Shavuos Recipes ... gluten free

... not cheesecake

Spinach Crustless Quiche

Although cut into squares like brownies, these savory treats taste more like a quiche. Great as an appetizer, these freeze beautifully, just waiting for unexpected company!

· 1 9-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained and squeezed (very dry)

· 1/3 cup minced onion

· 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

· 2/3 cup Gluten Free Pantry French Bread and Pizza Mix

· 1/2 teaspoon oregano (or spice of choice)

· 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black (or white) pepper

· Pinch of salt

· 2 large eggs, separated

· 1 cup milk (or rice/soy milk, your choice)

· 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-x-9-inch pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine spinach, onion, and cheese. In another bowl, mix together French Bread/Pizza Mix and spices.

Mix egg yolks with milk and butter and fold into cheese mixture. Add flour mixture and mix to combine. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture.

Spread mixture in prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes. Cool and cut into squares. Serve at room temperature or wrap and freeze. Reheat frozen squares in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Variations: Swiss cheese. Substitute chopped broccoli.

And For Dessert

Blueberry Pie with Lattice Crust

Prepare 1/2 bag of Gluten-Free Pantry Perfect Pie Crust according to package directions

• 4 cups fresh blueberries (or Bodek frozen drained)

• 1/2 to 1 cup granulated sugar, depending on sweetness desired

• 3 Tbsp cornstarch (or tapioca starch)

• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

• A pinch of salt, cinnamon & nutmeg

• Egg Glaze: (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water) – optional

• Unsalted butter – optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Roll out pie crust between two sheets of lightly oiled plastic wrap. Cut a circle to fit a 9-inch pie plate and gently lay over plate. Lay another sheet of oiled plastic wrap over the plate and press the crust into the pan. Crimp the edges. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. Cut the remaining dough into strips and reserve.

In large bowl, gently toss berries to coat thoroughly with sugar, salt, cornstarch, and spices. Add fruit to pastry-lined pan. (Dot filling with butter, if desired.)

Lay strips of crust over the top of the filling, crossing them for a lattice look. Brush with egg glaze and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Piece by Piece

Nearly 80% of what was the historic land of "Palestine" (slated for the Jewish Home) as defined by the League of Nations (and confirmed by British Declaration of 1917), was then severed by the British (themselves) in 1922 and allocated to what later became Transjordan (whose majority population was/is "Palestinian Arab"). This left only 20% of the original Mandate for the Jews, which was then further subdivided (more than half) by the UN in the 1947 Partition Plan, to award the Arabs with an additional state known as Palestine.

Ancient maps of Jerusalem here.

Ancient maps of Eretz HaKadosh here.

What will they devise next?

History of ME

History of Religion

Al Netilat Yadayim

Scientific Study: Hand Washing Wipes Away Regrets?

A Science Study on Hand Washing: After choosing between two alternatives, people perceive the chosen alternative as more attractive and the rejected alternative as less attractive. This postdecisional dissonance effect was eliminated by cleaning one’s hands. Going beyond prior purification effects in the moral domain, physical cleansing seems to more generally remove past concerns, resulting in a metaphorical "clean slate" effect Science Mag.

About Jewish ritual hand Washing ...

Al Netilas Yadayim ... The Lifting up of the Hands

The washing of the hands symbolizes the removal of defilement and impurity, and the restoration of spiritual cleanliness. It also serves as a reminder of the ancient Temple service in which the Kohen was required to wash his hands before beginning the daily ritual (Shemot 30:20). His was an act of consecration. We emulate that act.

The Hebrew word that normally would be used for "washing hands" is rochetz yadayim, but instead in the blessing we say al netilat yadayim, which literally means "the lifting up of the hands." This symbolizes that the hands are "lifted" to a higher level and are being consecrated for nobler deeds in fulfillment of G-d's mitzvot. We wash them out of respect to our Maker (Shabbat 50b). Brachot

Listen Up Mr. Gibbs!

.... and please show this to your boss!

Yom Yerushalayim

Now and Forever

IY"H Hashem

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin reached for the Bible on Wednesday to stake out the Jewish state's disputed claim on the city"

"Netanyahu told a parliamentary session commemorating Israel's capture of East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war that "Jerusalem" and its alternative Hebrew name "Zion" appear 850 times in the Old Testament"

"Jerusalem is mentioned 142 times in the New Testament, and none of the 16 various Arabic names for Jerusalem is mentioned in the Koran. But in an expanded interpretation of the Koran from the 12th century, one passage is said to refer to Jerusalem,"

"There is no undercutting, nor do I intend to undercut, the connection of others to Jerusalem," Netanyahu said. "But I do confront the attempt to undercut and warp or obfuscate the unique connection that we, the people of Israel, have to the capital of Israel."

