I have one comment on the article that I’d like to bring attention to: I always knew that there is an inyan to bake challos specifically on Friday. When I told my husband about the topic of this week’s issue, he told me that it’s not just an “inyan”; in Shulchan Aruch it actually says that one should wash his clothing on Thursday so as not to be busy with it on Friday, to allow time for challah baking, which ideally should be done on Friday. I must confess that it’s not a hard and fast rule in my house, but when I do bake on Friday, the aroma and taste enhance the Shabbos experience as nothing else in the world can. Shira Weiss
LITTLE HELPING HANDS (Re: Shabbos Is Coming Early!, Issue 226) The Erev Shabbos Helper chart was a hit in my home! We hung it on the fridge and had lots of little helpers, taking great ideas from the chart and from the chore list for specific ages! It was especially helpful since we still look like the “before” picture, with cries for help echoing across our home as the zman looms closer, begging for all able-bodied forces to help us get to Shabbos on time. After being inspired by the article, though, we hope that in the future, Erev Shabbos will start to look like it does in this very amazing writer’s home! Mother of Helpers
TIMELY INSPIRATION (Re: FYI: Challah Bits, Issue 226) Your article on challah facts was really sweet. Especially inspirational were the quotes you included from tzaddikim about the chashivus of baking challah. I approached this task so differently this week! The
inspirational reminder of what a special mitzvah challah baking is made it a labor of love and of awe. M.S.
HAPPILY MUNCHING (Re: Friday Night Munchies, Issue 226) Last week, as soon as I caught sight of your Friday Night Munchies, I whipped out a pan, a few basic ingredients, and within a few minutes, had a container full of Chocolate Corn Clusters waiting for Shabbos. The results were fantastic! Many thanks from the entire family. E.S.
DOING WHAT THE AVOS DID (Re: A Heartwarming Search, Inbox, Issue 226) I’m writing in response to the letter written by Bracha K., where she suggested that it’s time to stop giving gifts to kallahs. I just wanted to point out that the minhag of gifting our kallahs comes straight from Avraham Avinu. When Avraham sent Eliezer to find a kallah for Yitzchak, the Torah goes into great detail, describing exactly which pieces of jewelry he took along for when he would find the right girl. From there we see that giving our kallahs jewelry is the right thing to do. What we can change, though, is the type of jewelry we give. It doesn’t have to be inset with the most expensive stones. Perhaps we can make it the norm to go with cubic zirconia, or lab-grown diamonds, which are as real as anything and a lot cheaper. That will save mechutanim quite a bundle. Nowhere does it say that the jewelry has to be of the most expensive pieces and coming from the most stylish stores, but not giving at all? That’s already a bit too much. Somebody Who Cares
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