Two for the price of one

Isn't that the sweetest deal? Whenever I see this in any store's circular or advertisement, I can't help but check it out. Even when it is obviously not something I will ever consider buying (Jewelery, pork chops, fur coats, ready made meals, etc.) Why are we so fascinated by it? And don't pretend you're innocent here. Everyone loves a freebie. 

Except that was soooo not the deal Ya'akov was offered. Or wanted. Which sort of sucks. Unfortunately, he dealt with Lavan, who was a crook. How do I know? Because later in the parasha, when Ya'akov wants to go back home and discusses it with his wives (two-for-one, remember?) they both say the same thing: "Hello? Why should we care about Dad? He treated us like property and has been getting fat and rich on the fruits of our labor." And let that be a lesson to all Dads anywhere re:You may get away with treating your sons like cheap labor, but woe be to the father who mistreats his daughters. Just ask hubby. The poor guy has to walk on eggshells around his womenfolk. The girls make fun of him, get angry with him, roll their eyes every time he tries to talk and in general treat him as a relic from another era. True, they treat me the same way, but I am sort of immune to it because, unlike fathers, most mothers not only accept the fact that children grow up and become disillusioned with their parents' supposed wisdom and omnipotence, they actually welcome it. I know I feel endless relief every time my girls prepare dinner while I take a nap. It's the reward for all the years of hard work I have put into raising them. Men, on the other hand, have huge trouble with the concept of their little princess growing up. And no wonder. Suddenly they lose the only female in the household who thinks they're smart, strong and capable. It's tough.

But! That does not justify what Lavan did to his girls. Which was, as they said, treating them like property. If he really cared about Leah's feelings, he should have found her another husband. Or, at the very least, discussed it with all parties involved. Because think how everyone felt the next morning:

Ya'akov, understandably, was angry.
Leah was probably beyond humiliated. Your brand new husband stomps through the camp, screaming that he was burdened with a woman he did not want.Ouch.
Rachel must have been heartbroken. She wanted to marry Ya'akov and had to suffer through seven more years. Not fun.

The only happy campers that day were Lavan, who felt he got rid of Leah (the, apparently, unmarriageable one) and is about to get seven extra years of free labor from the gullible yahoo from Kna'an, and, of course, the servants and neighbors, who were supplied with years' worth of gossip material.

The moral of the story is: when a deal looks too good to be true, you better check and double check the small print. Also, don't do business with corrupted uncles. 

Still, two for the price of one is a good deal. Especially when it is only offered once every 40,000 years or so. I am speaking, of course about Thanksgivukkah. The rare holiday when Chanukah and Thanksgiving happen on the same day. 

This, of course, is a huge day for cooks. Just think of all the possibilities. Deep fried turkey, latkes with apple-cranberry sauce, challah based stuffing, pumpkin sufganiyot. The mind boggles.

Now, as you know if you've been following this blog for a while, there is no way that I will ever do what is expected of me like a good little woman. Nuh-Ah. So I will not discuss Thanksgivukkah other than to recommend that you surf the net about it and incorporate whatever ideas you find into your holiday/s. Because it's fun and creative and, well, why not?

I will, however, give you a whole bunch of proper fall/Thanksgiving/ Chanukah recipes over the next few weeks and you can do whatever you want with them.

For example:


Pumpkin soup



1 Tbs oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic (about 1 large clove)
1 tsp fresh, chopped ginger root
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 Lb pumpkin, peeled and cubed
3 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
1 tsp dried chilli flakes (the kind you sometimes put on pizza)
3/4 cup coconut milk (or coconut cream if you want it extra rich)
Chopped cilantro and croutons, for serving.


Heat oil over medium heat and add onion, garlic, ginger and cumin. Cook until onion is soft but not brown (5-10 minutes), stirring occasionally. 
Add pumpkin and mix well. Continue cooking 5 minutes until the edges of the pumpkin cubes start to soften a bit.
Add broth, increase heat to high and cook until the pumpkin is very soft and the liquids are reduced to the point where the pumpkin is barely covered by them (20-30 minutes.)
Add chilli flakes and coconut milk and re-heat.
Puree soup in blender or with an immersion blender.
Serve with fresh chopped cilantro and croutons.

serves 4.




Don't sell your daughters short. And don't expect them to meekly accept the fate you choose for them. Times have changed. You no longer have to marry the older one off before the younger. You can no longer marry both off to the same man. You can no longer cheat your kids and their future spouses and get away with it. And you can no longer expect to live off the fruits of their labor. Actually, that part was probably true even back then, as Lavan eventually found out.