Quotes from a VosIzNeias article.

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Greece on Fire

Just a brief recognition:

Greece created the Western Civilization

and now

Greece is on fire

another siman of the demise

of

this

Golus

Shabbat Shalom - Parshas Behar-Bechukosai

Shabbat Shalom

Parshas Behar-Bechukosai

Blessing of the New Month of Sivan

Friday, Erev Shabbos 14 May

Shavuot is May 19 - 20

In preparation for Receiving the Torah

Rav Itamar Shwartz, the author of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh seforim, will be in the New York area in the week and a half leading up to Shavuos. He will be speaking in different communities on the topic of how to prepare for Kabbalas Hatorah.

Sunday, May 9th - One Day Seminar - Flatbush

Seminar with the Rav will be at

Rabbi Mayer Fund's Shul

Cong. Sheves Achim in Flatbush

Brooklyn (1517 Ave. H, off corner of East 16th [across from Q Train]).

The shiurim will be at 12, 3, & 6 PM. All proceeds are going to publish more seforim by Rav Shwartz. $20 admission $200 sponsorship (includes private meeting with the Rav).

CLICK HERE or call 516-668-6397 to register.

Courtesy of

Dixie Yid - Thoughts on life and Chassidus

The call of the muezzin

Plan for mosque near

World Trade Center site

A proposal to build a mosque steps from Ground Zero received the support of a downtown committee despite some loved ones of 9/11 victims finding it offensive.

The 13-story mosque and Islamic cultural center was unanimously endorsed by the 12-member Community Board 1's financial district committee. The $100 million project, called the Cordoba House, is proposed for the old Burlington Coat Factory building at Park Place and Broadway, just two blocks from the World Trade Center site.

"I think it will be a wonderful asset to the community"…

Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf, said the glass-and-steel building would include a 500-seat performing arts venue, a swimming pool and a basketball court. "There's nothing like it," ... adding that facilities will be open to all New Yorkers. [Oh, does that include Jews? Wonder who'll be the first]

Guest Post

Maxine is filling in for me for a couple days while I get the house in order. A ton of "Spring Cleaning" going on. [I do mine right before the summer set in, and not before Pesach. Lessens the stress a bit.]

Another Eruption

More Ash ... More Travel Delay

Time Travel Possible

Hawkings: "cause comes before effect."

I wonder where this can be found in the Gemora?

Anyone want to give a try?

Hawking said once spaceships were built that could fly faster than the speed of light, a day on board would be equivalent to a year on Earth. That's because - according to Einstein - as objects accelerate through space, time slows down around them.

Moving backwards is impossible, Hawking says, because it "violates a fundamental rule that cause comes before effect"..

Once spaceships approached the speed of light, their crew would start skipping through Earth years on a daily basis, giving the human race a chance to start again.

“It would take six years at full power just to reach these speeds.

"After the first two years, it would reach half light speed and be far outside the solar system.

"After another two years, it would be traveling at 90 per cent of the speed of light.

“After another two years of full thrust, the ship would reach full speed, 98 per cent of the speed of light, and each day on the ship would be a year on Earth.

"At such speeds, a trip to the edge of the galaxy would take just 80 years for those on board.”

Oh, gosh, who would want to "Time Travel"?

You could never come back;

and if you could,

no one would know you,

no friends, no family,

and

just image the wrinkles on your face?

Iyar Brings Rahamim, if ...

Our holy Sages have taught us that the Torah is so sublime and mystical that it is the blueprint of the entire universe. More than this, the Torah acts as an “owner’s manual” for the human race.

Ben Hey Hey tells us in Pirkei Avot that everything can be found in the Torah. In the holy Zohar, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai tells us that the Torah contains within it all the sublime secrets of the universe. Indeed, whatever the likes of a Stephen Hawkins will discover about cosmology, whatever any scientist will discover in any field that will win him/her a Nobel Prize, all of these discoveries are already in the Torah, if only we knew how to extricate them from their concealment.

The holy Mekubalim have emphasized for centuries the mathematical aspects of the Torah known as gematriyot; how each letter is a number and every word a code. Finding equal numerical values between letters, words and phrases enables us to discover previously unknown relationships and revealing to us secrets of life.

The order of the tribes, the arrangement of their camps and the numbers of their populations all conceal within them the secrets of the cosmological/psychological order of time, space and human consciousness.

One of the great Kabbalists who lived at the time of the revelation of the holy Zohar (circa 1270) was Rabbi Yitzhak D’min Acco. A friend and student of the RaMBaN, Rabbi Yitzhak knew well the secrets of the Kabbalah. One of his fine texts is a Torah commentary entitled Me’irat Aynayim, which is a commentary explaining the Kabbalistic references found in RaMBaN’s Torah commentary. This text is a Kabbalah classic.

