Irreplaceable

Let's say you were told that you are going to die, what will be your first reaction? I believe most people will protest, freak out or try to find a loophole. How many of us would respond with "Please pick someone to replace me so my work will not suffer"? Most of us believe we are irreplaceable. Very arrogant of us yet very human, too.

Moshe, being great and all, asked G-d, not to change the verdict, not for an explanation, but to "choose someone to lead the people so they won't get lost".

He knew what he was talking about. Remember, these are the people who kept arguing, complaining, rebelling, threatening to go back to Egypt and generally behaving like a bunch of unruly kids. Look what happened when he left them alone for 40 days to get the Torah. Just imagine what trouble they can get into if he leaves for good.

So upon being informed that he is to die soon, he thinks about their well being first. And only. That's greatness right there. The Israelites did not know how lucky they were to have Moshe look after their well being.

Nor did I. Here I was, after I-don't-know-how-many hours of traveling (do NOT choose to have a 14 hours layover in Zurich on the way to Israel), with one kid half asleep and the other 3/4 of the way there, too; with hubby in hyper mode and myself aching in every bone (darned narrow seats), and it's the dawn of a brand new day, which means we cannot really go to bed. But I have someone to watch over me. My amazing sister, who has already arranged for a house, car, food, phone, and everything else one may need, welcomed us by whisking away the sleeping teenagers, sending her own teenager to schlepp our bags up the many stairs, ordering her husband to prepare breakfast for everyone and pushing me down into the most comfortable chair in the house. Within one hour we were all showered, fed, rested and relaxed enough to carry on a reasonable conversation (you know, the kind where you are able to put together words and have them come out meaning something close to what you wanted to say.)

It is 5 days later and she is still taking care of us. Like I said: I did not know how lucky I was.

This week's parasha (You thought I was done, huh?) is very quirky. It keeps jumping from one subject to another. For example, once the issue of who will take care of the people once Moshe is gone is settled, the Torah moves on to a totally unrelated subject: what, when and how many animals are to be sacrificed for every holiday. How is that related to anything? It's a typical Jewish attitude to life: sad things happen, move on. It seems callous. Hello! Moshe was just told he would die. And he publicly announced his support for his replacement. Can we take a moment here to acknowledge his feelings? Or at least say a kind word about his long and faithful service? Nope. We move on. Because, the Torah always says, life goes on and it's the life that goes on that we need to be concerned with. Note that Moshe himself agrees with this attitude. He was only concerned with what would happen to those he would leave behind. None of us are so irreplaceable that we are more important than those who will have to carry on later. It's a humbling thought. And it should make us lead our lives (and especially our relationships) from a whole different angle. 

And first of all, we should realize and acknowledge those around us who contribute to our well being and happiness instead of concentrating on our own greatness. 

One thing my sister did that made me totally happy was to cook the following dish. It smelled great, it tasted wonderful, she is a vegetarian and yet cooked meat for me and, best of all, it's a dish I did not have to cook myself. Is there greater pampering?

Doda Vered's Indian Turkey

2-3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 very large onion chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 Lbs turkey thigh meat, cut into small cubes (about 1/2 inch)
1/4 tsp each curry, ground cumin, turmeric
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Salt to taste


Cook onion in oil until golden brown.
Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and cook, stirring, for a minute or two until fragrant.
Add turkey and cook, stirring occasionally, until it changes color, about 3-5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients (make sure you add the salt last), turn heat to low, cover and cook 5 more minutes.

Serve over rice, pasta or along a green salad.

Serves 4-6



I must remember to stop thinking I am the best ever. While it is true, of course, there are moments (sometimes even whole days) when others outshine me. Hard to admit, but there it is.

Let's try this from another angle

You know the line about  "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again"? That must have been Bilam's leading principle. I assume his favorite book was "The little engine that could".  Because, really, how many signs does one need to realize this is not going to work?

But I'm not being fair. Many people have faced failure after failure and kept going despite it. Many of them are considered heroes. If people gave up after two or three failures, we may not have had modern medicine, home computers or Harry Potter (horrified gasp from my oldest daughter.) We actually admire perseverance. Especially in the face of many failures. Especially after it ends well, of course. We applaud the hero who fights against all odds (When he wins, naturally. Who cares about the losers?)

So here is a man who faced not only divine resistance but actually experienced failures as he was told he would, by G-d Himself. And yet he did not give up. Why are we not admiring him?

Well, duh. Because he was against us. Fine. But why do other people not admire him? Because I doubt anyone reads the story and says to themselves "Wow, that Bilam, what staying power, awesome, dude." Why not?


