“I once asked Bubbe why her food always tasted so good, and why when I tried to make the same thing in my house it didn't come out quite the same. She told me that her mother, Mrs. Zeesa Gordon, taught her the secret to good cooking.
Her mother used to say a few familiar kapitlach of Tehillim as she was cooking and seasoning, and she taught her only daughter, Esther, to do the same. And so Bubbe would picture the people she was cooking for, and say a prayer that her food would nourish and heal those she loved more than just physically.
I must admit that it seemed like an unlikely secret at the time. Could my saying Tehillim really improve the taste of my food?
But I do feel this sort of Heavenly connection with my food when I knead my challah dough. It is the time that I feel is mine to converse with Hashem and share what is going on in my life and in the lives of my family. I hope it is not bragging to say that I am rather known for my challah, and I don't think it is because I use a unique recipe. I am pretty certain that Bubbe was right.”
In the #shvatissue, a granddaughter shares her memories of the lessons learned in Esther Goldman’s kitchen. Shabbat Shalom 💐
