Food Tourah – Vayera

November 12, 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 –  50 more to go! 

Vayera is full of dramatic events. The parsha begins as Sarah and Abraham warmly welcome 3 visitors who reveal that Sarah will soon have a son.  Given their advanced age, Sarah laughs at this news. Also in Vayera is the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah despite Abraham’s efforts on their behalf, and the story of Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt. And the parsha ends with the binding of Isaac, yet another display of Abraham’s faith in God. 

With hospitality as a theme in Vayera, here are a couple appetizer recipes for when Shabbat dinner seems to be running behind! Start with an easy Hummus Recipe and add another for Puffed Pastry Shakshuka Cups (leave out the feta if you’re serving meat!). Another element in this parsha is laughter – the laughter inspired by Sarah’s delight when she learns she will have a son and Isaac’s name literally means “laughter” or “he laughs” in Hebrew.  As a nod to this unexpected joy, we suggest a fizzy moscato that matches the elation in Sarah’s laughter!  And finally Lot’s wife and the pillar of salt inspired us to include this recipe for Salted Dark Chocolate Tahini Brownie Cookies. 

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

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

Notes:
https://rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation/vayera/answering-the-call/
https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.18.3?lang=en&aliyot=0