Little things

"Don't sweat the small stuff" says a popular opinion. This week's parasha seems to disagree. The whole parasha is about what might be considered "small stuff". Most religions deal with "Big stuff": G-d (or gods) and man's relationship with Him, what man owes G-d, what G-d does for man, how to please G-d, how to not incur His wrath and so on. There are, to be sure, rules about how to treat your fellow man, but on the whole they are general rules: Be kind to each other, be fair, make sure others also follow the rules (hence every bad thing that any religion ever led people into.) But mostly religion is supposed to be (says popular opinion) about G-d.

Judaism certainly deals with the relationship between G-d and humans. Most of Leviticus is about it. But then come parashot like this week's and make us re-think our "popular opinion."

Moshe, (who, remember, is trying to cram a whole life-time's worth of advice into one speech) is listing a bunch of rules that don't seem to have much in common. They cover subjects as diverse as misbehaving kids, adultery, loan-sharking, agricultural practices and nesting birds, to name a few.

Upon close reading, though, it is very clear that they all have one thing in common. They all instruct the Israelites to be considerate of each other in ways that most ancient cultures (and many cultures today) never even thought of. It goes beyond "give charity" to "protect the poor person's dignity". Beyond "protect the weak" to "seek justice for the weak who have not been properly protected". This is a much higher level of social justice. It is a plan for developing a social conscience.  And it is all about seemingly little things, small stuff, details (where, popular opinion says, G-d is.)

We sometimes take our society's morals for granted. We tend to forget that most human societies (past and present) are quite worthless when it comes to how they treat their weakest members. Ki Tetze comes to remind us that our Torah was worried about our behavior as a group, as well as our behavior as individuals, towards those who will offer little or no reward if we treat them well. Human nature being what it is, G-d figured out He'd better make it a law to take care of the weak. Not everyone has a social conscience.

Last week I went shopping with my daughter. She refused to go to the first store I suggested, claiming it doesn't treat its workers right. We ended up at a different store, with less variety and higher prices but we felt really good about ourselves.

It's the little things that count. By all means, do sweat the small stuff.

Like, what to do with leftover challah. It's not brain surgery and it won't solve global warming. It's small stuff (I mean, how much challah do you really have leftover?) but it teaches your kids to not throw out food (when so many people go hungry) and maybe they will then be saved from being "wayward and rebellious" (D'varim 21:20) and it will make you feel good all over (hey, healthy comfort food? what can be better?)

Yellow squash bake

(With thanks to the magazine Vegetarian Times, which saves me a lot of grief and headaches)

3 Tbs butter

1 1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs (that's where your leftover challah comes in, tear it up and toss in the food processor, pulse until you have nice fat crumbs and proceed)

2 Tbs finely chopped parsley

1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)

1/2 Lb yellow crookneck squash, diced (2 cups)

3 cups cherry tomatoes (I actually prefer grape tomatoes, but even a regular tomato, diced, works well)

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp)

1/2 cup grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese (I used Parmesan with great success, too)

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat butter in skillet over medium heat until melted. Pour 2 Tbs butter over breadcrumbs in a bowl. Stir in parsley.

Return skillet to burner and increase heat to medium-high. Add onion and cook 7-9 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Stir in squash and cook 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic and cook 2 minutes more, or until tomatoes are warmed through. Season with salt, if desired.

Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. Spread breadcrumbs mixture over cheese.

Bake 30-35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Serve hot.

Serves 4

I keep forgetting

We were away recently. Family vacation. One of the perks was having enough time to watch TV idly. So I got sucked into "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince". Which led, when we came back, to wanting to re-read "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". So I endangered my life by going into my oldest child's room to search for it. Found it, too. On the lower shelf of the special bookcase devoted to her most cherished treasures: all seven Harry Potter books and her bible. My younger daughter, on the other hand, keeps her bible on the shelf that holds all the other books she considers essential for making life better. I keep mine next to my bed. Hubby keeps his in his office. 

