With 7 of the 10 plagues in this parsha, there's a lot of memorable and exciting content. We couldn't do #parshainspiredmenus without something that highlights these plagues. This year, I

decided to just start at the beginning - Plague #1 - the Nile river turning to blood. There are so many commentaries and explanations about this plague, from the spiritual (such as God's plagues being a direct repudiation of the major Eygptian gods) to the economic (such as hitting the Nile is a particularly powerful image since the Nile's floods are the source of Eygpt's agricultural strength) to the scientific (such as algae bloom). Which one speaks to you?
To highlight the Nile river turning to blood, let's go with another red liquid - Roasted Tomato Soup.
Now, for the second dish I'm about to suggest a totally different take. For 11 pasukim, right in the heart of the narrative (God has just told Moshe to go to Pharoah and deliver the Israelites to freedom and Moshe will soon do that), there's a pause to give the listing of "the heads of the clans." As usual, it begins with Reuben (the oldest), then Simeon and Levi (following age order.) Levi's clan gets a layered description with Levi's sons, then their sons, and even mentions a few wives and the great-grandsons of Levi and then...no more clan heads. The Torah story just moves on...Why this omission?
One reason could be that in this lineage of Levi, we get to the family that includes Moshe and Aaron and that gets us the "back story" that brings us the ancestry of these two main characters at the heart of the story. So, once we've gotten to these characters, no further genealogy is required.
I found another commentary that I thought was particularly interesting though...Rashbam on Shemos 6:14 explains that (according to Mehilta) this section provides only the genealogies of those three tribes that Jacob had censured before he died in order to teach us that those tribes are still important. I like this commentary because it explains not only why Levi is there, but the others too and it gives a redemption for the descendents of the sons who were rebuked by Jacob. There is always an opportunity to change the course of the story, regardless of the path your parents took. So, what to make to highlight this section? After much deliberation, I decided to focus on the fact that it's only 3 of 12 tribes that get mentioned. So I found two dessert recipes that only need 3 ingredients - 3 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Mousse or 3 Ingredient Shortbread Cookie. Make one or the other or both!


Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!
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