Instant Edible Sukkah

Here are a few easy tips about making an edible sukkah from graham crackers and pretzel sticks.  

Construction: Honey Maid graham crackers are ideal.  They break evenly into squares just the right size for building a cube sukkah on a dessert plate. Use the whole rectangle (5″ long) if you are building on a dinner-size paper plate. Yes, they are kosher. Buy a bunch and use them for Sukkot s’mores later. Generic brands crumble when they break, and you will end up with a box full of rejects.

Roof: Snyder’s Pretzel Sticks (kosher) are the perfect length to span a Honey Maid Graham Cracker cube sukkah.  Not rods or dippers, but Sticks.  This year, I could only find them packaged in individual, 100 calorie bags.  If you build a sukkah from the entire graham cracker rectangle, you’ll need to buy pretzel rods, which are longer.

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Onto the Next Jewish Holiday–Sukkot!

Now that the High Holidays are over, we can all relax and take a break from all that Jewish holiday excitement…er… NOT. Sukkot starts this Sunday at sundown and lasts for a whole week.

If you’re not familiar with Sukkot, it’s a festive holiday that features fun activities like hanging out in huts and shaking weird looking fruit. Want to know more? Read our rundown of the Sukkot basics here.

And now the fun part: if you’re building your own sukkah, start decorating with these easy paper chains or an autumnal leaf collage. If you don’t have the time or outdoor space to build a sukkah, try your hand at this miniature representation, which turns into a healthy snack when all is said and done.

As for good eats, these chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are a great snack to bring into the sukkah. For the more ambitious chefs, this stuffed pumpkin is quite the crowd pleaser. And if you need a refresher course on how to properly welcome guests into your sukkah, take Grover’s advice.

Connecting Kol Nidre with Bullying

Finding a unique Yom Kippur custom is not easy. Even though I haven't found one that will knock your socks off, that very (literal) image got me thinking. About bullying. Is there a connection between bullying and Yom Kippur?  I think we can create a link by examining the introductory lines framing the Kol Nidre prayer chanted on Yom Kippur eve.  Translated into English, the Cantor -- or whoever is leading the prayers -- says: "By the authority of the Court on High and by authority of the Court down here, by the permission of One Who Is Everywhere and by the permission of this Congregation, we hold it lawful to pray with sinners."

In other words, listen up bullies: despite your actions we are still open to accepting you in our midst. How? Perhaps by showing bullies that Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur is a time to examine one's deeds and understand what motivates one's behavior. Once they do that, hopefully they will stop the taunting and be ready to sit by our side on Kol Nidre.

On a personal note, these introductory words were penned by one of my husband's ancestors -- Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg -- in the late 13th century. A century and a half later they were endorsed by the Maharal of Prague (the creator of the Golem). Clearly, these two great Jewish leaders understood that even people who have wronged others are allowed a second chance.

Gmar Hatima Tova.

This article is from the Zvuvi Blog by Tami Lehman-Wilzig