Why does each of us have a bible that we keep nearby? Why, it says so right in this week's parasha: D'varim chapter 17, verses 18-20, says that the first thing a king must do is write a Torah (two Torahs, according to many commentators) and keep it near enough to read it all the time so that he will not become too haughty. Ramban said that one of these scrolls is to be next to the king at all times (for studying) and the other should be placed in the treasury so that when the king looks at his treasures, he will see the Torah and remember that he is not exempt from its rules even if he is king. Wish it worked that way for husbands and teenagers, too, don't you?

We're all human, kings and paupers alike. And as such, we're all frail. We usually don't remember the most important things (I know my memory is spotty at best.) So we tie a knot around our finger to remind us of what needs to be remembered. Or we write a note to ourselves (and then can't remember where we put the note...) In short, we need memory aides. And, being human, our best sense is our sight (until that starts to go, too, along with memory, muscle tone and the ability to enjoy Mexican food.) 

We all use (since most of us desperately need) visual aides to joggle our memory. That's why there is a tzitzit on the tallit, that's why there's a mezuzah at the door, that's why there is a whole bunch of (seemingly) pointless food stuffs on the Seder plate and that's why we have a bible in every room. We need visual aides. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we forget. 

We forget all kinds of things. Some more important than others.

You know how you rummage around in the freezer and suddenly come upon something you froze months ago? And promptly forgot all about it? 

I found a zip-top bag with 4 bone-in chicken breasts in it while checking to see how many bags of pancakes I have left. I also found, at the bottom of the veggie drawer, 4 limes I bought a month ago and never got around to using. And I found a great price on some excellent quality cilantro at Shoprite. All of which reminded me that I'm supposed to be creative in the kitchen and that Shabbat is coming and we hadn't had a good chicken meal in a while.

So here it is. Chicken, fit for a king.

Chicken with lime and cilantro

4 bone-in half breasts of chicken

Juice of 3 large, ripe limes

1 cup cilantro* leaves, chopped

1 Tbs honey

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large, zip-top bag (or a shallow, large baking dish), mix everything except the chicken. 

Using a sharp knife, make 2 or 3 small slits in each chicken breast.

Add chicken to the bag (or dish) and move it around so it is all coated with the sauce. There will not be a lot of sauce but really work it in. That's why I like the zip-top bag; you can close it and massage the chicken through it. If you're using a dish, just turn the chicken over and over until it's covered in leaves.

Put it in the fridge for an hour or two, turning every 30 minutes or so (more, if you remember to do it...)

Bake at 450F for 30-40 minutes or until juices run clear when meat is pierced. We bbq'd it (don't you just love how Shabbat comes late enough in the summer that you can have a bbq dinner on Friday?), which makes it nicely browned at the edges but baking is fine, too. Just use high heat and short cook time so it doesn't dry. 

If you want to use the sauce, pour it into a small saucepan and bring to a boil (or microwave it). You can thicken with a bit of flour, if you wish. Let it boil for 3-5 minutes, but watch it carefully, there really isn't enough liquid there to let it boil too long.

Sevres 4-6  and make sure to serve it with something that contains mango in it (salad, perhaps?) for the contrast in flavors.

*My friend Gail is one of those unfortunate people who cannot eat cilantro (luckily, she is fortunate in other things, so it evens out.) Usually, I'd suggest a substitute but in this case only cilantro will do. Sorry, Gail.

A matter of choice

"Look (re'eh)", said G-d "I am giving you a choice: blessing or curse, life or death, good or evil. Choose well."

Centuries later, J.K. Rowling repeated that sentiment when she had Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry explain to Harry Potter "It is our choices, Harry, that shape what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

We can choose to obey G-d or ignore His commandments. We can choose to be nice to our family or nasty to everyone around us. We can choose to give tzedaka or turn our back on the needy. We can choose... oh, everything and anything. Everything we do, every moment, every decision, it's all about choice. And G-d has given us that gift. The freedom to choose. 

What happens in real life, though, is that most people love that freedom of choice and then forget the next part: The consequences. Because no matter what your choice is (and no matter what the issue is), there are always consequences. Always.

