Shana tovah u'metukah

The exhortation to have a "good and sweet year" isn't just a figure of speech; it also guides the menu for celebrations of Rosh Hashanah for Jewish people around the world. This observance of the New Year brings the faithful together, for two nights in some communities and one night in others, in services to reflect upon and celebrate the year that has passed and the one that is to come.

The shofar - the horn of a ram - is blown, bread is tossed into the water to indicate the casting off of sins, prayers and poems are recited.

Then comes the feasting.
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Editor's note: This piece - a little-known lesson in African American drinkways - was originally delivered as a presentation at the 2008 Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium on the Liquid South. It was later printed in Cornbread Nation 5. Today's installment comes courtesy of John Simpkins, Fellow of Comparative Constitutional Law at the Charleston School of Law.

I've been black since birth. I'm not sure how long I've been a Jew. "You're the only black person I know who can quote Woody Allen movies," said my Jewish friend, Peter, when I asked him to assess my Jewishness. "I only quote from the early good ones," I explained. "And those I love. In fact, love is too weak a word for what I feel. I more than love them. I 'lurve' them."

"Sammy Davis Jr. was your favorite member of the Rat Pack," Peter continued, pressing his case. "You even sent your three-year-old to summer camp at the Jewish Community Center. He recognizes the Israeli flag, can sing the dreidel song, and is constantly asking for challah. If you're not Jewish, Jonah certainly is."
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Shana tovah u'metukah

The exhortation to have a "good and sweet year" isn't just a figure of speech; it also guides the menu for celebrations of Rosh Hashanah for Jewish people around the world. This observance of the New Year brings the faithful together, for two nights in some communities and one night in others, in services to reflect upon and celebrate the year that has passed and the one that is to come.

The shofar - the horn of a ram - is blown, bread is tossed into the water to indicate the casting off of sins, prayers and poems are recited.

Then comes the feasting.

Read on and get the recipes

CNN.com Religion Editor Dan Gilgoff explains the Jewish festival of Passover, which starts at sundown Monday and commemorates the Israelites' liberation from slavery in Egypt thousands of years ago.

Watch the video above to learn more about the Seder – the meal in which the story of Exodus is told – and the various symbols used during the holiday, including matzo (unleavened bread), bitter herbs, salt water and a lamb shank bone.

Read "Let my people go: Understanding the Passover Seder" on the CNN Belief Blog.

Previously - Stephanie Izard's Five Favorite Matzo Toppers

Twelve years of Catholic school provided me with many things: rock-solid knowledge of Dewey Decimal shelf placement of books on The Life of Christ (232.9), a complicated relationship with plaid skirts, and to-the-millimeter specifics on how much room the Holy Spirit requires to remain between dance partners. Not addressed with quite as much fervor - the "Sabbath mode" on major cooking appliances.

Today's press release from GE clears that all up:

Keeping Food Warm on Sabbath, GE Meets the Needs of Observant Jewish Consumers

LOUISVILLE, KY — November 12, 2010 — (NYSE:GE) — Whether it’s gefilte fish, challah, brisket, noodle kugel, latkes, or one of the many other iconic mainstays of the Jewish kitchen, there is one critical ingredient that cuts across them all – the cooking appliance. While electronics and safety features on modern ranges have added complexity and challenges to the Kosher kitchen, GE has answered with a Star-K-certified Sabbath mode feature on hundreds of its cooking appliances.

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