catching up on everyone's grandchildren, nephews, and big life events. When everyone left, we collapsed in a state of blissful exhaustion, happy to have had such a sweet day and great start to the new year.