“It’s Déjà vu All Over Again…Or Is It?”

“It’s Déjà vu All Over Again…Or Is It?”
Rabbi Shelton J. Donnell
Jerusalem, September 8, 2010 – 29 Elul 5770
This morning I went out to do the last minute shopping for Rosh Hashanah. Wendy was
already up early, busy in the kitchen preparing for the guests that we are having for
Rosh Hashanah lunch on Thursday. Fortunately we are invited to friends’ for dinner
tonight for the traditional evening meal to begin the holy day following services at
sunset, so Wendy does not have to go into full frantic mode this year. My job this
morning was to buy the challah – the bread to bless and begin the meals for Rosh
Hashanah and, this year, as the two-day celebration runs into Shabbat, the loaves for
Friday and Saturday as well. Two rounds for Rosh Hashanah (the traditional style for
the New Year) and four braided challahs for Shabbat. Six challahs – quite a big order
for us. Two challahs for each Shabbat meal to remind us of the double portion of
manna proved for our ancestors on Shabbat during the desert wanderings before
entering the Promised Land so that they would not have to work at gathering for their
meal on that day.
I drove to Emek Refaim Street, the main thoroughfare of “the German Colony,” the
shopping district of our corner of Jerusalem. It is there, actually just off Emek Refaim on
Rachel Imeinu Street, where one of Jerusalem’s gastronomic gems is located – the
local branch of Marzipan bakery. Marzipan, once located only in Jerusalem’s fabled
open air market, “Mahane Yehuda” downtown, recently opened this branch just five
minutes from our house. The bakery is most famous for its chocolate rugelach,
mouth-watering confections of flakey pastry and chocolate drenched in their secret
syrup. Others may look like Marzipan’s rugelach, but no other bakery’s can compare to
this gold-standard. They are so good, that rugelach aficionados line up to buy kilos of
them packed in plastic boxes to take on the plane with them to return home or to visit
friends outside of the country (I confess that we have been known to take as much
seven kilos – that is almost fifteen pounds with us when visiting family back in Los
Angeles). But, as good as the rugelach are at Marzipan (sorry if I am getting a little too
Proustian here), on Friday mornings, the aromas that dominate the small shop and waft
out onto the street beckoning passers-by are not the yeasty-chocolate of the rugelach,
rather the rich warmth of the challahs. And it was the challah that was my objective this
morning.
However, even before I was within sniffing distance, way before I made the turn onto
Rachel Imeinu to look for parking, in fact just as I made my way onto Emek Refaim I
saw something unusual was in the air. There were police cars and groups of police
everywhere. This was not unusual in of itself; there is a heightened security response
during every holiday time. But this was different. It appeared to me at least that the
number of police and their positions at every strategic corner along the street suggested
a greater security presence than we normally see at this time. And no wonder, with the
New Year juxtaposed with the beginning of new peace talks there is every temptation
page | 1
for those who want to stir up trouble to take this opportunity to strike where we are most
vulnerable. The bustling Emek Refaim area, crowded with holiday shoppers many, if
not most of whom, emigrated from abroad (it is a heavily “Anglo” area made up of
Israelis whose origins are in English-speaking countries, plus a growing admixture of
Jews from France), would provide a would-be terrorist with a sure-bet world-wide
headline capturing target. We know that. The authorities know that. And that is the
reason for the extra security. It was by no means a reason not to go to Marzipan to pick
up my challah. In fact, there is another message implicit in the symbolism of this
heightened vigilism – we need to be on guard because at least there is a peace process
(as tenuous as it may be) and there are those (and both sides) who are threatened by it.
But there is a peace process.
This Rosh Hashanah for the first time in years, we look forward to a new year in which
Israelis and Palestinians will be sitting down together and talking about peace based on
a two-state solution with defined borders and resolving the issues of refugees and
Jerusalem. That is certainly worth the extra traffic and increased risk on Emek Refaim,
isn’t it?
I bought my challah and, along with the candles that we light to welcome the holy day
and the wine that we use to declare its sanctity, we will enjoy our festive meals. We will
also dip apples in honey to remind us that we hope for a sweet new year. The Rosh
Hashanah tradition of dipping apples in honey is actually part of a tradition sometimes
called segulot. Segulot are an interesting, albeit much neglected, custom among many
Jews. Unfortunately only dipping apples and honey is widely known, but for many
Jewish communities it is customary to recite segulot or little benedictions over a variety
of foods. The segulot make puns in Hebrew (usually on the names of the food),
associating a desired characteristic to be emphasized or outcome for the future. Here
are some examples:
After eating dates
May it be Your will ADONAI, our God and God of our ancestors, that sin is eliminated from the earth and
wickedness is no more.
After eating pomegranates
May it be Your will, ADONAI, our God and God of our ancestors, that we may be as filled with mitzvah deeds as a
pomegranate is filled with seeds.
After eating fenugreek or black-eyed peas
May it be Your will ADONAI, our God and God of our ancestors, that our merits increase.
In a kind of sympathetic magic, the ritual of these segulot project our hopes for the
future to lighten the uncertainties of a world heavy with so many harsh realities.
This year, a few days after we begin this New Year, Prime Minister Netanyahu will sit
down with President Abbas to continue (in earnest) the hard work of peace making. We
have been here before, too many times. It is, as the Bronx sage Yogi Berra put it, “Déjà
vu all over again.” Or is it? This time will hope trump despair? This time will the
nay-sayers on both sides be silenced by the voices of reason and moderation? There is
little to be negotiated. The parameters of the settlement have already been determined
during the years of previous negotiations. Now is the time for statesmanship. Now is
page | 2
the time for the courage of the peacemakers. The question is, of course, is this the time
this time?
I have a new segulah for this year:
After eating onions
May it be Your will ADONAI, our God and God of our ancestors, that the peacemakers not be like onions with their
heads in the ground!
We wish you all a happy and fulfilling New Year blessed with peace. Shanah Tovah!
And, shalom from Jerusalem.
pageThis morning I went out to do the last minute shopping for Rosh Hashanah. Wendy was

