In this parsha we will read the Aseret HaDibrot, usually translated as Ten Commandments, though 10 Utterances is more accurate. I find it very interesting that the parsha itself is named after Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law and priest of Midian. The parsha that contains this significant moment of connection between God and the Jewish People is named after someone who is not Jewish. But he is an ally. And right now, I feel a strong connection to lifting up and honoring our allies. So, I want to honor Yitro with this week's menu and at our Shabbat mincha learning session, I learned that the Druze people, a non-Jewish minority group within Israel, identify as
descendants of Yitro and view him as their chief prophet. Having been persecuted in other lands, the Druze community has a strong connection to the State of Israel including serving in the IDF. So, I searched for some typical Druze food and found that it's a lot like other middle eastern traditional foods. For this week, I picked, Mujadara as the side dish recipe to represent the Druze people and Yitro. I chose this particular dish because I just got to enjoy some mujadara while traveling in Israel this past week. It was part of the lunch we had at the new Hadassah rehabilitation hospital as we ate and spoke with the soldiers and police officers receiving treatment there. The conversations were strengthening and the carmelized onions were delicious (and I learned how to say caramelized in Hebrew - מקורמל) Recipe: https://littlesunnykitchen.com/mujaddara/
To give credit where credit is due, our youngest son helped come up with the idea for the appetizer - BBQ chicken wings. Why? He wanted something to emphasize wings since God instructs Moshe to remind the people, as a preamble to the giving of the Aseret HaDibrot,
‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me."
As our son said, "we can't eat eagles' wings, but we can eat chicken wings." So, there you go.
Finally, I was struck by the mention that "On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai." (Shemot 19:1) This made me think of two things.
1) That God made them do a longer route to give them time to process their change in status and see and experience God's newly active role in their lives *before* giving them the Torah. I think this reminds us of the importance of preparation when big changes are coming, to get in the right headspace to ensure the most successful change.
2) At first glance the numbers didn't work for me. 3 months is longer than 49 days (the counting of the omer from 2nd day of Pesach, the Exodus, until Shavuot, the holiday of giving the Torah.) After some digging I realized that if you count Nisan as month 1, Iyar as month 2, and Sivan as month 3, then the Israelites arrive in Sinai on the first day of Sivan and then several events occurred, taking a total of at least three days, but perhaps more, before the Torah was given. The math could work out to the 6th of Sivan.
In honor of all this moon talk, I would make Grandma Shirley's Crescent Cookies for dessert.
Recipe below. (Grandma Shirley is my husband's maternal grandmother who went on a cooking spree in her later years and whenever you went to visit she had something in the freezer for you to take home. Apple Cake, cookies, etc.)
Shabbat Shalom and B'Tayavon
Grandma Shirley's Crescent Cookies
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. plant butter
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp water
2 c. flour
1/2 chopped walnuts
confectioners sugar
Cream shortening, plant butter, and sugar.
Mix in water and vanilla
Cut in flour
Add nuts
Chill for 3-4 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350
Form into crescents with your hands and put on ungreased cookie sheet
Bake for ~15 mins. Do not brown.
When cooled, sprinkle liberally with confectioners sugar
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