Midway to Mayflower

Some parashot are combined (Acharei mott/kedoshim; Tazria/Metzora; Behar/Bekhukotai). Some parashot end suddenly and it seems as if they should have gone on for another chapter or two (I've already talked about how the plagues are divided between two parashot).

Emor introduces a new twist. The first half of the parasha deals with who (and what) is not allowed to come before G-d. All kinds of unsavory disabilities and weird sounding deformities are listed. At times one is not sure if one is reading about the law or about medicine.

The second half, though, more than makes up for it. Oh, what a happy reading it is. G-d is ordering us to have holidays. Seriously, who ever heard of such a thing in the ancient world? Not only does the Almighty hands us a bunch of days of "No work to be done", He is making it a heavenly decree. So there is no way you can get out of..."No work to be done".

It is (in case you haven't figured it out) a list of all the Jewish holidays G-d orders us to celebrate. Now, here are two quick questions:

1. Which holiday is listed first?

2. Which holiday/s are not there at all?

For the second question - go check it for yourself (Leviticus 23). Most people refuse to believe me when I tell them the answer.

The answer to the first question may surprise you, too. The first holiday G-d speaks about, the one that must be the most important to Him (as in:  "First of all, I want you to..."), is Shabbat.

Really. Before Yom Kippur. Before Rosh Hashana. Even before Pesach (which, based on the number of times the Torah says "who has taken you out of Egypt" seems to be the most important of all). Shabbat is above all the other holidays. Good thing the Shabbat is usually depicted as a woman ("Queen", "Bride"). Heaven forbid someone would have put a male-metaphor as "most important". We never would have heard the end of that one.

Anyhow. What I find really interesting is the place where the two parts of the parasha (so seemingly clashing with each other) meet. After listing all kinds of rejected sacrifices, in meticulous detail, the chapter (22) ends with talking about a Thanksgiving sacrifice, about which no list of defects is given, just the somewhat cryptic "that it may be acceptable in your favor". Then we are reminded to be holy, to keep G-d's commandments and that He is the one who took us out of Egypt (told you). The next verse plunges straight into holidays, while we are still trying to figure out how to make the Thanksgiving sacrifice "acceptable in our favor". Hmm.

Is it at all possible that the Torah is trying to say something here about thanksgiving and holidays?

When we first came to America, we were invited to my mother's cousin's Hadassa's house for Thanksgiving. I didn't know much about the holiday but I knew it wasn't a Jewish one. So I asked why she, an observant Jew, celebrates this 'goyishe' holiday. She said Thanksgiving is about being grateful to G-d and it is always a good time for that. I ate my turkey and cranberry sauce and thought about it. She was right.

Why wait until November? You heard about 'half-birthdays'? I say we celebrate "Halfway-to-Thanksgiving". It's been almost six months since my favorite secular holiday and I don't want to wait another six months for it. Besides, I've spent enough at Shoprite before Pesach that they gave me a frozen Empire turkey for next to nothing and it is taking up too much space in my freezer. It will soon be too warm to cook a whole turkey. If not now, when?

And alongside the bird, I will serve my "Everything but the turkey" Thanksgiving salad.

"Everything but the turkey" Thanksgiving salad

8-10 cups Mixed baby greens

1 cup Butternut squash, peeled and cubed (1/2 inch cubes)

1/2 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

1/2 cup toasted pecans (or you can use sugared ones)

1/2 cup Corn nuts (spicy or plain)

1/2 cup Baby Lima beans (cooked)

1 Tbs plus 1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbs maple syrup

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss squash cubes with 1 Tbs oil and spread on a baking sheet. Roast at 425F for about 25-30 minutes until tender firm. Let cool.

2. Whisk together remaining 1/3 cup of oil and the next 4 ingredients.

3. Mix the rest of the ingredients and add dressing. Gently toss.

Serves 8.

Note: dressing ingredients' amounts can be increased or decreased according to personal preferences.