Blog/December 2025/Dec 5th
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Last week I mentioned building the “HCE”, or “Hanuquarium™”. Now you can see it in all its glory (candles not included)! Also for your delectation, my attempts at making liquors from myrtle berries and tangerines. These are just in the initial extraction stage; diluting, sweetening, and filtering will be done shortly. Then, they need to “relax” a bit before consuming.
I apologize to my non-Jewish readers for the entirely too-Jewish topic:
Every year I deal with people saying that “yoshon” (literally: “old” grain) is a “stringency”. So first of all, the prohibition is “ḥadash” (”new” grain), since that is what is Biblically prohibited. But what exactly are the parameters? Perhaps it only applies in the Land, or when the Temple exists, or if the grain was grown by Jews?
The Mishnah (Orlah 10:9) says, “New [grain] is forbidden by law of the Torah everywhere”. That would seem to imply even outside the Land. Rambam’s Mishne Torah (Laws of Forbidden Foods 10:2) rules it’s forbidden: “…in every place, at every time, whether in the Land or outside it, whether or not the Temple stands”. Further, the vast majority of “Rishonim” (Torah sages of roughly the same era as Rambam) agree.
So it’s clear that “yoshon” isn’t a stringency. Rather, not keeping it is a leniency which arose in Europe due to the extreme hardships our people faced surviving winters without access to proper (e.g. “yoshon”) grains. In today’s day, even in Europe, those hardships no longer exist. Consequently, a ruling made by local rabbis for specific circumstances, must give way in light of the Biblical prohibition against eating new grain. You can read more (in Hebrew) here and here, among many other places.
Sorry, it just irks me.
Of note:
- Israel performed a massive “war-gaming” exercise to prepare for “emergency aliyah”.
- Home economics: them candles can be very dangerous.
- Preston Stewart: after the Iran strikes, major threat remains.
- Kira Davis: it started with a Subway sandwich (by the way).
- Yassin on why he writes about the Jews.
- You thought Islam was about spirituality? 72 virgins cannot tell a lie!
We met up with Yarin’s parents one evening, to commiserate and get together before our upcoming yearly jaunt to visit the Grands et. fam. Traffic was surprisingly light (both going and returning!) and they’d arranged parking for us. Sweet!
We also attended our local “book swap”, and I came back with what is surely “too many” books. Is that a thing, though?
The warmer than average weather should continue through shabbat, with proper seasonal temperatures scheduled for Sunday and beyond.
This shabbat we’ve got guests, who might enjoy:
homemade ḥalla,
chicken soup,
pargiot,
chicken breast,
roasted baby potatoes,
broccoli kugel,
artichokes,
various salatim,
and bread-pudding.
Until next time,
shabbat shalom!
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