It all began earlier this summer, mid-June, in the Israeli consulate in Manhattan. We were there to get a visa for our daughter to attend seminary in Israel. The line was especially long and the wait took hours, so we got to know some of the other people waiting there along with us.
There was a Chassidic/Yeshivish looking couple there with a daughter, whom we initially figured were from Boro Park or another major Jewish community, but it turns out they live mostly year-round in a small Sullivan County Catskills community where their family owns and runs a bakery/cafe. And their daughter graduated from a small class of three students, so us upstaters from small Jewish communities felt a kinship while waiting on the long line at the Israeli consulate. There’s even more to the connection! Turns out that they happen to be cousins with an Albany family that we know! Religious-affiliation-wise I wouldn’t have made the connection, but family is family, and we had this mutual friend/family in common!
I asked him what’s his best-selling item at the bakery. He told me it was Russian Babka. What is Russian Babka? He didn’t know what made it particularly Russian, but he said it is a richer, bigger, loaded Babka. And his customers really like it. We figured next time we would be down in the Catskills we’ll have to look up his place and try his Russian Babka.
Nowin mid-July we were in the Catskills on a Tuesday afternoon to drop off our youngest daughters at overnight camp. After dropping them off we decided to go check out this bakery and see if we could pick up some of the much-touted Russian Babka.
Turns out this bakery/cafe wasn’t where we thought it might be, it carries the name of one town, but is located in/close to another. We drove there in a torrential downpour and under a Tornado Watch.
We went in and asked for the Russian Babka. The guy at the counter said that they only make Russian Babka at the end of the week close to Shabbat. It’s not an everyday item. Oh well, we bought some other pastries – and had some other memorable scenic and nostalgic adventures on our way home (but more about that in other posts).
What to make of this Russian Bakba? What’s the message to be learned from our search for Russian Babka?
1) The old message from Kohelet “For everything there is a time and a season”. Not everything is meant to be all the time. Apparently, there’s a time and place for Russian Babka and it’s not an everyday item. It’s a special item, and has its special time.
2) In describing the wealth and global reach of King Solomon, the Talmud says that his dining table had all types of fruits even when out of season. Today, you don’t have to be a Solomon or a 1% to have access to strawberries and grapes all year even out of the local growing season. We’ve even come to expect it!
3) You can’t get everything you want. That’s a good lesson. If we get accustomed to getting everything we want we turn out spoiled and don’t learn how to handle the inevitable frustration and disappointment in life. It’s healthy to sometimes be told yes, and sometimes be told no.
4) Not having the Babke midweek gives us something to look forward to! Delayed gratification builds self-control and personal character.
5) And it teaches us about making and keeping Shabbos special. There ought to be a distinction between Shabbos and weekday, in terms of food and dress and how we carry ourselves, and what our homes feel like.