91福利社

Prayer for the Day presented by Rabbi Warren Elf of the Liverpool Reform Synagogue.

Good morning.

I come across many Jewish people who would identify themselves as cultural Jews. By that I think many of them mean that they are not religious, are not big on God, do not necessarily keep many of the religious rules and traditions and even do not 鈥榙o鈥� most of the festivals and holy days.

The way that many of them might connect with religious life and special days is gastronomically, through traditional (or not so traditional) foods.

It is often joked that the essence of most Jewish holidays is 鈥榯hey鈥� tried to kill us, God saved us, let鈥檚 eat!

Of course there are other reasons for Jewish festivals, but food is often a reason that people get together to celebrate, even when the religious side is not important to them.

Food is important and can bring us together in so many ways. Someone who asked 鈥渨hat is Jewish food鈥� was told 鈥渢he food that Jews eat鈥�! It鈥檚 as simple, or as complicated, as that and probably depends on where in the world our families come from and what foods we ate in those countries or regions.

In the Ashkenazi world, gefilte or chopped and fried fish, brisket, and chicken soup are essential. For Sephardim, the Shabbat stew adafina, pastries like bourekas, and stuffed vegetables are vital. Ethiopian Jews often celebrate Shabbat with the spiced chicken dish doro wat, Bukharians are known for the herb-laced dish bahksh, and Romans for their artichokes. There are so many more!

So today I pray that whatever I choose to eat and whoever I choose to eat with, I am always grateful to those who helped get the food to my table. May I always thank God and the farmers and the producers of my food with blessings and other expressions of gratitude.

And may I always try to share what I have with others around me, especially with those who may not always have food.

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