In Parashat Bamidbar, Rabbi Yitzhak introduces us to the four camps of the Shekhina, which correspond to the four camps of Israel and the four camps of the angels. What follows is a list of correlations that underlie the pattern of the camping arrangements in the wilderness. That order was arranged by G-d to represent certain archetypal realities that are universal in nature in application to the collective Jewish soul.

By learning the secret of this order, we learn about ourselves, the spiritual world around us, the forces of nature in the physical world and many other things. The order that I will now outline is taken from the Yafeh Aynayim commentary to Me’irat Aynayim (page 240) and is culled from many sources (Midrash, Zohar, Recanati, Tziyuni and others).

1. First Camp (Flag) – East, rahamim (grace), Yehudah (king), Yisaskar (torah), Zevulun (wealth), Nisan (Aries), Iyar (Taurus) Sivan (Gemini), Yod of Havaya, First season (spring), Face of Man (in merkava), Uriel (among the angels), Power of the Winds (forces of nature).

2. Second Camp (Flag) – South, hesed (mercy), Reuven (teshuva), Shimon (honor), Gad (strength), Tamuz (cancer), Av (Leo), Elul (Virgo), First Hey of Havaya, Second season (summer), Face of Lion (in merkava), Michael (among the angels), Water (forces of nature).

3. Third Camp (Flag) – West, Malkhut (kingdom), Efraim (hot & cold), Menashe (snow), Benyamin (Shekhina), Tishrei (Libra), Heshvan (Scorpio), Kislev (Sagittarius), Vav of Havaya, Third season (fall), Face of Eagle (in merkava), Rafael (among the angels), Earth (forces of nature).

4. Fourth Camp (Flag) – North, din (judgment), Dan (darkness), Asher (light), Naftali (blessing), Tevet (Capricorn), Shevat (Aquarius), Adar (Pisces), Final Hey of Havaya, Fourth season (winter), Face of Bull (in merkava), Gavriel (among the angels), Fire (forces of nature).

As Kohelet says, “Everything has its season and there is a time for everything under heaven” (Koh. 3:1). Parashat Bamidbar comes to teach us how HaShem has arranged and correlated the interactive forces of nature (physics and spiritual “meta”- physics). By learning the secrets of this parasha, one cultivates an understanding of the “influences” upon the seasons. Granted, this knowledge must never be viewed or used superstitiously, nonetheless, this knowledge is real and ordained by G-d.

For example, the month of Iyar corresponds to the tribe of Yissachar, whose attribute was excellence in Torah study. Thus, Iyar is a more auspicious time for learning than any other month. However, when the students of Torah do not live up to their studies, then the nature of this month, Rahamim, which mixes both mercy and judgment, is tilted towards judgment and punishment occurs. It was for this reason that most of Rabbi Akiba’s 24,000 students dies during the first 18 days of Iyar and at no other time of the year.

The archetypal correlates mentioned here are by no means a comprehensive list. In the Sefer Yetzirah, chapter 5, more extensive lists are given that correlate specific Hebrew letters to body organs and personality traits. Indeed, HaShem set up His world according to a precise seder; this is why we have precise Halakhot to follow. Our observance of the mitzvot enables the earthly pattern to correspond with its supernal counterpart.

Visit Kosher Torah's Library of Essays for more essays by HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok.

The world is heating up for something ...

This year is witnessing a tremendous number of "natural" and "man-made" catastrophes; while the world continues in its path of terror, and the Earth replying:

Accuweather Statement for Washington DC:

Turning up the heat on Shabbos

...ENHANCED FIRE DANGER FOR THE SPREAD OF FIRES TODAY...

MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES HIS AFTERNOON WILL DROP TO AROUND 30 PERCENT...WITH SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 10 TO 15 MPH. THESE CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH LOW FUEL MOISTURES WILL POSE AN ENHANCED THREAT FOR THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRES ACROSS PORTIONS OF MARYLAND...EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA THIS AFTERNOON. USE EXTREME CAUTION WITH ANY OUTDOOR BURNING ACTIVITIES. ACCIDENTAL ESCAPED BURNING DEBRIS IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF WILDFIRES.

Another Black Cloud spreading over the Gulf of Mexico - Louisiana (New Orleans-Katrina) 160,000 continuing to pour into the gulf

And in January 2010 there was another oil related catastrophe - Texas (450,000 gal crude)

The world is really heating up

Clinton warns Iran, Syria on threats to Israel

US Secretary of state tells AJC Syrian transfers of weaponry to Hezbollah may lead to war, says Israel facing 'some of the toughest challenges in its history.' Barak: We'll hold Lebanese, Syrian governments responsible for introduction of 'balance-breaking' weapons to Hezbollah

Look, the Satan himself is turning up the heat

Iran: We Also Worry About Nuclear Weapons in the Wrong Hands........In a strange twist, Iranian leaders say they also worry about misuse of nuclear weapons, call on world powers to reduce terrorist access to bombs....“Nuclear energy for all, nuclear weapons for none,” should be the world's motto, he declared.

