Cooking from Scratch

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Saba Yisroel's wife, Esther (Mindel) was a true woman of valor, her father beat her trying to persuade her to demand a divorce, but she was obstinate in her loyalty to Saba. They were destitute, and they lived through times of famine when it is estimated that at third of the population of Israel succumbed to starvation, disease, and extermination by the ruling Turks and the local arabs. This did not deter Saba from bringing home guests to feed, in addition to his large family. Esther was a master of conjuring up food, delicious food without any budget. She would get the fish heads from the fish market for free, and she knew how to maximize whatever meat was left on them to make delicious soup. She also had different delicious recipes for mallow - khobiza in Arabic - a wild grass, which she was able to gather from open fields, and once an arab confronted them saying that it was his field, and so they got permission from him, and from then on specifically gathered from that field.

One time Saba brought some guests, and before he entered the house, he went in and asked his wife, saying that he came across some people who were stranded with nothing to eat, would it be alright for him to bring them - not telling her that they were waiting by the front door. Esther said certainly. Saba said, are you sure, how will you come up with food for them. Esther said she had a fish or two, and she could cut in half, and then there is the other side, and then in half... so Saba went to the door and let them in.

She was also an excellent seamstress and made her own clothes.

One time on the anniversary of passing of Esther, Saba told Sharon T. that he must honor and be grateful to his righteous wife saying - you owe her your life, because everything I merited was in her merit, and without her, you would not have me. You must honor her as you would your own mother.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman

The Praises of Rabbi Nachman - part 2 - The Order of His Voyage to the Land of Israel 5-7

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Shivchay Huran part 2

5. On the day preceding the festival of Passover of the year 5558 (Saturday, 31 March, 1798) our master and leader and Rebbe o.b.m. exited from the Mikvah, and he said to the one who went with him, that in this year he certainly will be in the Holy Land. And on the Festival of Passover he said Torah on the verse (Psalms 77:2), "And Your path is in a plethora of water and Your footsteps are not known," and he asked from the beginning of the verse on its end (t.n. first the verse says where the path is, and then it says it is unknown), and he said Torah on this in answer to this question, and from the words of his holy Torah it became known to all those that came to him, that certainly he would travel to the land of Israel.

6. And when his wife heard this, she sent her daughter to him to ask him, how is it possible to leave them, who will support them? And he replied as follows: "You will travel to your in-laws, your older sister - someone will take her to be a small servant in his house," which is called neyunikeh (-nakhozha nyan'ka, is the Ukrainian word for babysitter, although sitter by itself is nyana, it appears that interchangeable), "your younger sister - someone will take her into his house out of compassion, and your mother will be kitchen help/cook, and everything that is in my house, I will sell it all for travel expenses." And when his household heard this, they broke out into weeping, and they cried many days, but he had no mercy on them, and he said, because/that it is not possible without this, be what may be, he will certainly travel, because most of him is already there, and the minority goes after the majority. (And he said in these words: "vehrren (when/being that) dey (the) grestey (greater) helfit (half) iz (is) shoyn (already) dort (there) etc.). And he said: "I want to travel to the land of Israel, and I know the greatness of the impediments and the obstacles that I will have on this, immeasurable nor calculable, however, as long as my soul is inside of me, as long as I have the spirit of life in my nose, I will sacrifice (moasair nafshey) my soul and I will travel with all my strength (to) there, as long as my soul is in me I will travel there, and Hashem - will do what is good in His eyes."

7. And he said: "On every single step of  the Land of Israel voyage I will have self sacrifice (meseeras nefesh)." 

And he said: "I want to travel immediately, however it may be, even without money, however, whoever wants to have mercy on me will give me money for expenses." And immediately the fellows of our fold (a.na.sh. - anshay shloamainoo) traveled to the nearby towns and collected promptly some amount, in order that he should have in any case for the expenses to travel from his house, because the trip had great urgency, and they saw that it is impossible to procrastinate him in any way or any time whatsoever. And he embarked immediately in haste (zreezoos) from his house on the 18th of Eyar (Lag BuOmer, Friday, 4 May, 1798), and secretly together with one of his men they resolved that he would travel with him together.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman