Food Tourah – Ki Tissa

March 12, 2025 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, are 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 – 33 more to go!

The parsha begins with a census in which each person counted must contribute a half shekel.  It then goes on to describe the laver (the “sink” in the Tabernacle where the priests wash their hands and feet before and after engaging in holy work).  Bezalel and Oholiab are assigned their roles as designers and crafters of the Tabernacle and all of its contents.  A reminder to observe Shabbat comes immediately after the section about building the Mishkan.  These somewhat disparate pieces have a thread running through them that everyone has a contribution to make to the community.

The main event of Ki Tissa is the Golden Calf.  The Israelites, nervous that Moses has been gone on the mountain for too long, ask Aaron what to do.  He has them donate their gold, which is fashioned into the idol.  While still on the mountain, God tells Moses what is happening and that He plans to destroy the stiff-necked, rebellious Israelites.  Moses talks God out of it.  But when Moses descends and sees what is happening for himself, he smashes the tablets of the Ten Commandments in a furious rage.  The people are punished.  The relationship between God and Moses grows even closer as God’s presence is visible in the Tent of Meeting only when Moses is in the Tent and they are conferring “face to face”.  When he re-ascends the mountain to obtain a second set of tablets, Moses has a vision of the divine pass over him and he hears God say the words that are the thirteen attributes of God recited at every festival Torah service (34:6).  When Moses descends the second time, his face is so radiant that he has to wear a veil as he is too much for others to look at.

What could be more traditional than chicken and potatoes?  This honey chicken is first rinsed as the priests did in the laver.  Its sweetness reminds us of the sweet transformation that comes when we are redeemed from our sins and the golden color reminds us of the terrible sin in this parsha.  These crispy smashed potatoes are also golden in color and remind us of Moses smashing the tablets.  This sweet citrus rosemary medley could make a very different light dessert or even a sweet salad side dish.  Its bright effervescent flavor recalls the radiance of Moses’ face after his transformation.

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

To read past installments of Food Tourah, click here. 

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