It
has been a very busy week since I last wrote. Last Thursday evening we went to
see Preet Bharara interviewed by Jeff Greenfield at the 92nd Street
Y, an event promoting his new book, Doing Justice. It was a fascinating
and thought-provoking two hours. I especially appreciated that he did not try
to paint every question as black and white with clear answers, often presenting
both sides of many of the pressing questions in these times.
We
drove to Sharon on Friday for a very full three days. Simmie and family joined
us at our apartment for Shabbat lunch. Shabbat was followed by
the two-day holiday of Shavuot. This holiday has special importance for
our family because Barry’s father died on Shavuot 22 years ago. We
invited our two nieces, who live in the Boston area, to join us for lunch at
Simmie’s house. We do not see them as often as we should and it was really nice
for us all to get together and share some fond memories of Barry’s father. Simmie
and Dina had shared the cooking – fruit soup, cheese and potato blintzes,
quiche, salmon, and Caesar salad were highlights. I am not 100% certain who
made what but everything was delicious! For dessert, I contributed my
cheesecake and Dina had also picked up a birthday cake for Ella’s 13th
birthday which had been a few days earlier. On the second day of the holiday we
had lunch with Dina and her family along with friends, a “baked potato bar”
with lots of toppings. Julia sat next to me, and especially enjoyed those
potatoes when I topped them with generous pats of butter.
Shavuot is the holiday that
commemorates the revelation at Mount Sinai. Dairy foods are traditional for
this holiday because when the Jewish people received the Torah on that
day, which included a new set of rules on slaughtering animals and preparing
meat, they did not have time to do so immediately. Hence, we eat dairy, so it
is a particularly enjoyable holiday of vegetarians.
We
got in a bunch of games and some nice time sitting outdoors in the beautiful weather.
All in all, it was a fun-filled three days. Now it’s back to work and back for
the last week or so of school.
Have
a good week!
Love,
Rebecca
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