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It was while I was attempting to organize and compile an extensive configuration of recipes I'd collected that I decided I really wanted a cup of coffee.
Not just any cup of coffee, mind you, but a deliciously-full-bodied-luxurious-exotic-tradewinds-just-like-a-tv-commerical cup of coffee, so I could close my eyes in absolute caffeinated pleasure like the ladies drinking folgers or maxwell house (ahem, "eww") in commercials (funny how you never see a Starbuck's commercial-at least I haven't). After an hour or so of digging for and through my aforementioned recipes that were scattered and strewn across so many different CDs (as well as those immortal fluorescent-colored floppies), I decided that if I couldn't mess up my kitchen trying something new for dinner (to my son's horror) I could at least have a cup of coffee.
That was when I realized that I didn't have one coffee, tea, or exotic beverage recipe. My recipe collection consists primarily of stolen family recipes (that my mother doesn't know I have, hehe), as well as New Orleans cuisine that I am truly dying to try. I also love the recipes from Kenya, Ethiopia, and the Middle East (Israeli and Jewish). I must have about 7 charoset recipes alone, including Persian, Moroccan and Yemenite.
So, I decided to do a quick search.
My search led me to a truly fun website called Recipe Zaar. It lets you search for recipes by type or category, by individual ingredients, or by nutritional facts. A search of the word "coffee" itself gave me 1,431 results from the database. I decided I was in heaven.
I'm not even sure how I came across this Moroccan Spiced Coffee recipe, but it is here. Of course, I modified it a bit, because its primary ingredient is milk, which I didn't want to use at the time. I basically mix the other (dry) ingredients in with my own favorite ground coffee (Seattle Best - Bright) before putting the mixture into a coffee press. According to the recipe, its the sugar that you add which brings out flavor of the other (spiced) ingredients.
The Taste
How to describe the flavor of this coffee: It's unbelievable. It tastes exotic, is surprisingly smooth, and not as bitter as coffee is usually. It will probably remind you of something else. Personally, I've never been to New Orleans, but I once shared a pot of Coffee-with-Chicory with a co-worker who'd ordered it from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. This is the closest in similarity.
The spices for the Moroccan coffee are also probably not what you may be used to putting in your coffee: salt, pepper, cumin and cinnamon, so I would advise anyone trying the recipe to not overdo on any one ingredient, but to try to keep them equal and blend them well.
I hope you enjoy it.
- Ronni.
In my observance of Tisha B’Av this year, I thought I’d actually just jot down random thoughts resulting from my experience this year. I feel like I can honestly say that I’ve felt and experienced – not a despair – but a deep regret over so many things that have served to make humanity what it is today. I believe that tonight I have shared the memory of tragedies both spiritual and historical (the world over) with countless others – observant, and non-observant, secular and orthodox on a profound level. Tisha B’Av is a very solemn occasion, and also very essential. It’s essential to consider the “tragedies” of our own existence – the lack of world peace, the waste and even the gradual destruction of our (earth and) natural resources, the genocidal hatred that burns on both sides of the equator (for no practical reason), as well as the lack of understanding we're all guilty of - it’s astoundingly ridiculous and disheartening. Throw into the mix the temperment of our natural world of late: tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes, and you may even vaguely remember hearing a long, long time ago, how everything is interrelated. Funny thing is that this is absolutely true – there’s just no sound scientific consensus.
I'm finding it equally funny to realize that I have a hole inside of me. As a woman of African descent whose forebears were bought and sold, it’s an old tale amongst both the descendants, as well as our continental African cousins that Black Americans have a hole inside of them: having fought and struggled to achieve equality and justice on American shores, many know well the contradicting feelings of love and hurt at the knowledge that Africa herself was a contributor to the slave trade by selling her own children. Africa in some ways seems foreign to African Americans – full of her own unresolved (and often violent) efforts to take her place on the world map, her struggles seem desolate and endless. Over time Africa has become that place - like a childhood home – that is very difficult to return to easily, once grown.
Please don't get me wrong: I love Africa – and I also love being a member of one of the oldest racial groups on this planet. Despite what the dominant culture of my national origin tells me I should be (whether overtly or covertly) – my perspective is different. My heart still longs for Africa just as surely as I know that deep within me is the knowledge of this ancient land that holds hands with my soul like a twin, or another persona. And, as if she were a mother who somehow wandered away from her child – Africa still sends me messages in that secret code that only she and I share, letting me know: I am still here. I am always with You. You are still a part of me.
