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Floating across the Nile river in a reed basket, a newborn baby boy is spared certain death.  In time, Moshe will move heaven and earth to bring the Jewish people out of slavery and towards the Promised Land and his name will be immortalized for eternity.  But not yet.  This parsha is about hiddenness. From being concealed by his mother Yocheved after his birth to avoid detection by Pharaoh’s midwives, to being shrouded in a basket for his safety, to running in hiding after his defense of the Hebrew slaves, to hearing the voice of Hashem from a Burning Bush, the demand for justice and righteousness doesn’t always shout, it whispers and it is up to us to reveal what is inside. Many people have the custom of marking this week’s parsha by eating Hot Dogs in a Blanket, appropriately called, Moshe Ba’Teiva (Moshe in the Ark).  I am going to recommend a healthier variation that I’ve been making for years, asparagus wrapped in dough — A perfect parsha-friendly appetizer that is destined to become a family favorite. This week we start the book of Shemot and many people have the custom of eating

Asparagus in a Blanket

Chicken Thighs with Roasted Winter Fruit

Quinoa with Fried Onions and Chestnuts

Spiced Broccoli Rabe

Coconut Panna Cotta with Lime Curd

See last years’ Shabbat menu for Shemot with Dim Sum Baskets.

The Book of Genesis is our story of creation.  As we reach Vayechi (“and he lived”) we turn from the hopeful anticipation of life that greeted us during the opening chapters of the first book, to a reflective, contemplative awareness that we are not immortal and we are judged by what we do during our brief stay on earth.  The death of Jacob and the return of his bones to the Holy Land marks the end of the lives of the patriarchs.  The death of Joseph, with the resulting vow to take his bones from Egypt to the Promised Land, ushers in an era of harsh slavery and oppression, but ultimately redemption.  This week we’ll take bones and transform our Shabbat meal into a celebration of all things meat.

Not Your Grandma

Fall Off the Bone Lamb Shanks

with Almond Couscous

Sweet Potato and Carrot Bake

Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes

For last year’s Shabbat Vayechi Menu click here.

Revealing himself to his palace guests as their long lost brother, Joseph brings together the Children of Israel.  The emotional reunion is complete when Jacob brings the rest of his family from the Holy Land to settle in Goshen.  The Jews stand out in Goshen, growing in numbers and wealth.  It is said that during the famine, Joseph sustained his father and his brothers and their entire household with bread.  I can’t think of a better way to sustain our Shabbat guests either – you’ll love this savory Butternut Squash Soup with Orange Croutons and a decadent Gingerbread Eggnog Bread Pudding Muffins for dessert.

Cranberry Chicken

Spinach and Portobello Quinoa

Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

Gingerbread Eggnog Bread Pudding

For last year’s Shabbat Vayigash Menu click here.

Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows swallowed by seven emaciated cows, and then seven fat stalks of grain swallowed by seven lean stalks of grain.  In one of Joseph’s most evocative interpretations, the forgotten prisoner predicts seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.  As we plunge deeper into the harsh cold winter, we’d better stir things up with a hearty Shabbat Mikeitz meal sporting a variety of wild grains and a big, fat juicy steak.

Warm Kamut Salad with Caramelized Squash and Cranberry Fig Chutney

Roasted Broccoli

The Reliable Roast

Wild Rice Pancakes

Chanukah Donuts

For last year’s Shabbat Mikeitz menu click here.