Is it possible to have a
Kiddush Club and a Rabbi?
Throughout the long history of Kiddush Clubs, many a rabbi has felt left out, knowing that members of the congregation have left to pursue their Kiddush Club duties rather than stay for the sermon.This feeling of rejection is understandable, since the rabbi knows of the delicacies being consumed nearby without his participation.
Imagine how you would feel, knowing that the finest herring, smoked fish, single malt and sometimes even cholent, all being partaken, after the proper bracha of course, without you.
Week after week, month after month, your friends and congregants leaving as you are about to dispense gems of Torah and commentary; watching from the beema as even the congregation's president leaves during your moment in the spotlight? In some shuls, even the chazan is known to leave to join the Club at it's weekly meeting.
Some rabbis cannot escape bitterness. Some have been known to take on the Kiddush Club as an enemy. Pity these poor souls, knowing that they will not find happiness until they have removed the Club from the shul.
But for those rabbonim who can rise about it, the benefits can be substantial. First, all Kiddush Clubs will gladly invite the rabbi for a nosh. Second, a worldly rabbi will realize that while words can be bought by the pound, they need not be dispensed in quantity to achieve the desired effect. Why say something in 20 minutes when it can be done it one?
Rabbonim! Go forth to the Kiddush Club. Enter the hallowed hall and make Kiddush. Offer a short d'var torah. Surely this is the place to do so, as where can the members go?
Have a piece of fish, a Tam Tam and some Glen Something. Speak words of Torah. Then, go back to the big shul and speak better than ever, knowing full well that less is more, quality over quantity and a captive audience is the best kind.
So, the next time you see your Kiddush Club members leave, join them. And if you happen to have a special pet project, remember, men who have had a couple of shots are much more receptive to requests for funding. You might find that your project is well on it's way to completion, and your next contract could be a lifetime version.
1 of Fifths is currently the president of one synagogue and a member of 2 others. He has many friends who are rabbonim and all understand his loyalty to the Kiddush Club.
1 is currently working on a photo essay of Rabbis in Shtriemals, working through the hierarchy of the Rabbinical Assembly
1's Cholent
| 1 | lb of stewing beef or plate flanken |
| 5 | medium sized potatoes, chopped to 1" pieces |
| 1 | onion, chopped |
| 1 | carrot, chopped |
| 2 | cans of mixed beans (needs 3 kinds of beans) |
| 1 | cup soup barley |
| 1 | pkg Manishewitz Onion Soup Mix |
| 5 | cloves garlic |
| Savoury Spices (rosemary, thyme, basil) salt & pepper | |
| Wine | |
| Water to fill | |
| Add all ingredients in order into a crock pot or an
oven ready roasting bowl. Place in oven at low heat (225 f) or turn
crock pot on just before shabbat. Cholent MUST cook for 12 to 24
hours to have the proper consistency and flavor. Do not stir or
mix, but you should add water if it begins to look too dry on top.
Serve in a bowl after shul. (the cholent, not you) |
|
| Things that people add to cholent before cooking: | |
| Hard boiled eggs (Hungarians) | |
| Maple syrup (Canadians) | |
| Baked beans (Bostonians) | |
| Bar-B-Que sauce (Southerners) | |
| Lentils (Sephardi) | |
| More beans (brave) | |
| Ketchup | |
| Cocktail Wieners | |
| Small amounts of strongly flavoured spirits (whisky, bourbon) | |
| Things people do after eating cholent: | |
| Sleep, preferably outside | |