All accounted for

When my daughter went to Europe two summers ago with a group of teenagers, their leaders kept counting them. It became very annoying. Every time they moved, they had to "Do the count". It doesn't take too long. Every kid was assigned a number and had to announce it in the proper order. The kids grumbled and whined (teenagers, you know) but the leaders were very strict about it. Because, as you can imagine, the leaders knew that if anything happened to any one of those kids, we, the parents, will kill them in very painful ways.

When you are in charge of a large group of people, when you are responsible for their safety and well being, one of the things you want to be very diligent about is making sure that you haven't lost any of them along the way.

The Israelites were wandering in a desert. Not the safest place in the world. So, of course, G-d, who was responsible for their safety and well being, was concerned about every aspect of their daily life. And the most basic thing is the answer to the question: "Is everyone present and accounted for?" So G-d made them "Do the count". Because what if someone got lost, or was left behind at the last oasis, or just slipped and fell and is now 3 miles back and can't find the way?


Incidentally, the "Count" was proved to be essential. In a rest stop somewhere in Italy, my daughter came out of the restroom to find that the bus left without her. Luckily, they were doing the count as they drove away and realized she was missing before the bus was too far down the highway. Aren't we glad now that G-d counted the Israelites? According to Ramban, every Jew is important to G-d. So He doesn't want any of us to get lost. I sure hope that this is still true. Sometimes we get lost, don't we? Isn't it nice to think that G-d is always counting us and will come looking for us if we are lost? 

My cooking style is not very rigid. I sort of wing it most of the time. But here is a recipe where the most difficult part is to follow the instructions precisely, especially the counting (of minutes, and amounts.)




Majadra

3 cups lentils (use the regular ones you buy at the supermarket)
12 cups water
3 cups rice (I use Basmati but any long grain will do. You can use brown but the texture is different)
1 cup oil plus more for frying
3 tsp coarse (kosher) salt
4-5 large onions, chopped


Start the night before: Soak the lentils in the water and leave for 8-12 hours.
Drain the lentils, reserving 5 and 1/2 cups of the soaking water.
In a very large pot put: lentils, rice, oil, salt and the water you reserved.
Bring to a boil over high heat.
Turn heat to the lowest you can, cover the pot well and cook for exactly 20 minutes. Do not open the lid.
Turn the heat off and leave the pot alone for exactly 20 minutes. Do not open the lid!!!
Meanwhile, fry the chopped onions in a good amount of oil (like you would for frying latkes) until they start to brown.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop the onions out of the oil (do not drain them too well) and transfer to the large pot. 
Mix really well. It's not easy to mix so be patient. I usually put the pot on the kitchen floor and kneel next to it to stir. It gives me better leverage and saves some aches and pains in my arms and shoulders.

Serves a LOT. Seriously. This recipe makes enough for at least 20 servings. But don't worry. It keeps very well in the fridge for at least a week. It freezes beautifully and thaws easily. It is great warm, hot or cold. It is vegan (and so parve). It is wonderful as a topping for salad, a side dish or a main course (try topping it with plain yogurt.) 



And if you get lost - trust that G-d will come looking for you once He does "The Count".