already up early, busy in the kitchen preparing for the guests that we are having for

Rosh Hashanah lunch on Thursday. Fortunately we are invited to friends’ for dinner

tonight for the traditional evening meal to begin the holy day following services at

sunset, so Wendy does not have to go into full frantic mode this year. My job this

morning was to buy the challah – the bread to bless and begin the meals for Rosh

Hashanah and, this year, as the two-day celebration runs into Shabbat, the loaves for

Friday and Saturday as well. Two rounds for Rosh Hashanah (the traditional style for

the New Year) and four braided challahs for Shabbat. Six challahs – quite a big order

for us. Two challahs for each Shabbat meal to remind us of the double portion of

manna proved for our ancestors on Shabbat during the desert wanderings before

entering the Promised Land so that they would not have to work at gathering for their

meal on that day.

I drove to Emek Refaim Street, the main thoroughfare of “the German Colony,” the

shopping district of our corner of Jerusalem. It is there, actually just off Emek Refaim on

Rachel Imeinu Street, where one of Jerusalem’s gastronomic gems is located – the

local branch of Marzipan bakery. Marzipan, once located only in Jerusalem’s fabled

open air market, “Mahane Yehuda” downtown, recently opened this branch just five

minutes from our house. The bakery is most famous for its chocolate rugelach,

mouth-watering confections of flakey pastry and chocolate drenched in their secret

syrup. Others may look like Marzipan’s rugelach, but no other bakery’s can compare to

this gold-standard. They are so good, that rugelach aficionados line up to buy kilos of

them packed in plastic boxes to take on the plane with them to return home or to visit

friends outside of the country (I confess that we have been known to take as much

seven kilos – that is almost fifteen pounds with us when visiting family back in Los

Angeles). But, as good as the rugelach are at Marzipan (sorry if I am getting a little too

Proustian here), on Friday mornings, the aromas that dominate the small shop and waft

out onto the street beckoning passers-by are not the yeasty-chocolate of the rugelach,

rather the rich warmth of the challahs. And it was the challah that was my objective this

morning.

