Emor and rectangles - an immediate connection, no? Well, it might not be the first thing that jumps to mind when you read or interpret Emor, but as I tried to find an interesting element of the parsha to explore through food, I first thought of the instructions regarding the corners of the field. In the midst of the descriptions of the holidays, we are reminded that when harvesting the fields that the Israelites will have in the Land of Israel, they are not to harvest all the way to the edge of field nor gather the gleanings of the harvest. Rather, they are to leave those for the poor and the stranger to collect. Now, this rule was previously noted in Kedoshim, just one parsha ago, so why the repetition and why in the middle of the discussion of the holidays, specifically the omer?
One interpretation I read that I really liked was from Rabbi Josh Berkenwald. Both the omer and the rule about leaving the edges of the field are in the time of the harvest. The Omer dedicates a part of the harvest bounty to God and the leftover edges dedicate a part of the harvest bounty to those who are in need. These come together to teach us "that the mitzvah of gathering the first of the crop as a presentation to God does not override the requirement to leave the corners of the field untrimmed for the poor and the strangers. Put another way, the ritual obligation does not take precedence over the moral obligation."
This speaks to me because it reminds us that in addition to the devotion and energy we put towards our religious life and practice, we still have to make the time and space to give our devotion and energy to the practical improvement of life around us. So, my first menu dish is dessert. I'll be making brownies (rectangle #1), with an icing decision to separate the edges of the "field." We'll probably still eat it all!
As I just alluded to, the Omer offering is also mentioned in this parsha.
So, for item number two (rectangle #2) I decided to make something that looks like an omer counter, a 7x7 set. I decided to make a vegetable kugel (trying a new recipe....it looks pretty and smells good so here's hoping!) and placed 49 carrot coins in 7 rows of 7 to represent the counting of the omer (as I type this we are in the 29th day.)
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