Food Tourah – Toldot

November 25, 2024 in Food Tourah

Because life so often happens around food, we’re spending the year exploring the weekly parshiot and finding connections to each week’s Shabbat menu.  Sarah, a seasoned Jewish educator, brings a wealth of knowledge to our discussions, while Alison, who loves creating dishes that bring people together, is excited to explore the weekly portions in greater depth. Each week we will give a brief overview of the parsha and then suggest ways to incorporate its themes into your Shabbat menu. This is our version of Julie and Julia – the charming movie in which a blogger challenges herself to make all 524 recipes from Julia Child’s 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking in just one year.  Lucky for us, we only have to cover 54 parshiot – 48 more to go! 

This week’s parsha, Toldot, opens with Rebekah and Isaac becoming first time parents with the birth of twins, Jacob and Esau. While she is pregnant, God tells Rebekah that two nations are within her and that the older one will serve the younger one.  Esau, the firstborn, grows up to be a hunter, while Jacob is a gentle man who raises livestock.  This parsha recounts the familiar story of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew. Later, when Isaac feels that he is nearing the end of his life, he tells Esau to go out and hunt some game and prepare a meal so that he can bestow upon him his “innermost blessing”. Rebekah overhears and quickly helps Jacob disguise himself to receive the blessing instead. When Esau learns what Jacob has done, he is enraged. To escape his brother’s wrath—and to find a wife—Jacob flees. 

Of course, we had to go with the obvious choice this week – lentil stew!  There are many lentil soup recipes out there, but we thought we’d try this Quick Smoky Red Lentil Stew. Playing on the idea of Jacob disguising himself as his brother, we thought that this week’s menu should also include a recipe for something that is not what it appears to be. This whimsical  Chocolate Salami fits the bill! Similarly you might enjoy this clever  Vegan Butternut Nacho “Cheese” Sauce.   

B’tayavon and Shabbat Shalom,
Alison (Baraf) & Sarah (Roark) 

For a more in-depth look at this week’s parsha, visit Sefaria.com. 

See previous Food Tourah posts