Parsha Inspired Menus - Vayigash

And so we get to the dramatic conclusion of the Joseph story with the reuniting of Joseph and his brothers and then Joseph and his father. There’s a lot of big dramatic moments, but I want to focus on two specific words that lead to some Interesting ideas. The first is after Joseph has revealed himself to his brothers and he is telling them that he wants them to go back to Jacob, his father, and tell him that Joseph is alive and well and to have the whole family come down to Eygpt where Joseph can make sure they are taken care of. As he prepares to send them, he says

וַיְשַׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־אֶחָ֖יו וַיֵּלֵ֑כוּ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם אַֽל־תִּרְגְּז֖וּ בַּדָּֽרֶךְ׃

This is often translated as:

As he sent his brothers off on their way, he told them, “Do not be quarrelsome on the way.”

But there are some discussion about the word תִּרְגְּז֖וּ. The root of the word relates to trembling or shaking. Many commentators connect that shaking and trembling to arguing and creating a disturbance among the brothers who might argue and lay blame on each other for having sold Joseph to slavery. However, Chizkuni suggest that it’s actually more about fear of being robbed of all of the wealth and cattle and things that they are bringing back to Jacob. The idea of trembling in fear made me think about how the brothers must feel as they prepare to have to tell their father of the big lie they told, saying that Joseph was dead. They now have to face the disappointment, anger, wrath, or whatever emotion Jacob has when finding out that his beloved son had been alive all this time and the other sons let him sit in the misery of thinking his son was dead.

With that shaking in mind, I’m going to recommend a homemade shake and bake chicken. Easy and tasty. Just sub out the butter for margarine in this recipe.

The second dish comes from just a little later in the story. When Jacob is told about Joseph being alive his reaction is pretty strong.

And they told him, “Joseph is still alive; yes, he is ruler over the whole land of Egypt.” His heart went numb, for he did not believe them. But when they recounted all that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

Ramban has a fascinating commentary, including his understanding of the science of the person, hearing such a shocking news that they faint…

In this verse also, ‘vayaphag’ his heart [thus means that the beat of] his heart was suspended and his breathing ceased, for the movement of the heart ceased and he was as dead. This condition is known when joy suddenly comes upon one, and it is mentioned in the books of medicines that old or feeble persons cannot withstand the shock, for many of them faint when joy comes to them very suddenly. The heart widens and opens suddenly, and its natural heat goes out and scatters throughout the outer parts of the body, and the heart thus ceases to function because of its coolness. Thus the patriarch fell as dead. Scripture says, for he believed them not, in order to relate that he remained in that condition a great part of the day, and he lay so without movement because he did not believe them.

Concerning such fainting it is known that people shout to the fainting person and accustom him to that joyful event gradually until he accepts it with a tranquil spirit. And this is the meaning of the verse, And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them, and when he saw the wagons [which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived], for they shouted into his ears the words of Joseph and brought the wagons before him. Then did his spirit return to him, and his breathing began and he was revived.

As Ramban describes it is seeing the wagons that Joseph sent that revives Jacob as he comes to believe the story. Therefore, I would say make something with wagon meals. A simple vegetable sauté mixed with wagon pasta would go very nicely with the chicken dish. Here’s one option, just don’t add the Parmesan to keep it pareve.

Shabbat Shalom & B’tayavon!