Parsha Inspired Menus - Pinchas

We read from pasukim that are in Parsha Pinchas A LOT! In this week's parsha, we find the passages that also get read on the Shalosh Regalim (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot) and the passages read on Rosh Chodesh. It's the list of the sacrifices that should be brought on each of these special days. I may have mentioned this before, but the Rosh Chodesh torah reading the first one I

really learned (not memorized.) It's also one I've taught to our boys and I felt immensely proud when I heard that Rosh Chodesh Torah readers were needed for a shiva house and our son volunteered. Since I feel a special connection to this part of our parsha, I want to highlight it in this week's #parshainspiredmenus. In doing a little research into Rosh Chodesh foods, I found the following tidbit of information. The author of Sefer Yirei’im writes, “One is obligated to rejoice on Rosh Chodesh,” it is a question of whether someone is required to have a special feast with bread and the answer is that the author gives is that one is not obligated to eat bread at the meal because one can satisfy the requirement of joy by eating meat and drinking wine. So, let's be joyful with this Wine Marinated Flank Steak. Grilled steak can be hard for Shabbat, but in the summer with Shabbat starting so late, I find it makes it doable.

For the second dish, I was drawn to the list of lineage and census, particularly to:

בְּנֵ֣י אָשֵׁר֮ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם֒ לְיִמְנָ֗ה מִשְׁפַּ֙חַת֙ הַיִּמְנָ֔ה לְיִשְׁוִ֕י מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַיִּשְׁוִ֑י לִבְרִיעָ֕ה מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַבְּרִיעִֽי׃

Descendants of Asher by their clans: Of Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the clan of the Beriites

לִבְנֵ֣י בְרִיעָ֔ה לְחֶ֕בֶר מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַֽחֶבְרִ֑י לְמַ֨לְכִּיאֵ֔ל מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַמַּלְכִּיאֵלִֽי׃

Of the descendants of Beriah: Of Heber, the clan of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the clan of the Malchielites.

וְשֵׁ֥ם בַּת־אָשֵׁ֖ר שָֽׂרַח׃

The name of Asher’s daughter was Serah.

There's Serah again. She was also mentinoed in the list of people who went down to Eygpt and here she is again in the list of people who came OUT of Eygpt. That is a long life and there is no other real mention of her, which draws the rabbis attention because women are not usually mentioned. So there are many, many midrashim about what Serah did. This article has a good summary of them. Because of her long life, several of the midrashim rely on her memory, but the first one is the most telling of her character. In Midrash HaGadol (14th century), a Yemenite midrashic collection that incorporates many earlier traditions, tells the story that when the brothers learned Joseph was alive they didn't feel like they could tell Jacob directly:

[The brothers said], “If we tell him right away, ‘Joseph is alive!’ perhaps he will have a stroke [lit., his soul will fly away].”

What did they do? They said to Serah, daughter of Asher, “Tell our father Jacob that Joseph is alive and he is in Egypt.”

What did she do? She waited till he was standing in prayer. And she said in a tone of wonder:“Joseph is in Egypt/ There have been born on his knees/ Menasseh and Ephraim”

Another Midrash, in the Sefer Hayashar, connects this moment of helping Jacob come to terms with this big news with Serah's long life:

She took her lyre and sang to the elderly Jacob, “Od Yosef hai—Joseph still lives” Jacob rewarded his granddaughter for being the bearer of such good tidings. He blessed her and rewarded her with the promise that she might live forever.

These brothers turned to one of Jacob's granddaughters to relay the information. There is a trust

that she will do so in a way that is empathetic and builds off a relationship of trust she already has with Jacob and Jacob rewards her, explaining how she appears in later parts of the Torah. This combination of midrashim tie it all together and gives a great meaning to the inclusion of Serah in these lists. To repesent this, I wanted something to portray Serah's song to Jacob, so I figure the spaghetti squash in this Roasted Garlic and Kale Spaghetti Squash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes could represent the lyre strings.

Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!