Because he failed. Besides the fact that he was trying to curse our ancestors (so we are glad he failed), people don't admire losers. The saying "if at first..." works because it assumes that you will succeed at the end. But what if you don't? Is there any advice to those who have tried really hard, gave it their all, did not give up, did not lose heart, and yet, did not succeed? Does anyone remember the losers? Never mind celebrating their efforts, does anyone remember them at all?

Well, yes, actually. Bilam is very well remembered and he was, without a doubt, a complete and total failure in his mission.

I am not saying the Torah applauds his actions. But maybe, just maybe, there's a lesson here about failure, about the worth of the effort itself, about how we should look at failures. Because, while Bilam did fail in the eyes of everyone who heard about it, he had done exactly what he was destined by G-d to do.

Last time I gave you  a recipe for chicken that needs to be baked in the oven. Hubby reminds me that once the temperature outside gets above 80 degrees, turning the oven on is not the wisest choice I can make. So let's try this from another angle. This recipe is not exactly the same but it's close. And you don't have to turn the oven on.


Chicken Thighs with Plums and Cranberries

8 thighs (bone in, can be skin on or skinless)
16 fresh plums (use different varieties for a prettier presentation and better flavor), pitted and quartered.
1 whole head of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 Tbs fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
5 Tbs honey
2 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 Tbs olive oil
5 small onions, sliced
1 cup semi dry white wine
1/4 Lb dried cranberries


Combine the first 8 ingredients and marinate for 1 hour in the fridge. Drain and reserve marinade liquid.
Heat the oil in a large pan or dutch oven and brown the chicken (carefully, the honey makes it more likely to burn so watch it.) Remove chicken and keep warm.
In the same pan, saute onions until golden. Add plums and stir fry for 5 minutes.
Return chicken to pan.
Mix reserved marinade with wine and pour into pan (should cover chicken and plums.)
Sprinkle cranberries on top (do not mix in.)
Bring the a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes.
Remove cover and continue cooking another 10 minutes.
Cover again, turn heat off and let stand for another 10 minutes.
Serve over plain rice.

Serves 6-8.



So Bilam failed. Well, of course. Who can win against the Israelites? Or the Israelis? Take me, for example. For years, my family and hubby's family were pestering us to come to Israel. They tried everything, those wily Israelis. And in the end, I could not win. So for the next two months or so, I'll be blogging 'on site'. This is so great: I gonna have so much to complain about. Yippee!!

So many questions, so little time

There are so many questions about this week's parasha. The first and most impossible is "What is it with that red heifer?" It's such a complicated paragraph, with so many components and none of them make any sense to the casual reader (even great scholars over the centuries had problems with it.)

Also, both of Moshe's siblings die during the parasha. Poor man. Why do the people mourn Aharon for 30 days but no mourning is mentioned about Miriam's death? 

And, why in the world did several countries refuse to let the Israelites pass through even though they promised not to touch anything and to pay for anything they will use even by accident? (Actually, for this question I do have an answer. Observe what happened when the Jews were expelled from Spain, and when they tried to flee Nazi Germany. It's apparently the way of the world.)

Why did G-d send snakes and serpents this time? And why make a snake 'statue' of all things as a 'cure'? There are some answers to this one but it's still weird.

And what's with all these fragments of poetry? Suddenly everyone's a poet? What are these poems about? What is described in them? Very, very strange.

And if, as described in Bamidbar chapter 21, verse 25, the Israelites have beaten the Emorites and settled in their cities, who was it that later crossed the Yarden and settled K'naan?

And what about Bamidbar chapter 20 verses 1-5. There's no water. OK. We've encountered this problem before. But look at verse 5. They complain that there are no (in order): 1. Seeds 2. Figs 3. Grapes 4. Pomegranate and, Oh yes, 5. Water.

Really? I can understand their complaint later (21:5) where they say "There's no bread and no water". But in chapter 20 they are complaining because there are no pomegranates??? And they tack on the water as an afterthought? What is wrong with these people? Oh, right. They are by nature complainers, and not very bright about it, either.


So. Pomegranates. Good stuff. Must have tasted yummy with the quail.