So G-d, in His infinite love for us, is trying to make it easier by providing hints and clues to serve as reminders. Naturally, there are the actual laws, spelled out more or less clearly, but He also provides memory aides. 

Like the eating of meat. Much of this week's parasha deals with meat. That which is to be sacrificed and that which is to be eaten. Eating meat is a choice. We don't actually have to do it. We eat meat because we like it and it tastes good. Or we don't eat meat because we don't like it or we think it's wrong.

The Torah provides guidelines for meat eating. You can only eat meat that has been properly slaughtered by the priests as part of a sacrificial ceremony. That was fine in the desert when everyone had easy access to a priest and the altar. What will happen when they enter the land? (remember, D'varim is all about getting ready to enter the land.) Eventually, there will be a central place of worship and there will be a problem in reaching a priest every time you want a piece of brisket. While Israel is not all that big, it is big enough that you can't possibly travel to Jerusalem whenever you crave fried chicken.

So the new rule is that you can slaughter and eat meat anywhere you want but if the meat is meant as a sacrifice, you can only slaughter and eat it at the central place of worship. Fair enough.

Of course, not every animal is allowed as food. And not every part of an animal. And you still have to slaughter it in a certain way. And prep it in a certain way. And we haven't even talked about draining and discarding the blood yet.

What's with all these restrictions? What is the Torah trying to say? In chapter 12, verse 20, the Torah mentions meat eating as an urge. Using a similar Hebrew word (ta'ava) as is used for sexual desire. The same word that is usually used to describe inappropriate behavior. The Torah, on the whole, takes a dim view of people giving in to their baser natures and acting out of physical urges without the gentling, humanizing process of working within the mitzvot. Judaism acknowledges that we have urges, but expects us to be in control of them (hence, our brain power and our ability to have morals.) 

And here is the Torah listing meat eating as an urge. You can almost hear the resigned sigh as G-d says "Fine, if you want meat so much that you cannot control your baser nature, go ahead and eat meat, but under these restrictions." It's like that famous advice parents get to "choose your battles" (there's that matter of choice, again.)

Rav Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook was a vegetarian. He saw this very verse (D'varim 12:20) as an indication of the Torah's wish for us to be vegetarians and he said that when Moshiach comes, we will all be so spiritually advanced that we will all be vegetarians.  http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/ravkook_veg.html

Rav Kook, however, knew that this time has not come yet (like, duh) and so he ate a small piece of chicken once a week (on Shabbat, of course) to show that we are not yet advanced enough for the Moshiach. 

We can try to be, though. We can start with Meatless Monday. We can add more days when we don't eat meat. We can decrease the amount of meat we eat when we do eat it. We can choose to eat only meats from companies that respect the life of the animal that gave its life up for us (free range chickens, cruelty free beef, no veal, etc.) We can choose. We can remember that our actions define us more than our abilities and certainly more than our urges.

And in all things, we can stop before we eat and say a b'racha. Honoring the life we are taking. A life that came from the same source as our own. From G-d who gave us the right to choose.

Meanwhile, we can eat symbolic amounts of meat. This recipe comes from my long ago neighbor Debbie Longo. Debbie is not Jewish so I never tasted her version of it but I wrote it down and replicated it in my kitchen and it is so good we find it hard to eat only symbolic amounts of it. Perfect food to learn to control our urges with, no?

Chicken in lemon sauce

2 Tbs olive oil (extra virgin is best but any oil will do)

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 slices of chicken breast (1/4 inch thick) - you can pound them thin, if you wish, I have no mallet so I skip this step and the results are perfectly fine.

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

pinch black pepper

1/4-1/2 cup lemon juice

Mix flour, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in this mixture (both sides).

In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat and cook garlic for one minute (no more, or it will brown and turn bitter.)

Add chicken pieces and cook for one minute on each side.

Add lemon juice (amount depending on how much sauce you want and how much you like lemon.)

Bring to a boil, lower heat to very low, cover tightly and cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is ready. Turn chicken halfway through.

Makes four servings (unless you give in to your urges and eat the whole thing yourself)

Optionally, I like to toss thinly sliced zucchini in the leftover flour mixture and add them to the pan along with the chicken.

