Food Tourah: Lech Lecha

November 4, 2024 in Food Tourah

Summary from Sefaria*: Lech Lecha (“Go Forth”) recounts Abraham’s (here known as Abram) first encounter with God, his journey to Canaan, the birth of his son Ishmael, the covenant between him, his descendants, and God, and God’s commandment to circumcise the males of his household.

Because life so often happens around food, we’re spending the year exploring the weekly parshiot and finding connections to each week’s Shabbat meals. 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 – 51 more to go!

In this parsha, God tells Abram (later to become Abraham) to leave his native land and venture into unknown territory with his wife Sarai (later to become Sarah). God promises Abram that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars and that he will be a blessing to the world. In an extreme act of faith, Abram follows this command. Abram faces many challenges on his journey, among them famine, which drives him to Egypt. It is necessary for him to split with his nephew, Lot. Abram must return to rescue Lot when Lot is taken captive in a conflict. After rescuing Lot, Abram has wine with Melchizedek, the king of Salem. Melchizedek brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram, acknowledging God’s protection and support. (Genesis 14:18) It is in Genesis 17 where God tells Abram that his name will be Abraham, and God says that Sarai’s name will be Sarah. Also in this verse God introduces the ritual of circumcision as a symbol of the covenant between Abraham and God. God tells Abraham that his wife Sarah will bear him a son Isaac, and that he will maintain this covenant with Isaac as an “everlasting covenant with his offspring to come.” (Genesis 17:19)

Inspired by one of the first mentions of wine in the Torah, we think this Vineyard Chicken sounds delicious. Or for the pescatarians out there, here is a recipe for Drunk Tuscan Tuna Steaks. And since we have the first reference to a bris, we thought you’d enjoy this round up of kugel recipes that work well for Shabbat dinner.

Fun Fact: Debbie Friedman’s famous song L’chi Lach is based on the opening verse of this parsha. For your listening pleasure, here is Debbie Friedman singing L’chi Lach:

B’tayavon and Shabbat Shalom,

Alison (Baraf) & Sarah (Roark)

* Sefaria. (n.d.). Torah Portion Summaries. Retrieved from https://www.sefaria.org/topics/category/torah-portions