Drumsticks in Pomegranate  syrup



20 chicken drumsticks
4-5 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
Leaves from 4 branches of fresh thyme
5-6 sage leaves
10 whole black peppercorns
1/2 cup Silan (see note 1)
1/4 cup Pomegranate syrup (see note 2)
1/2 cup dry wine (red or white, your choice)
Scant tablespoon of coarse salt (sea salt or kosher salt)
1/2 cup olive oil


Mix everything together in a bowl (or ziptop baggie) and let rest for an hour (in the fridge if it's a warm day)
Drain, reserving marinade.
In a baking dish arrange the onion slices, put the drumsticks on top of the onion and pour in the reserved marinade, only enough to cover the onions.
Bake at the bottom part of the oven: 400F for 30 minutes, then 375F for another 30 minutes.
Turn drumsticks so the roasted part will face down and continue baking at 375F for another hour, until the onions caramelize. Baste frequently throughout the whole baking time.

Note 1: Silan is an Israeli product. It is a sort of honey made of dates (most people believe this is the "honey" mentioned in the bible). You can find it in most stores that carry Israeli foods, even Shoprite.

Note 2: Pomegranate syrup is sometimes called pomegranate molasses or pomegranate concentrate. Basically it is a concentrate of pomegranate juice. Try to find it. It's an excellent thing to have on hand and worth the search. Try Middle Eastern markets.



And all those questions? What do I look like? A smart person? I don't know. The whole point of the Torah is to ask questions about it, so as to start conversations (Haredim in Israel, please take note.)

The Oy of Family

There. I am posting this on Thursday. Happy? (hmpff)


The story of Korach is very dramatic. First there's rebellion. Which is sort of an every day thing with the Israelites, except this time it's organized. And it's led by some important people. Korach and his group were no small potatoes. Then there are negotiations about the best way to resolve the issue (note that Moshe never says "You cheeky little upstarts. Shut up and go back to your tent before I ask G-d to smite you", really, the man have the patience of a saint.) Then there's G-d's threat. Then there's G-d's judgement and the carrying out of the punishment. Ooooh, very dramatic. The earth opens up, swallows them, covers over them. Ouch. 

So it's perfectly understandable with all this drama going on that a little side comment does not get center stage. In Bamidbar chapter 16 verse 7 Moshe says something that is translated as "You have too much, sons of Levi" It can also be translated as "Enough! you sons of Levi". Rashi says that Moshe tries to tell them that rebelling against G-d's decisions is too great an undertaking. Ibn Ezra, on the other hand says that Moshe was reminding them that, as Levites, they have already been given plenty.

Either way, the point that caught my attention was actually the second part of the exclamation. Because, wasn't Moshe himself a "son of Levi"? Then, the people who rebelled against him and that tried to tell him he and his brother have taken too much for themselves, were his own tribe. In essence, his own family.

Well, well, well. Here we go again. Is there any family in the whole bible who lives in peace and quiet? without brother rising against brother, son against father, sister against sister and so on? What is it about families that drives us to distraction? I suppose it's the knowledge, on both sides, that we're stuck with each other. No one chooses their family. In fact, most people, if given a choice, would never choose the family they're with. But here we are. Bound to these annoying people for life. And to add insult to injury, they are not content to see us once or twice a year and be civil. Oh, no. They call and write and visit and insist on a relationship. Ugh. And if that was all, dayenu. But no. Every time you give in and allow those pests a sliver of an access to your life, they have something to say. Endless complaints, rude remarks, unnecessary advice, invasive questions, all too frank comments about your appearance, job, spouse, children etc.

There are times when one wishes for the simple and elegant solution G-d offered Moshe. Cover them.



Salmon and Pesto in Puff pastry


2 Lbs skinless, boneless salmon fillet
1 sheet of puff pastry (large enough to wrap around the whole fillet)
1 cup pesto (home made is, of course, best, but you can use store bought)
1 egg, beaten


Roll the puff pastry until it's the right size for your fish.

Spread a generous amount of pesto on the pastry.

Put the fish in the center of the pastry.Spread a generous amount of pesto on the fish itself.

Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut diagonal stripes in the dough, on both sides of the fish, from the edge of the dough to about 2 inches from the fish. Make the stripes about one inch wide. Wrap the stripes over the fish, alternating sides and pressing them close enough that the gaps aren't too large (You need to end up with a fish wrapped in dough with 'slits' all over). It looks a little like apple strudel. 

Brush the dough well with egg.

Bake in a shallow pan, at 400F for 30 minutes. If the top part is golden but the bottom is not quite done, transfer to lowest rack, cover with foil and continue baking another ten minutes.

Serves 6-8




And then, when you are just about ready to talk with G-d re:opening the earth again, the annoying family members do something that pulls at your heartstrings and reminds you that families define us, uphold us and connect us to our past and our future.