I understand very well the love of Motherland. And I know that I share this with so many other nationalities on this earth who have been forced somehow to leave their homes, their true mothers. I also understand loss and am slowly coming around to the idea of my own responsibility in my own Exile, as well as its inclusion and contribution to Exile that's on a much grander scale: a universal one.
Do any of us black or white, male or female, religious, spiritual, secular, or pagan truly understand what being in Exile means? I have an idea: It means that our Center is gone. To be blunt, we have a hole inside of us. Whether this hole was created by the defacement and vicious destruction of something very holy, or by slavery or by the horrors of the Holocaust, the Center has been removed from us. What we have to remember, despite the nightmares and psychoses that these things have (inevitably) created in us, is that the Center is gone for a reason. Deep down we know what we have to do, but we’ve heard it so many times now that we’ve stopped listening. It’s just too elementary an answer that the way we treat each other and the fact that we react negatively towards each other (compulsively) is the major cause of the ills of our world and our existence.
This concept tends to come full circle: the Center is gone for a reason, and we are that reason. Our purpose here is to find the Center again and to fill the hole inside all of us once and for all.
[Note to Reader]: Please substitute the word "Center" for Shekinah (the Feminine Presence of the Creator, and the Soul of the Earth), then substitute the word Shekinah for Mother, and then substitute the word Mother, for Temple (Mishkan).
Chag Sameach.
To learn more about Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Av, please follow these links:
I live in the city of Fairbanks. Fairbanks to me is a very large town, with a pretty consistent “small town” feel. Just walking in the downtown area you are guaranteed to see someone you know or someone you've seen at least once or twice earlier in the week. Not much variety at all. It can be a little disappointing.
So, since I've become something of a homebody during my self-inflicted "Exile" in the Great White North, my personal activities have become pretty domestic and "retiring," for lack of a better word. In other words, I'm incredibly boring. Almost 7 years ago, I hit the books and began studying Judaism and then turned to Kabbalah. At the same time, in addition to adopting a new set of beliefs and spiritual worldview, I adopted new types of music to add to my own jazz, R&B, downtempo, and world music collection. A few of my new faves turned out to be Israeli artists such as Ofra Haza, Achinoam Nini, Mosh ben Ari, Idan Raichel, Hadag Nachash, and Din Din Aviv to name a few. In the Diaspora, I turned to Tzvi Gluckman, cantor Richard Kaplan, acoustic jazz bassist Avishai Cohen, and of course, Matisyahu.
When I first heard about Matisyahu coming to Fairbanks, I was very surprised. I couldn't understand why he would come here. I can't say I've followed his career, but I have read the gist of his story, how as a young Jewish American from the midwest, he had a series of experiences that led him to become a Hasid. I can greatly appreciate his path and I can almost imagine the intensity of the wonder and joy of the experiences that led him to do a complete 360-degree turn in his own life. I am strangely happy and proud of him. And due to my own spiritual experiences I felt (and still feel) a sense of kinship. I am very happy that he has chosen to share his message with the world. Despite this, I had no intention of going to see him. It didn't seem like a possibility. I did briefly (irrationally) wonder if I would somehow “sense” that he was in town, as if he were some great supernaturally spiritual being. If nothing else, I thought that 12 hours of total daylight is something that everyone should see – you have to see it to believe it. But I hadn't planned on attending this concert at all - I'm a shy homebody, remember.
On Friday, June 22, I grudgingly attended a retirement party for work. I say grudgingly, because I usually don't like to have to be told by my supervisor to attend these, but she reminded me just the same (as she probably should), plus I had enjoyed working with the retiree, so there I was. I was also very surprised because not only did I actually enjoy myself, but almost immediately was asked by a friend if I wanted to go with her later to see Matisyahu. I hemmed and hawed and stammered I wasn't sure. My exuberant friend talked me into it, and before I knew it – after hugging and saying goodbye to the happy retiree – who was on his way to sunny Arizona to be near his daughter and grandkids – I was following my friend's little Subaru along a dusty highway to the Blue Loon where Matisyahu would perform. And I'm very glad I did.
I believe there were a series of bands that had taken the stage before him. Matisyahu started performing around 9pm - about the time my friend and I got there. He’d chosen to appear in Alaska for the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Since the Shabbat would actually occur sometime after midnight, I was told that the concert would be over by then. Since, I also observe the Shabbat I was nudging my friend at about 11pm. Luckily, she’d had a very long week, too, and wanted to get home.
