Parsha Inspired Menus - Bamidbar

There's two interesting overlaps of calendar timing this year - one is designed by the rabbis and the other is a happenstance of the secular American calendar and the Jewish calendar. The first is that we read Parshat Bamidbar on the Shabbat before Shavuot. Looking at commentators and modern Torah sites shows a lot of different reasons ascribed to this practice. The one I wanted to

focus on today is about the name Bamdibar and the setting of being in the desert. Having the Torah given in the desert sends the message that Torah can take root, survive, thrive & flourish anywhere. It was not given in the Garden of Eden or in the Promised Land. It was given to the people in a harsh environment and comes to teach us that Torah belongs anywhere we are. To emphasize this point at Shabbat dinner, try this Roasted Root Vegetable side dish.

The second interesting calendar overlap is that we read Parshat Bamidbar the same week as the American holiday of Memorial Day. Having lived in Norfolk, VA for many years, Memorial Day took on a new meaning due to a better understanding of the service and sacrifice of those who serve in our country's military. I also noted that the word דֶּ֛גֶל (flag) comes up quite a bit in the description of how the Israelites are to arrange themselves in the desert. In Parshat Bamidbar, the Torah describes the twelve tribes of Israel each having a flag, or standard, for the ancestral house. These flags, known as "flags" or "banners," served as visual cues for each tribe's encampment in the desert. So, when I was thinking of flags and realized it's also Memorial Day this week, it just seemed fitting to have a #parshainspiredmenu item that is the flag of the United States. There are a number of detailed and involved American Flag Cake recipes, but the easiest is to get a box of yellow cake, bake in a rectangular pan, then cover it in white icing and use blueberries and either strawberries or raspberries to make the desing of the corner of blue and the red stripes, similar to this design:

Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!