First, a positve, as well as wise, message from Marc Gellman.
IS THE MESHUGAAS DRIVING YOU MESHUGA:
06/20/2024
A Shabbat moment to think about other things:
IS THE MESHUGAAS (craziness) . . .
. . . you hear from every Yutz (imbecile) in town driving you Meshuga (crazy)? Contrary to what you hear out of the mouth of a Yutz, I truly believe that there is no shortage of Menschen (good people) in the world. I believe we get Meshuga when we’re told of the world through the eyes of a Yutz.
Throughout my life, I’ve met so many Menschen who’ve offered me guidance and mentoring. Whether it was my teachers lecturing me to grow up and be more serious, a supermarket manager hiring me for my first job, or a florist suggesting that a bouquet, even if only one rose, would help on my date with a girl, who I was hoping to become my girlfriend. Throughout my life, looking through my own eyes, I have come to believe that the world is filled with Menschen.
And guess what . . . the kind of Menschen who I’ve met throughout my life, are in abundance nowadays. And by the way, the florist was right. The rose was a big hit and after that date, the girl was my girlfriend. And years later, I married that girl.
Let’s chill, lighten up, and start to smell the roses. Even . . . if it’s from a bouquet of only one rose.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY and. . . . SHABBAT SHALOM!
Learn more about the author at: marcgellman.com
Yes, it’s a mad, mad, mad world, as hilariously demonstrated by Stanley Kramer in his classic comedy:
Of course, the world is mad not only because we see it as such, but also because we occasionally contribute to its madness, albeit inadvertently. Even though Hannibal Lecter-type of evil is quite rare – thank G-d for that! – yet Kant’s radical evil, or “an innate propensity to evil ” has always possessed some twisted members of the human race.
I know you have enjoyed the famous Adagio, especially choreographed by Nureyev. The evil sorcerer Rothbart is, of course, pure fantasy, as is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, AKA Lord Voldemort (I just named him!) from Harry Potter.
But we know that Harry Potter, the paragon of goodness, courage, and exceptional leadership qualities is not dead! In real life, even during the darkest periods of human history, we always had real heroes who stood up to the “twisters,” the twisted radical evil that lives in some hearts and souls. Not all of those twisters have been wholesale murderers, such as Hitler or Stalin, may their names be erased forever; some are individual villains, with their own twisted life perspective. Here is Iago’s Credo, delivered to us by the late great Dmittri Hvorostovsky:
https://https://youtu.be/Dh6WZOgBHQg?si=kHu3TPvn5OPLr0Pi
(I don’t know why this spectacular video wouold not embed itself, but please click on the link)
I believe in a cruel God
Who created me in His image
And whom in wrath I name.
From the very vileness of a germ or an atom,
I was born.
I am a wretch because I am a man;
And I feel the primeval slime in me.
Yes! This is my creed!
I believe with a heart as steadfast
As that of the widow in the church,
That the evil I think and that which I do,
I think and do by destiny’s decree.
I believe the just man to be a mocking actor
In face and heart;
That all his being is a lie,
Tears, kisses, glances, sacrifices and honor.
Makes you shudder, doesn’t it, Beautifull Peopel? Enough of that because we, in South Florida, are entering the Hurricane Season (yes, we do not have four seasons; we have only two: the tourist season and the hurricane season). I’ve lived through some real twisters here, and we lost the previous boat to one of them, but nowhere have I seen such immense surge of kindness and dedicated effort of many who rushed to help (bear with me and click on it, please).
https://youtu.be/KTfb_TjaHO4?si=cai4I4yWjRyuzvSS
And these are Nurse Angels, some of the wonderful people who came to help:
https://youtu.be/upRprKCj2wU?si=uejcc7fYw5r2S4Lk
Like Marc, I choose to believe that there are more Menschen than villains in the world; inasmuch as the said world does seem to be as crazy, as the Stanley Kramer’s madcap adventures, but ultimately the goodness prevails, thank G-d. To celebrate that, I made my own twisters, delectably sweet, yet sugar free (please click, as it still does not allow me to embed videos).
This is arguably the easiest dessert you have ever made. All you need is store-bought Puff Pastry dough and some cocoa, cinnamon, and sweetener. It takes about five minutes to twist them, and 25 minutes to bake.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 sheet of Puff Pastry dough, defrosted accordung to instructions
- 1 tablespoon of dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons of sugar or sweetener or to taste
- 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar or sweetener to dust
- Egg or substitute for eggwash
PROCEDURE
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Roll out dough as thin as you can without breaking it.
- Mix cocoa, cinnamon and sweetener, spread on top of dough.
- Fold an inch on the side (lengthwise), litly tap it to stick and slice off. Repeat until all dough is used.
- Fold each folded strip in half width-wise and twist it. Seal the opposite side.
- Arrange twisters on a lightly misted with oil baking sheet, eggwash and dust with sugar or sweetener.
- Bake for25 minutes or until puffy and golden.
Enjoy!
koolkosherkitchen 