It was an amazing experience. Since I also Flickr, I got a few decent pics. It was an outdoor concert. One thing I did admire was how the concert areas were set up. There was a grassy area sectioned or partitioned off for families with small children and babies. It looked like this massive family picnic. I like to think that Matisyahu requested this, because I’ve read he has a young family himself. The area where my friend and I were was for those who were drinking, and was considerably closer to the stage. My friend who’d never really paid attention to his music was surprised when I started singing along. When we walked into the Blue Loon to collect beers, she said he seemed to have a definite message he was trying to send through his music.
And what is his message? Can it be defined? Yes and no. Some would say Matisyahu's message is all about God, or World Peace. This is like saying his message is only about socks. From what I’ve seen anyone who has had a spiritual experience appears as if they have a definite message and a newfound sense of purpose about their life, the existence of all life, and in particular, an intense awareness of their Creator.
This sense of purpose is exhilarating and full of wonder, and energy and that special peace that reminds me of the feeling of having a new baby in the house. Upon the birth of my own son I remember that it felt as if there were this heavenly force field in and around our home. Like an invisible sign that as soon as you cross the threshhold of the door flashes: "Something Special is Here." Essentially, for anyone who has had a spiritual experience, the message is always much more sublime, more personal, and ten times more wonderful than just those simple words, "God," and "World Peace."
I would like to believe that it was divine intervention that caused me to attend this concert. Thinking about it previously, I didn’t see myself going at all – figuring I would do my duty by attending the retirement party, and then go home, light my candles and study Kabbalah. I actually fantasized that someone, anyone, who’d never thought about religion or spirituality before would go to this concert and want to know what Hasidism or Judaism (or even Kabbalah) was all about and begin a spiritual journey. This excited me.
The Matisyahu concert was a wonderful prelude to my Shabbat. It infused and rejeuvenated my desire to observe and caused me to appreciate the Shabbat even more, alongside the fact that I arrived home that evening with time to spare (and for once I’d had the foresight to set up my candles the night before). My connection to my Shabbat felt stronger than ever, and I felt absolutely that everything I’d experienced for the past five hours was intended and meant to be.
Shalom.
I have probably ordered or bought (this year alone) more books than I am able to ingest, but I keeping doing it anyway, promising myself that someday (very soon) I will make the time to read them. Well, it doesn’t quite work that way. It is a balancing act that I may never perfect, and I will find myself schizophrenically devoting time to several books on a weekly (or daily) basis. Some of my books actually have long-standing, semi-permanent bookmarks in them. This is actually a good thing: I surprise myself by opening to a bookmark and being able to jump right back into the gist of a chapter after two weeks of neglect.
This month the book in question is one I may/may not have mentioned before, entitled Sacred Therapy by Estelle Frankel. Just today at lunch, as I was waiting in my car for my pick-up order of Kung Pao Chicken to be ready I managed to squeeze in a whopping two pages.
Mrs. Frankel makes it beautifully and amazingly clear the premise that nothing in mysticism or Kabbalah acts or functions independently. Everything corresponds to or is associated with something else. And in many instances (instances that have kept me coming back to Kabbalah for several years now) factors somehow tie together or, I think, reflect an important spiritual principle. It’s all good. And, it’s all related.
There are patterns within patterns in Kabbalah, and at the heart of all mystical study is the One Being or Force that we all seem to be circling, orbiting or (ultimately) gravitating towards. A very simple definition for something that cannot be defined: G-d, in my humble opinion is simply the most irresistible Force in the Universe, and the Desire of all desires.
In the two pages I was able to read earlier, Mrs. Frankel reminds us of what slavery (exile) and freedom truly encompass. She states that exile is often characterized by the one in exile being or becoming uncommunicative – unable to express their true feelings, or inhibited in some way from coherently expressing them (in other words, “The slave has no voice”). Using her own “anonymous” clientele from psychotherapy sessions as examples, Mrs. Frankel explains how self-expression, particularly truthful self-expression about one’s feelings can free an individual from being controlled (or enslaved) by that feeling.
What’s fascinating are the facts she shows as analogous. For example, in regards to the Passover or Pesach, the Hebrew term itself is actually a play on the words peh and sach which means, “the mouth speaks.” And, because the Israelites of the time of the Exodus were enslaved, they were incapable of (or inhibited from) expressing what they truly felt about their lives at that time. They had no voice. The being sent to rescue them, one of the Great Shepherds, Moses, surprisingly (and ironically) had a speech impediment, and originally did not, if you remember, want to “speak” before Pharaoh. And even though his brother Aaron may have initially spoken on Moses’ behalf, I like to believe that gradually, Moses began to speak directly to Pharaoh more and more – as both he (and the Hebrew nation) spiritually adjusted and grew in confidence and in faith.