However, even before I was within sniffing distance, way before I made the turn onto

Rachel Imeinu to look for parking, in fact just as I made my way onto Emek Refaim I

saw something unusual was in the air. There were police cars and groups of police

everywhere. This was not unusual in of itself; there is a heightened security response

during every holiday time. But this was different. It appeared to me at least that the

number of police and their positions at every strategic corner along the street suggested

a greater security presence than we normally see at this time. And no wonder, with the

New Year juxtaposed with the beginning of new peace talks there is every temptation

for those who want to stir up trouble to take this opportunity to strike where we are most

vulnerable. The bustling Emek Refaim area, crowded with holiday shoppers many, if

not most of whom, emigrated from abroad (it is a heavily “Anglo” area made up of

Israelis whose origins are in English-speaking countries, plus a growing admixture of

Jews from France), would provide a would-be terrorist with a sure-bet world-wide

headline capturing target. We know that. The authorities know that. And that is the

reason for the extra security. It was by no means a reason not to go to Marzipan to pick

up my challah. In fact, there is another message implicit in the symbolism of this

heightened vigilism – we need to be on guard because at least there is a peace process

(as tenuous as it may be) and there are those (and both sides) who are threatened by it.

But there is a peace process.

This Rosh Hashanah for the first time in years, we look forward to a new year in which

Israelis and Palestinians will be sitting down together and talking about peace based on

a two-state solution with defined borders and resolving the issues of refugees and

Jerusalem. That is certainly worth the extra traffic and increased risk on Emek Refaim,

isn’t it?

I bought my challah and, along with the candles that we light to welcome the holy day

and the wine that we use to declare its sanctity, we will enjoy our festive meals. We will

also dip apples in honey to remind us that we hope for a sweet new year. The Rosh

Hashanah tradition of dipping apples in honey is actually part of a tradition sometimes

called segulot. Segulot are an interesting, albeit much neglected, custom among many

Jews. Unfortunately only dipping apples and honey is widely known, but for many

Jewish communities it is customary to recite segulot or little benedictions over a variety

of foods. The segulot make puns in Hebrew (usually on the names of the food),

associating a desired characteristic to be emphasized or outcome for the future. Here

are some examples:

After eating dates

May it be Your will ADONAI, our God and God of our ancestors, that sin is eliminated from the earth and

wickedness is no more.

After eating pomegranates

May it be Your will, ADONAI, our God and God of our ancestors, that we may be as filled with mitzvah deeds as a

pomegranate is filled with seeds.

After eating fenugreek or black-eyed peas

May it be Your will ADONAI, our God and God of our ancestors, that our merits increase.

In a kind of sympathetic magic, the ritual of these segulot project our hopes for the

future to lighten the uncertainties of a world heavy with so many harsh realities.

This year, a few days after we begin this New Year, Prime Minister Netanyahu will sit

down with President Abbas to continue (in earnest) the hard work of peace making. We

have been here before, too many times. It is, as the Bronx sage Yogi Berra put it, “Déjà

vu all over again.” Or is it? This time will hope trump despair? This time will the

nay-sayers on both sides be silenced by the voices of reason and moderation? There is

little to be negotiated. The parameters of the settlement have already been determined

during the years of previous negotiations. Now is the time for statesmanship. Now is

the time for the courage of the peacemakers. The question is, of course, is this the time

this time?

I have a new segulah for this year:

After eating onions

May it be Your will ADONAI, our God and God of our ancestors, that the peacemakers not be like onions with their

heads in the ground!

We wish you all a happy and fulfilling New Year blessed with peace. Shanah Tovah!

And, shalom from Jerusalem.