If you wish to make larger amounts of this, you can cook the chicken in batches, then return all the chicken to the pan before you add the lemon juice.

Who moved my bread?

This week's parasha opens with the importance of fertility. What good is anything we have if we have no children to leave our legacy to? For seven long and miserable years I had tried desperately to have children. Today is my oldest daughter's 16th birthday. When she was born, my sister called and said "Your efforts have paid off. You have made your dream come true". 

Who makes our dreams come true? where do our achievements come from? In D'varim chapter 8 verses 17 and 18, Moshe worries that we will forget where our power and riches come from. He worries that, once we'll achieve our goals, we will say to ourselves "It is our efforts that brought us all this. We made our dream come true." Now, Moshe, after all these years, knows what he's talking about. After all, who knows the Israelites better than he does? Here is how he describes us (D'varim 9:6) "...for you are a stiff necked people." And history has proven him perfectly correct. Jews are famous for being really annoying. But his greatest worry is that our stiff necked-ness will lead us astray. The parasha constantly talks about being careful to not go against G-d, to not forget His commandments, to remember, to keep the mitzvot, to not go after other gods or after our own evil inclinations. Apparently it is a very human trait to forget to whom we owe our success.   

So Moshe sneaks it in through the most popular bait: food. In chapter 8 he talks about bread. Man does not live on bread alone. Very true. You need cake, too, as Marie Antoinette later explained. So what else does man need? Wheat and barley, olive and pomegranate, honey, fig and grape. The yummy seven species of the promised land. And then, knowing how stiff necked we are and how very prone to believe we have achieved everything by our own efforts, he puts in a reminder. In verse 10 it says "and you shall eat, and you shall be sated and you shall bless Hashem your G-d for the the good land that He has given you." Ah-Ha!!

Who took us out of Egypt? Who fed us manna in the desert? And took care of all our other needs for forty years? Who is going to give us an excellent land? Who will help us overcome all our enemies? Who will provide for us? Who will make sure we have children to leave all our accumulated wealth to?

It's true we also have to work hard at our goals and should feel pride and satisfaction in our achievements. I certainly worked hard and suffered much for the privilege of having a child (and that was before she became a teenager) and I feel proud of the outcome of my efforts. But not for a second did I forget who was the true force behind everything that I have and everything that I am.And I thank G-d every day, every hour, every minute for this grumpy, sulking, know-it-all He has allowed me to help Him raise.

And in honor of her birthday, I will share her favorite bread. And since man (or woman) does not live on bread alone, we will add all kinds of stuff to the bread and you can feel free to enhance the bread with butter (a milk product), honey, or even (as we did) fig jam.

And don't forget to thank the One who made it all possible. If not for G-d, there would be no wheat (and I am not discounting the farmer's efforts.) Without G-d, who has given us our brains, how would we ever think to domesticate cows, milk them and churn butter? Or harvest honey? Or make jam out of figs?

And you shall eat. And you shall be sated. And you shall thank Hashem.

Cranberry walnut ciabata

2 cups lukewarm water

2 1/4 (1 package) active dry yeast)

1 tsp salt

4 cups flour (loosely packed)

2-3 Tbs dry cranberries

2-3 Tbs coarsely chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together water and yeast.

Add flour and salt and mix until a somewhat sticky dough forms. Do not knead by hand.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for 8-12 hours (I leave it overnight so I can bake it in the morning before it gets too hot.)

Pre heat oven to 400F.

Sprinkle cranberries and walnuts evenly on surface of dough. Using your fingers, push the cranberries and walnuts into the dough. No need to mix them in. Just push them into the dough.

Sprinkle a little corn meal and flour on a large, heavy, flat baking sheet* and, tilting the dough bowl, let the dough slide to the baking sheet (if it's a really humid day, you may have to help the dough along.) You can reshape it a little into a somewhat rectangular shape but don't work too hard at it.

Bake at 400F for 25 minutes (it might not turn brown but take it out anyway.)

Remove from oven and let rest at least 10 minutes before you slice it.

