My office is located in my mother's home. Today, I was working at the computer in my office, and suddenly, I found myself lifted off my chair and carried to the kitchen by the unmistakable aroma of gribenes. (See the Comments for a recipe someone was kind enough to send in.)
As I watched my mother carefully prepare this very special treat for Rosh Hashanna, she asked if I would like to have a gribeneh. I was taken aback. I asked my mother, you're offering me a gribeneh? In middle of the day? In middle of the week? During Ellul??? I liked my mother's answer so much, I am posting it here.
She said that she offered me the gribeneh davka now during Ellul, so I shouldn't be "asid liten din vecheshbon al kol sheraasa eino velo achal" (every man will face heavenly judgment for each and every thing he saw and did not enjoy.) This is, of course, a quote from the last couple of lines of the Yerushalmi in the end of Kiddushin-
רבי חזקיה ר' כהן בשם רב עתיד אדם ליתן דין וחשבון על כל שראת עינו ולא אכל.
This almost matches the time, some thirty five years ago, that we had a meshulach who was a Satmarer in the house, and my mother offered him gefilte fish, and then she offered him milk to drink. He was upset; didn't she know that you don't mix fish and milk? My mother answered that it can't be assur, because the gemara in Chulin says "dagim she'alu be'kaara shel basar muttar le'ochlan be'kutach" (fish that was cooked in a fleishikeh pot can be eaten with yogurt-- the rule of naht bar naht.) So it's clear that the Gemara is mattir eating fish and milk. The meshulach was of Hungarian derivation, and I think he would have run away making the sign of the cross if he could have, for protection from this horrifying apparition, a woman who could quote the exactly relevant Gemara better than he could.
