rosenzweig@icarus.DEC (12/14/84)
If I remember the Halacha correctly, upon moving into a new home, you must make the kitchen also new with blessings and action. Upon the advice of Rabbi Joe Polack, our glat kosher expert in Boston, he came out to blow torch the oven, and give the following advice: Use rapidly and actively boiling water (take immediately the kettly and use) and pour over all surfaces, counters, stovetops, tabletops (oiy veigh not wood)etc. to clean thoroughly. These are the same things one does before Pesach also. I don't remember any blessings to go with this, so I assume there weren't any. I'd throw in the floor also (imagine yourself not in bare feet) Also it's nice to have a mezzuzah (sp?) on each room, especially the children's.....what you do with the bathroom is your business. How did I come to this? My very kosher in-laws came to me for seders one year, and of course, whatever was there wasn't kosher enough, so since they were good enough to buy two sets of dishes and pots for the occasion (I'm not kidding) I felt I better do it up PERFECTLY right....so when Rabbi Polack said dishes which were made new by man now have to be made new for Ha-Shem...so they must be washed in water made by Him, namely a river. Well,in a wash basket, I carried all the dishes to the Sudbury River behind my house, and one by one with the appropriate blessings I did as the Rabbi told me. Of course I ran them twice in the dishwasher afterwards because the river was, like most of our waterways, polluted. This impressed my in-laws who never did Halacha like this...also I didn't make one mistake in the kitchen...said my mother-in-law "I've know housewives who have been in the kitchen thirty years and THEY make mistakes" So I guess I passed their test..and Rabbi Polack's. Did I pass my own though? If my in-laws who follow the letter were pleased by me who love the spirit of the letter better, I passed my own test. To you who are moving into a new house, have much happiness there, have mazel, have good health, and the wisdom to choose the passing of your own test. Yours, Rosie Rosenzweig mostly from Temple Beth El, Sudbury, MA dail from DEC, Maynard MA
teitz@aecom.UUCP (Eliyahu Teitz) (12/18/84)
> > If I remember the Halacha correctly, upon moving into a new home, > ......... > Yours, > > Rosie Rosenzweig > mostly from Temple Beth El, Sudbury, MA > dail from DEC, Maynard MA I think this would have been more apropriate in religion.jewish. Eliyahu Teitz.