Are Karaites the original Food Detectives?
The Karaites of the middle ages actually conducted experiments to determine whether the flours of grains and kitniyot (usually translated as “legumes”) can become hametz (leaven). And with the help of Yochanan Labombarbe, the Dean of Students for the Karaite Jewish University, we’ve recreated (most of) those experiments.
Filed under Aharon ben Eliyahu, Karaite Korner, Passover, Yaqub al-Qirqisani
Well, this is a serious bummer.
1000 years ago, the Karaite communities of Ramle and Jerusalem probably would have excommunicated my grandparents.
You see; my maternal grandmother and her sister married my maternal grandfather and his brother, respectively. Two brothers married two sisters (in separate marriages).
I always thought this was beautiful. But from at least the time of Anan and for several hundred years thereafter, the majority of Karaites forbade many types of marriage, including the marriage of two brothers to two sisters.*
And, according to a piece appearing online at the Jerusalem Post this past weekend, some of the Karaites of the 11th Century had no problem tormenting Karaites who violated this prohibition. (See A Problematic Marriage for 11th Century Karaites.)
Filed under Jerusalem, Jeshua ben Judah, Karaite Press, Marriages, Ramle, Spain
Could One of These be A Blue Thread’s Official New Year Brew?
Source: https://draftmag.com/features/sixer-a-touch-of-honey/ *
L’Shanah Tovah, everyone.
As noted in our last few posts, the Jewish New Year begins with the first new moon after the barley in the Land of Israel reaches the stage of development known as Aviv.
Over the past days, several individuals have confirmed that the barley is Aviv, and we have received numerous reports that new moon was sighted in Israel on March 13, 2013. So. . . yeah; Happy New Year.
It occurs to me that we need a fun New Year’s tradition – something similar to the Rabbanite use of “apples and honey” for their Rosh Hashanah. So here is my best shot.
The last K.J.A. Bulletin?
This April 2007 issue ran a story on the Aviv.
As I mentioned on my Facebook profile, I was pleasantly surprised by how many people actually visited A Blue Thread to learn about the Aviv and its relation to the Jewish years.
Today, with permission from the Karaite Jews of America, I am posting images of a story that ran in the April 2007 issue of the K.J.A. Bulletin. The story is about the 2006 Aviv search.
If I recall correctly, this was the last K.J.A. Bulletin that was published. As an aside, some of my most vivid childhood memories are of watching my father stapling, folding and mailing the K.J.A Bulletins from our dining room in the 1980s.
I know that the internet has made most small-time publications difficult to justify, but one of my professed goals is to see a widely accepted Karaite print publication. A man can dream, can’t he?
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This barley (from a previous year’s search) is mostly at the stage of Aviv; some of the barley is fully ripe.
Last week, I mentioned that some Karaites (and other Torah observant individuals) might be celebrating Passover a month after most Jews.
If you’re not familiar with this issue, I admit it can be confusing. So before you go all “Whatcha talkin’ ’bout Willis?” on me; let’s see if I can clear it up – at least a little.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Karaites have historically flourished in places outside of Egypt. But the Karaites of Turkey, Crimea, and Lithuania all thrived at one time or another. As pointed out in the comments to the post on Egyptian Karaite matzah recipe, these other communities had a form of matzah called Timbil.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a high resolution image of Timbil, but Avraham Ben-Rahamiël Qanaï, who is a co-author of the Introduction to Karaite Judaism, provided the following:
Timbil
According to Avraham, this type of Timbil is made with flour and water: “The top is rubbed with oil (and sometimes sprinkled with Nigella seeds) and scored in a criss-cross or diamond pattern before baking.”
Happy cooking and remember to submit your photos for the photo contest to shawn@abluethread.com by April 2, 2013.
Now that Purim is behind us, most Jews* are starting to plan for Passover, which they will be observing from the evening of March 25, 2013 through the evening of April 2, 2013.
Check out this matzah recipe used by the Egyptian Karaite community – which I promise you is better than store bought matzah. Okay; that’s not really saying much . . . but give it a shot.
Filed under Holidays, Karaite Fact Cards, New Moon, Passover, Photo Contests, Recipes
