Parsha Inspired Menus - Behar-Behukotai

I've said it before and I'll say it again...some weeks the #parshainspiredmenus ideas are really direct lines to ideas in the parsha and sometimes I go a more circuitous route. This week, admittedly, it's circuitous. In Behar, there's a lot of talk about the shmeitah year (every 7th year) and the Yovel (the 50th year). The Yovel, or Jubilee, is particularly special, coming on the 50th year in the cycle when, like the shemitah year, the land rests, but also land returns to it's original owner, and slaves are freed - how this actually worked in reality, we're not quite sure, but let's take it at its word - for this year :) Overall, the idea is to remind everyone that whatever they have is because of God and ultimately it all belongs to God. I found it interesting to note when the Yovel is proclaimed.

Then you shall sound the horn loud; in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month—the Day of Atonement—you shall have the horn sounded throughout your land

and you shall hallow the fiftieth year. You shall proclaim release throughout the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: each of you shall return to your holding and each of you shall return to your family.

I had to ask, why proclaim it on Yom Kippur...so I did ask my rabbi (aka my husband) and he shared that some see it as both being times of starting a new, a clean slate, or going back to square one. I like this idea for the Yovel, but even more for Yom Kippur because it gives me a new way to think about the Day of Atonement. So, to share this idea with our Shabbat dinner guests, I've decided that desserts will be Jam Squares (for square one.) This recipe (below) is yummy and a great way to use up jam (it calls for Apricot, but you can sub in any kind of jam.)

As we head into Behukotai, there's talk about the value of pledges made to God, what to do if you want to redeem it back from God, and the mitzvah of tithing. Twice in the parsha it makes sure to mention that once something is set aside for God you can't switch it out. One might assume this is a rule to make sure someone doesn't get stingy and try to switch out a good item for a less good one, but here's where it gets interesting:

One may not exchange or substitute another for it, either good for bad, or bad for good; if one does substitute one animal for another, the thing vowed and its substitute shall both be holy.

(Leviticus 27:10 )

The idea that you also can't sub out a bad item and replace it with a better comes to teach that it's not about the quality of the item itself, but rather about what has been proclaimed and set aside for God. This ties in with the theme of the Yovel too. What is God's has a special status and must be treated in a special way. Since we don't tithe our agriculture and herds now, what this could mean for us might be about time or resources we devote to God - perhaps it's being meticulous

The OG sour cream substitute in my house.

with our tzedakah giving or how we give our time to important causes. To highlight the "no subsitutions" rule, I'm making something that specifcially uses substitutions, where I'm making the substitutions so that our meal will meet kashurt rules, so it's with God in mind. I'm making this Savory Mushroom and Onion Kugel with plant-based sour cream to go with our meat Shabbat dinner. Recipe below.

Jam Bars (Spice and Spirit Cookbook)

Ingredients

• 3/4c. Margarine, softened

• 3/4c. brown sugar

• 1.5c flour

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 T baking powder

• 1.5c rolled oats

• Optional: 1/2 cup chopped almonds

• 1.5c jam

  
  

Directions:

1. Preheat & Prep: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan

2. Cream margarine and sugar. Add remaining ingredients except for jam and mix well.

3. Pat 3/4 of the dough into bottom of baking pan.

4. Spread jam evenly over top of dough. Crumble remaining dough over jam.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool in pan, then cut into 2 inch squares.

Savory Mushroom & Onion Noodle Bake (Dairy-Free Friendly)

Ingredients (serves 6–8):

• 12 oz egg noodles

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced

• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced

• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced

• Salt + black pepper

• 1 tsp dried thyme (or fresh if you have it)

• 1 cup sour cream (or non-dairy sour cream)

• 2 eggs

• ½ cup broth (veg or chicken)

Directions:

1. Cook noodles. Boil until just al dente. Drain.

2. Sauté onions in olive oil until deeply golden (don’t rush this). Add mushrooms and cook until they release and reabsorb their liquid. Stir in garlic, thyme, salt, pepper

3. In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream (or non-dairy), eggs, and broth.

4. Fold noodles and sautéed onion and mushrooms into the creamy base.

5. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 375°F for ~35–40 minutes until set and lightly golden.