Parsha Inspired Menus - Shoftim

Our Torah continues this week with some important guidelines, rules, and information about how to run a civil society. We're into the nitty gritty of real life - disputes, war, etc. What I find particulary relatable is the ins and outs of dealing with real life - how to temper difficulties with living life to the fullest. It might be due to the mood I'm in with the topsy-turvy nature of life right now, but I find this balancing act really meaningful.

One example of this in our parsha is the ruling that a man is allowed to not go to war if he just built a house, or got married or planted a vineyard and didn't yet get a chance to enjoy it. Several commentators say that this is to prevent someone from not being fully focused on the battle as they'd be distracted by what they didn't enjoy yet, but I want to look at it in another way. Each of these items takes time to come to fruition and before you deal with the bitter, you should get to enjoy the sweet. In that vein, I suggest making something that takes a while to come to fruition, i.e. a long time to cook. Since it's summer, it's a great time for a side dish in a crock pot, so the heat doesn't warm up your whole house. Check out this Buffalo Wing Potatoes (do without cheese, if making a meat meal.)

There's also an acknowledgement that at some point, the Israelites might want a king. Of course, they have God, but an earthly leader could be helpful with the logistics of a civil society. We are given rules and limitations for the king too, an interesting departure from most of the societies both during biblical times and for centuries later when kings were all powerful and above the law. In honor of this, make Kosher Chicken A La King!

Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!