Yet another correspondence Mrs. Frankel cites regards dibbur, the Hebrew word for speech. The root of this word (dalet-bet-reish) is shared with another Hebrew word related to this time period – midbar: desert. The Israelites were redeemed in the desert, and received the Torah in the desert. It seems as if this is telling us that in the silent expansiveness of the desert the Voice of Sinai spoke. The solitude and silence of one’s personal midbar must come before one’s true dibbur – the speech of the Soul.
One final note. The Haggadah is the prayer book used specifically for the Passover Seder. The word Haggadah itself means, “the telling.”
We have reached the end of a journey of 49 days and for those of us who count the Omer, the counting is concluded. The fiftieth day (Shavuot) was, of course, our destination and the reason for the counting of the Omer at all. This can be compared to the seventh day Shabbat as the destination or the reason for the previous six days of work. Shavuot is one of the most important and profound holidays on the Jewish Calendar. Shavuot begins (or began) at sundown on Tuesday night (May 22nd) and lasts until sundown on Wednesday night. Shavuot signifies the 50th day following Pesach, during which Israel first received the holy transmission of the Torah from the Creator. This time is very special in that it represents when Israel (as one) listened and "received" the words of the Ineffable. Essentially according to tradition, they accepted their role as a holy nation. And their acceptance and willingness to "hear and obey" was also their acceptance of the conditions (not only the 10 Commandments, but also the 613 Commandments) of the vow they made with the Creator. Another tradition states that all of us, all of humanity, the root of every tribe on this earth was present during the giving of the Torah. A Few Things to consider about Shavuot:
1. The literal meaning of the word Shavuot means “weeks.”
2. Another meaning of the word Shavuot signifies “oaths.”
3. It concludes the seven weeks of correction and preparation for the Matan Torah, or the giving (receiving) of the Torah. Without this preparation, the “receiving” could not be accomplished in a way that actually connects us to the Upper World and the Creator. We could not do this on our own with no preparation.
4. The word mitzvah, or in English, commandment, actually signifies a command, and a connection. What do we connect to by the accomplishment or performance of mitzvot? The Light. This is how we sanctify our part of the Creation, our environment.
5. One of the traditional names of Shavuot is the Celebration of the Harvest. During this time of year, wheat (the omer) was one of the last grains ready to be harvested. We could even say that the seven weeks (49 days) of the counting of the Omer was actually the sowing and expansion period of our (spiritual) wheat.
6. David HaMelech (David the King) was born on Shavuot and died on Shavuot.
7. According to Kabbalah, Shavuot represents the Supernal (Holy/Divine) marriage union between the Light of the Creator and the Feminine Divine Presence, the Shechinah.
8. In order to honor this Holier (Higher) union, marital relations are forbidden during Shavuot.
9. There is the tradition of studying the Torah/Zohar for most, if not all of the night. This is often referred to as “Adorning (or ornamenting) the Bride.”
One of the fundamental principles in life is to share or give back when you either acquire something, learn something, or generally "make good." I've been trying to follow this tenet lately by blogging as much as possible, and talking about what I've learned about and through the study of Kabbalah.
One of my newest blogs is called [: shomer] which in Hebrew means "to guard," or "to keep." [:Shomer] asks the reader questions at the start such as (for example) what is our ultimate responsibility in life? This blog is an experiment of mine where I'm attempting not only to discover the answer to such questions but also to learn which questions to keep asking. The focus is on spirituality with an emphasis on Kabbalah, and additionally, I'm hoping to show others that one way that helps us answer the important questions is by using the spiritual tools of "guarding or keeping" spiritual precepts that serve to align us with Divine will.
The current focus of the site right now is on the spiritual importance of Counting the Omer.
Note: This Sunday, May 6th is Lag B'Omer the 33rd day of the Omer. This day signifies the passing of the author of the Sefer Ha-Zohar, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and is a day of immense energy and Light. To learn more about the Rashbi please go here and here.
- tsefiya.
If you're already familiar with the Kabbalah Centre's web presence, www.kabbalah.com, you are probably also familiar with their new Kabbalah.TV feature. I re-discovered it today in the course of a very hectic workday.
Registering for an account with the Kabbalah Centre Store is helpful, but not necessary to access some pretty great features on the Kabbalah.TV site. There are many (more than you would think) Free media clips, podcasts, videocasts, and projects to look at/listen to.
