Leek Croquettes from Rhodes

Nicknamed the People of the Book, Jews since ancient times have thrived on inventive word play, coaxing enough meaning from words and numbers to poach old Humpty Dumpty with envy.

Rosh Hashanah, for instance, celebrates the pun in the prayers recited at the evening meal over many of the symbolic foods. On this solemn holiday, blessings in Hebrew and the many languages of the Diaspora reflect a rather humorous tickling of words. Who cannot see the twinkling in the eyes of the sages a