The UN on Women's Rights ...

Not my words, this is a Fox News' coverage of the latest at the UN!

EXCLUSIVE:

U.N. Elects Iran to Commission on Women's Rights

"Without fanfare, the United Nations this week elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, handing a four-year seat on the influential human rights body to a theocratic state in which stoning is enshrined in law and lashings are required for women judged "immodest.""

"Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes," said the respected cleric, Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi."

""Iran's discriminatory laws demonstrate that the Islamic Republic does not believe in gender equality," reads the letter, signed by 214 activists and endorsed by over a dozen human rights bodies.

"The letter draws a dark picture of the status of women in Iran: "women lack the ability to choose their husbands, have no independent right to education after marriage, no right to divorce, no right to child custody, have no protection from violent treatment in public spaces, are restricted by quotas for women's admission at universities, and are arrested, beaten, and imprisoned for peacefully seeking change of such laws.""

Life is complicated enough on Earth...

Now, NASA says there is

Evidence of Life on Mars

"British physicist Stephen Hawking said this week aliens might be traveling through the cosmos right now - but he warned they might have evil intentions. Hawkings: Aliens may pose risks to Earth - The Coming Storm

NASA scientists last night unveiled compelling evidence of life on Mars. A special mission to the Red Planet has revealed the likely presence of a form of pond scum - the building blocks of life as we know it. NASA unveiled the results of the recent Opportunity and Spirit probes sent millions of miles through the solar system to discover signs of extraterrestrial life."

In an earlier article, a Robot Vehicle sent to Mars for signs of life, captured a picture of a possible 'Gorilla', noting "It's definitely a creature of some sort." To view this 'Mars Gorilla', click on the picture to enlarge it here.

The Coming Storm ...

The Coming Storm by HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok: There is a storm coming. A storm with mighty winds and powerful thunder. The lighting will light up the skies and the earth will rumble. This storm is to be very destructive. Yet it will be more destructive upon those who have unleashed it than upon those who were intended to be its victim. This mighty storm, like everything else is still just a part of G-d’s creation and as such it will follow the course of natural law as ordained by Heaven...The Coming Storm

Hawking: Aliens may pose risks to Earth

Astrophysicist says extraterrestrials likely exist, but could be dangerous

British physicist Stephen Hawking says aliens are out there, but it could be too dangerous for humans to interact with extraterrestrial life. Hawking claims in a new documentary titled "Into the Universe With Stephen Hawking" that intelligent alien life forms almost certainly exist — but warns that communicating with them could be "too risky."

Hawking has become one of the world's best-known scientists — not just because of his theoretical work on cosmology and black holes, but also because he has achieved so much while coping with a paralyzing neural disease for most of his life. In recent years he has become a prominent advocate for space travel, contending that humans must journey into the heavens and going through zero-gravity training himself. "Into the Universe With Stephen Hawking" had its television premiere in the United States on the Discovery Channel on Sunday.

The NewDesignWorld Press Release Center

had this to say: As only Discovery can create and deliver, viewers will gain access to one of the most coveted locations known to man-the mind of Professor Stephen Hawking.

Marrying the most respected name in science with the most trusted worldwide name in nonfiction media, INTO THE UNIVERSE WITH STEPHEN HAWKING is a landmark television event that will bend the mind, stretch the imagination and unleash the wonder. Cutting-edge effects, digitally enhanced NASA footage and live action combine to bring Hawking's extraordinary vision of the universe to the screen for the first time. Definitive, provocative, surprising and exquisitely beautiful, INTO THE UNIVERSE WITH STEPHEN HAWKING is a fascinating look through the mind's eye of one of the finest brains on the planet….

Physically confined but mentally free to explore and expound on the mysteries of the universe, Hawking takes viewers on a fantastic journey of discovery. Beginning with the birth of our galaxies, Hawking theorizes what the Big Bang can tell us about the eventually end of the universe. Is the cosmos a ticking time bomb? And if so, what are the signs of its future demise?

About Aliens: A Torah View on Life in Outer Space

Shabtei Zvi, The False Messiah

Shabtei Zvi, The False Messiah

Part Two

How Two Individuals, A Messiah and his Prophet, Led a Nation to Disaster

by Rabbi YY Jacobson

Shabtei Zvi, The False Messiah :

How Did He Capture the Soul of the Jewish World?

Part One