This is a very heavy, dense bread that freezes quite well (if you freeze it already sliced, it is easier to defrost just the amount you need) and it is very filling.

* I had better success using baking paper but these are the original instructions. Use what you prefer.

Are you listening?

My friend David is a public school teacher. He told me once that when he comes back to work after Yom Kippur, the non Jewish teachers ask him "Did you enjoy your holiday?" It took him a while to come up with an answer he feels comfortable with ("It was very meaningful".) So, did you enjoy Tisha B'Av?

Va'Etchanan is read right after Tisha B'Av. It's a good choice. There are a lot of comforting passages in it. A lot of stuff we need to be reminded of on a regular basis.

Moshe speaks about Sinai. How special this event was. How unique. Never before and never again does G-d speak to an entire group of people.  Moshe is reminding them (and us) how very precious such a moment is. How awed and amazed they were when it happened. And how deeply runs the commitment they have taken upon themselves and their children for generations to come, to obey G-d. Moshe reminds them, too, about how they could not stand the greatness of G-D's voice and asked to stand back and let Moshe do the hearing. It's an interesting thing about hearing, isn't it? They asked Moshe to do the hearing for them, but what about the listening?

This is where we find the most famous line in Judaism. Its defining statement. The Sh'ma. Notice how the Sh'ma is not a prayer in the classical sense. It is not directed at G-d but at the people. The Sh'ma is about the very special, very precious connection between G-d and His people. It is followed immediately by a passage that became known as the Ve'Ahavta. How very unique that is. Not to talk about obeying G-d, revering Him or following His commandments, but about loving Him.

 

There is so much shouting and arguing within Judaism lately (OK, nothing new, I know), not to mention between all the other religions in the world. All about how to obey G-D's word (or even, what exactly it is) yet there is surprisingly little talk, study or instructions regarding loving Him. People certainly expect G-d to love them, of course, but how many consider reciprocating?

When the Israelites were bowled over by G-D's voice, He said to Moshe: Oh, I wish they would always revere me so well and keep my commandments so that they and their children will be well forever (D'varim 5:25-26) So does He want us to revere Him or to love Him? Whose voice do we hear in the Sh'ma and Ve'Ahavta?

Should we obey the law because we fear G-d? respect Him? revere Him? or should we sometimes just do what He says simply because we love Him?

In any case, I find this parasha very comforting, as I said. The events we mourn on Tishav B'Av came about because of lack of love (for G-d or man.) They also happened because of people forgetting their promise at Sinai. How can anyone forget something so awesome? Because we don't "listen" any more. And I don't mean to the rabbis or the teachers or the leaders (although that's true as well.) No, we stopped listening to the still small voice inside us (and no wonder, with all the noise pollution around.) And we stopped listening because we lost the love.

When you no longer love someone, you have no interest in listening to them and pretty soon you lose the habit of paying attention. And when you no longer listen, how can you follow their wishes?

That's why we must read the Torah again and again. To remind ourselves that once upon a time, at the foot of a mountain, our ancestors witnessed something no one else ever did and they made a promise to listen. And to love. And we can find comfort in this. Because, while we may have forgotten, G-d did not.

The ultimate food of love and comfort is, of course, chocolate. I personally am not crazy about it (which makes me crazy in the eyes of everyone else) but I am surrounded by many chocoholics and I offer the following for their comfort.

Chocolate for comfortable listening

6 eggs, separated

Pinch salt

1 1/4 cup sugar

7 Tbs unsalted butter, softened

5 1/2 oz chopped walnuts

7 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks.

Add sugar and beat until they form stiff peaks.

Add egg yolks, butter, walnuts and melted chocolate. Mix well.

Measure one cup of the mixture and reserve.

Pour the rest of the mixture into a 8x8 baking pan. Bake at 350F for 45-60 minutes or until it's dry in the center.

Take out of the oven and immediately spread the reserved cup of chocolate mixture over the cake.

Not being a chocoholic I cannot properly recommend it except to say that when my brother was little, the promise of this cake was the only way we got him to behave. Then he grew up.