Parsha Inspired Menus - Re'eh

When we lived in Norfolk we knew a LOT of people who serve in the US Navy. It was a real priviledge and honor to be part of that community and I came to better understand the level of commitment and sacrifice made by the men and women who serve. I also came to understand the level of commitment and sacrifice made by their families. Deployments, PCS (permanent change of station - aka moving) across the country or the world, packing and unpacking and losing and breaking things in the move, uncertainty about where you will go next, fear for the loved one's safety, having to manage without one parent for chunks of time, and other issues all impacted the spouse/partner/children/pets. This is what I thought of when I considered these pasukim:

When you cross the Jordan and settle in the land that the ETERNAL your God is allotting to you, and you are granted safety from all your enemies around you and you live in security, then you must bring everything that I command you to the site where the ETERNAL your God will choose to establish the divine name: your burnt offerings and other sacrifices, your tithes and contributions, and all the choice votive offerings that you vow to GOD.

And you shall rejoice before the ETERNAL your God with your sons and daughters and with your male and female slaves, along with the Levite in your settlements, for he has no territorial allotment among you.

In summary, when you've accomplished the goal of settling Israel and establishing the place to worship God, you are to celebrate with an extensive and inclusive list. It would

not necessarily be assumed to include children (especially daughters) or slaves. In considering why God wanted to make sure everyone was included, I realized that whether or not all of these people were part of the actual battles, they were all part of the effort. They were all in the desert, they supported those who did the fighting, they managed without them, and they should be included in the celebration. When it comes time to celebrate the accomplishments, it's important that everyone who "served" is recognized. My son helped me think of a dish that represents this idea of including everyone - a dish that makes all the parts of the meal at once, together. Try this Greek Sheet-Pan Chicken.

For our second dish, I want to focus on an element that feels very harsh, but we can't just ignore things that are challenging. Our parsha tells us that if someone (a prophet or dream-diviner) tries to draw the Israelites away from God to worship another God, that prophet or dream-diviner should be put to death. Even if it is " your brother, your own mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your closest friend." In fact, then the Torah says "Let your hand be the first to put them to death, followed by the hand of the rest of the people. Stone them to death for having sought to make you stray from the ETERNAL your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

I believe that at the time there was a real fear of the fragility of the Israelites and their liklihood to be led astray. They needed to build a resiliency and loyalty to God and this

harsh punishment reflects God's concern. But what can we learn from it now (as we're certainly not stoning anyone?) Perhaps it is a warning to ourselves to put in place strong guardrails to keep us true to our moral core. What do we need to do to disuade

ourselves from making poor choices? With this stoning punishment in mind, try a delicioius summer stone fruit recipe - Apricot and Peach Crumb Pie (sub plant butter, if meat meal)

Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!