There is media on current/upcoming holidays, as well as a general 1/2 hour-long Introduction to Kabbalah. If you already have an account, the site lets you sign in under that Login info, and it will help you keep track of any online media (such as mp3 courses and videos) that you previously ordered. So, if you're so busy today that you need breathing space - just take five and study kabbalah.
Have a good week.
- tsefiya.
New and Interesting Blogs & Sites I've come across lately
Unabashedly, I admit it: I am a blog-idea thief. And I do pilfer from others. Especially links to other blogs of interest. So, when I say I've come across these new and wonderful blogs and sites, sure enough, they were somebody else's favorites or I "acquired" them from someone. The thing is, I get them from contacts or friends (who now tell me they do the same things to me).
Anyway, I actually read a post or two from the sites below. They're amazing. Great reading whether you agree with the politics or not. The first impression is the thing: if the writing + the graphics all seem to flow together, and give you that warm, fuzzy, "I-think-I-just-learned-something" feeling, then this is a very good thing.
The photos (upper Left) are numbered 1-3.
1. My Marakesh. This is the blog of a very interesting American woman (moroccomaryam), a happily married mother of two. She and her family live in Marrakesh where she is the editor of the Lifestyle portion of a cultural magazine called Last Exit. She blogs about her adventures living in Morocco, as well as her travels to other exotic locales. This blog was ranked as a finalist in the 2007 Bloggies (weblog awards) for the Best African or Middle Eastern Weblog. Highly Recommended for your perusal.
2. Secret Dubai Diary. I could tell you all about this blog...but then I'd probably have to kill you.
The term that comes to mind is chutzpah. Secret Dubai diary is a surprisingly funny blog whose tagline states: Intrigue and Adventure in the United Arab Emirates. It focuses on local Dubai color, events, tourist sites, and some local news reports. Not only is its header eye-catching, but take a look at a few of the post titles:
Sheik Mo gets a Grip, or, the Great Dubai Jewel Heist, for example. There's this bizarre case of cannibalism that occurred in an unobtrusively docile area called Al Ain. And, my favorite is the post about a palm tree that has the right to sue the drunk driver that ran into it. O, and this blog actually won the 2007 Bloggies award under the Best African/Middle Eastern weblog.
I love storytellers, and really good stories. Lately, I've developed a love of ethnically Jewish writing - tongue-in-cheek stuff, poetry, prose, short stories, doesn't matter. There are so many amazingly talented writers out there right now (of various ethnicities), that I just wish I could be fed intravenously, and have the super-spidey ability of staying awake all night.
3. The Blue Jew Yorker is a home and a journal for the aforementioned talent. It's a digital compendium of writings by Jewish, as well as non-Jewish authors. Some of the writing is hip and gritty (see the poem called Basketball). And, some of it is unbelievably fluid and cerebral. One of the authors of some note is a Sociology Professor in addition to an artist (www.danielyharris.com), and he holds an M.A. in Divinity - he wrote his dissertation on the Zohar (oy vey). I had no idea you could do this. But then again, I am very new to Kabbalah. All the same a great variety of wordstock. Again, Highly Recommended for your perusal.
Speaking of Kabbalah...
Last, but definitely, not the least, is a very mind-boggling blog called StoneFlower Kabbalah. The author clearly knows his Creator, but he also has a deep understanding of the spiritual nature of the times we're living in right now. I have yet to meet or hear of anyone with this much knowlege. I think I actually gushed a reply to one of his posts that knowledge seemed to flow out of him like water. It's an ideal blog for a serious student of Kabbalah. On a side note: The author (Michael Margolis) does not bombard you with info about himself, like some of us bloggers are more than happy to do. Other than the simple statement that he's a teacher, very little by way of a Profile is given outside of this. If you enjoy learning about Kabbalah, this is irrelevant. What is in his blogs is knowledge we can all use. Very Highly Recommended for serious Kabbalah/Spirituality interest.
Thanks for visiting, and have a great week.
tsefiya/aka/ronni.
spiritual laws of the shattered vessel
Mrs. Frankel is a psychotherapist and ordained as a rabbinic pastor. In her own practice she blends the science of psychology and Jewish mysticism to heal her patients. This book will give you the rundown on the whole gamut of Jewish mysticism and mystical thought that includes Kabbalistic and Hasidic tradition among others. A true find.
Chag Sameach! (Happy Holiday)
Wishing you and yours a wonderful Pesach.
