This parsha is filled with (sometimes very detailed) laws and rules to help the Israelites create a society. Coming out of slavery they had to establish their own new model of living together. So many of the laws relate to being in community and what how to resolve issues when things don't go perfectly smoothly, such as you give me something to keep and it gets stolen from my house or my cow grazes in your field and leaves it bare.
One of these rules is a part of a class I teach called "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in Judaism." The pasuk says "מְכַשֵּׁפָ֖ה לֹ֥א תְחַיֶּֽה, A sorceress you are not to let live!" (Shemot 22:17) In the class we discuss how this pasuk assumes there are or will be sorceresses around in society. There is a lot more magic in the Torah and Talmud than you might think, but that's a blog post for another time, but it's perfect discussion fodder for the Shabbas table and so I will be making a Witches Brew Soup (https://www.paint-me-pink.com/witches-brew-green-pea-soup/#recipe) complete with disturbingly green color and "skull" mushrooms.
The other part of our parsha inspired menu is covering two elements of the parsha at once. In this parsha is the pretty famous saying "נַעֲשֶׂ֥ה וְנִשְׁמָֽע" Na'ase v'Neshma.
וַיִּקַּח֙ סֵ֣פֶר הַבְּרִ֔ית וַיִּקְרָ֖א בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה נַעֲשֶׂ֥ה וְנִשְׁמָֽע
He then took the Book of the Covenant, and read it in the ears of the people. They said, “All that Adonai has spoken, we will do and we will listen.”
The Jewish people says we will do and we will listen and the order of this seems kind of mixed-up.
How can you do before listening? In fact, most commentators turn this into a positive - the Israelites were so eager to accept God's commands that they agree to act before even listening to the full extent. Rashbam (a French commentator from ~1100) found a way to have it still be in a reasonable order by adding words...“We will do [what we have already been commanded until now] and we will obey [all future commands].” Other commentators say the second word gives strength to the first word, so it would be translated as "we will faithfully do." For a little fun and to bring attention to this interesting language order, I say mix up Shabbat dinner and EAT DESSERT FIRST!
You can do that with any dessert, but I have a suggested dessert - angel food cake. The parsha speaks of an angel who God appointed to guard Israel on their way telling Moshe that it was time to ascend the mountain. There is also a mention of the consequence that if the people don't follow God's commandments, the people will lose the privilege of God directly leading the people, but God will send an angel to guard and lead the people. This made me think of the tradition of angels accompanying people home on Friday nights and singing Shalom Aleichem to the angels "Shalom aleichem, malachei ha-sharet, malachei elyon/May peace be upon you, angels of service, angels of the most high", so for all these angels and the mixed up order, it's angel food cake for appetizers! https://bakefromscratch.com/angel-food-cake/
Shabbat Shalom and B'Tayavon!
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