L'Shana Tovah ("A Good Year")

Ours is not a religious home, yet I have always been drawn to the Jewish faith. I especially enjoy the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is a time of renewal. It is a time to get your affairs in order. It is a time to clean out your drawers and closets and make a trip to Good Will. It is a time to organize your life. It is a time to catch up with friends and family. It is a time to reconcile any bad relationships. It is a time to get your hair cut and buy some fall clothes. It is a time to plan for the winter and think about how you hope to live in the months to come. It is a time to be grateful for how far you have come.

One of the symbolic rituals of Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn. The sound of the shofar is intended to awaken the listener from his or her "slumber" and alert them to the coming judgment. What a lovely notion to take 10 days every autumn to reflect on these things.

I prepare a special Rosh Hashanah meal every year. Apples and honey symbolize a "sweet new year". This year I tried a new recipe (Apple Coffee Cake). I also made a big pot of matzoh ball soup.