HOW TO HERRING

Most Exotic

Herring Flavors

By: Jeremy Urbach

Throughout my journey of tasting and reviewing Klal Yisroel’s herring, I have come across many unusual flavors. While most herring products are similar, there is a large sea of herring out there with some unique hidden gems.

MJeremy Urbach is a contributor for Mochers Magazine. If you want to see his reviews of all these wonderful herrings you can find him on Instagram @gishmak.herring and on Youtube (Gishmak Herring).

1Creamy Red Onion Beets Matjes Herring

This herring from Yosef Mokir Shabbos is perhaps one of the most unique herring flavors I’ve tried. It also has a beautiful purple color, and I would go as far as saying that it is the most beautiful looking herring product on the market.

2Wasabi Creamy Herring

If you are a wasabi fan, you will enjoy this sweet and spicy herring. This product has a strong wasabi taste but is humbled by the sweetness of the fish. I highly recommend this product from Bubby’s NY bagels in Toronto.

3Anything with Za’atar

Who would’ve thought that herring and za’atar would go so well together? The combination might be the most controversial Sephardi/Ashkenazi clash of all time. Politics aside, za’atar gives any herring a nice Middle Eastern twist that earns it a spot at your kiddush. Some brands that carry za’atar herrings are Yosef Mokir Shabbos and The Rebbe’s Choice.

4Honey Mustard

Herrings

While they are not the most rare, honey mustard herrings are certainly some of the tastiest. First of all, who doesn’t like honey mustard? Combine that delicious flavor with the savory brilliance of herring and you have a match that could have been made in heaven. Honey mustard or mustard flavored herrings can be found in most major herring stores.

5Onion-Heavy Herrings Onion-heavy herrings are also another exciting flavor to try. While most herring come packed with onions, there are certain flavors that go above and beyond, with an overabundance of onions that allows for a more crunchy and fresh herring experience.

RELIGION

AND MENTAL HEALTH

By: Benson Fox

Many believe that religion should be left out of the mental health discourse, as some may see strict religious observance as costly to one’s mental hygiene. Religion is all too often brought into the conversation about mental health for negative reasons, whether as a scapegoat for excessive shame, as a “bias” of the therapist, to point to excessive rigidity to beliefs believed by some to be harmful stigmas, as context for persecution or trauma, or the source used to justify or cover-up abuse, neglect, or supremacy.

There is a growing unanimous recognition from modern-day authorities in therapy, coaching, and the most popular and prestigious self-help authors that real wellness and happiness combine spiritual and psychological healthiness and growth. It’s way overdue for us to be knowledgeable and have pride in how our religious practices, attitudes, and beliefs contribute to our mental health and wellness, which is corroborated by a plethora of evidence. Let’s discuss many ways our religious observances provide robust resilience and wellness.

Judaism contributes to mental health in many cognitive and characterological ways, including crafting a narrative that adds meaning and context to suffering, reducing loneliness due to our constant connection to our Creator, enhancing a commitment to honesty and reality, building a sense of fulfillment and purpose, and internalizing the unconditional value of every life no matter their contribution to society due to our soul’s Divine spark.

Judaism is also uniquely beneficial for the structure it provides us that we may take for granted. This structure includes davening three times a day, setting aside daily time to study Torah and works made up of nuanced ethical teachings, morning routine of washing hands and gratitude of Modeh Ani, weekly Shabbos practices, and a nightly routine of saying Hamapil and staying quiet until one falls asleep. Structure is complemented with individual expression, maintaining flexibility in one’s focus within the framework. Quality relationships and a sense of interrelatedness and community are strongly supported in the research as well. Judaism promotes this through shul attendance, social events (Simchot), unconditional love for strangers, judging your fellow man favorably, charity, and other acts of kindness. Also, interpersonal harmony, especially in the home, is considered paramount, waiving other prohibitions such as lying.

Gratitude, another evidence-based wellness factor, is practiced through honoring one’s parents, among other commandments rooted in it, and daily affirmations built into the prayers. Judaism also makes room for processing negative emotions with periods of mourning and introspection built into the calendar and activated by specific antecedent events. It forbids jealousy, baseless hatred, and other conventional sources of negativity in our relationships and life.

This breakdown is just a minor, surface sampling of Judaism’s protective factors but enough to understand that Judaism and mental health aren’t two different dimensions, but irrevocably intertwined.

Let’s embrace our traditions and heritage with the pride and confidence that they were not created solely for a good outcome in the World to Come but were also designed as an ideal, balanced lifestyle that incorporates the well-being of the mind, body, and soul.

MBenson Fox practices as a certified transformation coach and specializes in helping Jewish men achieve higher levels of balance, joy, and confidence. He is a Psychology major and a Psychology Doctoral student at Adelphi University. He runs the 500 member Facebook group: Jewish Men for Joy, Balance, and Growth. Go to coachbensonfox.com or results@coachbensonfox.com for a free consultation.