Walkabout

When a parasha is called "Get going", you assume there will be lots of moving around. And there certainly is plenty of walking in this week's parasha. 

Avraham has ants in his pants. The man cannot sit still for a second. From the moment we meet him for the first time he is already on the move. And he keeps moving all through the parasha. It's almost as if G-d finally came up with circumcision as a strategy to keep Avraham in one place for more than a few days, so He can come visit (next parasha, spoiler alert) with an important message. 

Where is the man going? Everywhere. The original wandering Jew. And everywhere he goes, he has a profound effect on the people he meets and even on the lands he passes through. 

What does Avraham bring along with him? A new idea. A new religion. A new philosophy. 

We don't really hear about the people he had influenced except in a roundabout way. We know he is gaining fame as a rich person, a warrior (when did that happen? he usually avoids conflict like the plague), a fair person, a righteous person. 

The people of the Levant has never seen such a thing. They are used to hardy nomads. And desert dwellers certainly have their own code of honor; but Avraham had a higher authority to back up his code.

We know he was a great host. So we can imagine he usually had guests for dinner. And after everyone ate their fill, you know they all sat around the fire (leaving it to the women to do the dishes, as usual) and shmoozed. Even if the word shmooze was not invented yet, they did shmooze. People told stories, asked questions, gossiped, exchanged information. And surely some of them asked the following question: "Reb Avaraham, we have heard about you. Your reputation spreads far and wide. They say you are against child sacrifice. Can you explain why that is so? I mean, without child sacrifice, the crops will surely fail, no? Do you wish for people to starve?" (BTW, I used child sacrifice as an example; you can insert any pagan rite you prefer instead.)

And Avraham would explain, talking in a quiet, measured voice, long into the night. About the one and only G-d, about the sacredness of life, about inner contemplation and striving to be closer to the creator. And people listened. Not everyone and not everywhere. But little by little Avraham and Sarah "made souls" - talked people into being better and doing better and living a better, more moral life.


Among the dishes served around the fire, all through their wanderings around the Levant, the following dish would have been a staple. It requires no cooking, it uses ingredients that are widespread in the area (even if not here in the USA), it's quick to put together, it doesn't require refrigeration and it's extremely refreshing in the desert heat.

It's called tabbouleh and this is one version of it:


Tabbouleh

1 cup medium grind bulghur (see note)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Juice from 2 large lemons (do not use bottled juice)
Salt to taste
6-7 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup mint leaves, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, cubed (1/2 inch cubes)
3 cups parsley leaves, thinly sliced (see note)


Rinse bulghur in plenty of fresh water, changing water a few times.
Cover with fresh water and let rest 30 minutes.
Drain well and squeeze out (using your hands, over a strainer) most of the water
Mix garlic, lemon juice and a bit of salt. Add oil and mix.
Add tomato.
Add bulghur and mix.
Add mint and parsley. Mix well. 
Serve cold or at room temperature. The salad keeps well in the fridge but will taste best the day it is made.

Makes 8 servings

Note: Bulghur (or bulgur) is a sort of cracked wheat product. Do not substitute cracked wheat, though, as it is different. Look for bulghur and try to find "Medium grind" or "medium". Some supermarkets have it and Middle eastern stores have it for sure (and there you will also find different levels of grind.)

Note: Slicing the parsley (and the mint) should be done in back and forth motions as opposed to up and down, to prevent the leaves from releasing too much juice, which will make the dish a little bitter. Don't sweat it, just do the best you can.




And start walking. It's good exercise and you meet all kinds of people and adventures. Look where it got Avraham.