Shalom Bayit

Yitzchak always strikes me as someone who got a raw deal. Not only was the akeida a traumatic event (there's an understatement) but the poor guy lost his mom, had twin boys (which can destroy anyone) and was tricked by his wife (on whose behalf he prayed to G-d). And to top it all, he lived between two giants. You can't live down Avraham, who practically invented monotheism; and you can't out do Ya'akov who has fathered no less than 12 (that's twelve!) sons. What's a fella to do?

Some people get all depressed when comparing themselves to others. Some even give up trying to live a meaningful life and just go through the motions. After all, if your father came up with the most revolutionary idea in history and your son established a dynasty while your one claim to glory was not being sacrificed,   wouldn't you feel a little unfulfilled? The poor guy never even left his homeland, while his father and his son traveled all over the known world. Talk about low self esteem.

Yet Yitzchak isn't bitter. He isn't resentful. He has every right to act out and be a menace to society yet he is a model citizen. He works hard and raises his herds, wandering from well to well and living a quiet little life, totally content with his place in the universe.

Hold on. Why did he wander from well to well? What was wrong with the first well he dug? And what happened to all the wells his father left him? Ah, well, it seems Yitzchak was a rich man. He inherited plenty from daddy and went on to get even richer simply by hard work and G-d's help. The neighbors were jealous. So, like all horrible neighbors throughout history, they sabotaged his wells by filling them with sand and rocks. Which is probably the dumbest thing one can do in the land of Israel, but that's Philistines for you.
So every time Yitchak had a well, it was filled up and rendered useless. Did he fight with the culprits? Did he try to reason with them, argue with them, sue them? Nope. He picked up and moved away and dug another well in the new place. Four times! Not once does he say "Excuse me, this here is my well, go find your own." Why would he take that bullying? Is it because he was afraid? Maybe he did not know how to fight. But the Torah said only a few verses before that he was a very, very rich man. A rich man can buy protection even if he himself can't fight. Why did he keep moving without protest?

Avraham was a warrior. We know that. Heck, he even argued with G-d. Ya'akov actually fought G-d. What happened to that gene of fighters when it was Yitzchak's turn? Went into hibernation? Why didn't he fight for his rights?

Some people are like that. We would rather accept hardship and less than we deserve in order to avoid a fight. Some call it defeatism. We call it keeping the peace. Even at the price of a sacrifice. What the heck, thought Yitzchak, I am rich enough to be able to dig all the wells that I want. Why fight over this. It will just cause a lot of shouting and pushing and someone might get hurt and really, it's fine, I'll just move. Again.

The world usually has no patience with such people. Pushovers, wusses, weaklings, all kinds of dismissive names are thrown their way. But these people are the ones who keep the world from exploding into a million pieces. Yitzchak wasn't alone. His great-great-great-great-granson, Aharon, was also a peace lover who kept quiet instead of screaming with pain. Where would we be if Yitzchak was into fighting? Did we really want the war in the Middle East to start that long ago?

Poor Yitzchak just wanted to live in peace with everybody and eat some game. Maybe a bison. Or a deer. Or a goat cooked in a special way to taste like deer. No, wait, that's not it. Oh, well.

Like every Jewish woman, I have my own recipe for brisket. Hubby loves it. I even gave it to my MIL and she even used it. But on Rosh Hashana we were at my friend Gail's house and she served brisket (of course) and my little one (the carnivore) said she preferred it to mine. I didn't care. I have no strong attachment to brisket. So I got the recipe and why don't you buy a piece of bison brisket and cook it for this Shabbat to see what Yitzchak was craving.

Gail's brisket

I have decided to bring this recipe exactly as Gail herself sent it to me because I enjoyed her unique style and wouldn't want anyone to miss out on it:


1. Get a nice cut of meat. I've used brisket, 2nd cut, French Roast. Whatever doesn't cost a mortgage payment.
2. At least one package  of Onion soup mix, a can of cranberry sauce, some wine, 4 or more onions ,about half a cup of ketchup , salt, (not much, as the  rest of the ingredients have enough already) and pepper to taste. The actual percentages are up to you, but I like the background taste to be onion-y. The sweet part is my Polish-Russian heritage (sweet kugel, sweet gefilte fish).
3. Braise the meat in the pan (or pot) in a little bit of olive oil, just enough for the meat not to stick.
Cover the meat with the rest of the ingredients, and set to simmer on the stove for at least an hour and a half. Then let cool for a while, slice the meat and return to the pot. You can leave it overnight and then just put the meat in an aluminum foil covered pan and let it cook at a 350 oven (or even less) while you prepare the rest of the meal. Serve it with the other items for dinner. If there are any leftovers, they will not suffer from re-heating.



Next time you encounter a fight you can afford to lose, ask yourself if it wouldn't be better to simply give in. After all, what can be more important than living without stress and strife?







Oops,


Rich pumpkin loaf

4 oz. softened cream cheese

¼ cup butter

1 ¼ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1¾ cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground cloves

1. Put softened cheese, butter, and sugar in mixing bowl. Cream together well. Beat in eggs one at a time until blended. Mix in pumpkin.
2. In another bowl combine flour, soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and walnuts. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Pour all at once over batter. Stir just enough to moisten. Turn into greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
3. Bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove to rack to finish cooling.

Makes 1 loaf.

Sorry, everyone. I forgot this was lurking at the bottom of the post. So you will just have to suffer the indignity of an extra recipe that is in no way related to the post. Think o fit as a happy mistake.