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Shabbat Shalom!.
Bamidbar
“and Hashem spoke to Moshe in the
wilderness of Sinai, in the Mishkan,…..in
the second year after they had come out of
the land of Egypt.”
Bamidbar (“in the desert”) is the fourth of
the Five books of the torah. It is this Parsha that is read every year on the Shabbos before Shavuos; the holiday celebrating the receiving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.How dramatic it is to imagine three million Jews encamped at the foot of the mountain in anticipation of the receiving of the torah.
"...and [he] Israel encamped there, opposite the mountain."
Rashi explains that the grammar of the “he” in the singular, indicates they were like one person with one heart. The Jewish nation could not receive the Torah without this complete unity. Each individual is crucial for the nation as a whole, and if even one individual is not included, the entire nation is incomplete. Each person counts. Every person is unique, different from every other, with a unique function and unique contribution to make. We appropriately read this parsha prior to Shavuos, to remind us that it is only through unity that we can truly receive the Torah.
It is interesting that Hashem chose the “wilderness of the desert” to give us his Torah. Bamidbar means “in the desert”. Our Sages point out that the desert has no owner. By giving the Torah in the desert, G-d showed that no one person or tribe can control it; every Jew has an equal claim to Torah; whoever desires may come and take it. In order to absorb the Torah it is necessary to be adaptable, accommodating and a person must “make himself like a desert", relinquishing all concerns, looking beyond ourselves and having the trait of humility which allows us to learn from everyone. To acquire Torah -- to receive G-d's wisdom -- we must first be willing to open up space inside. It has been said that the only way to teach anything is to first get asked a question. A question creates a lack and a need -- a space that the answer can then come and fill. But without first a question, there is no room for the answer. This is a sign of humility this is a quality of a humble person. The Torah cannot be received by someone who thinks too highly of himself, or someone who thinks he knows all the answers.
A question was once asked of Rabbi Moshe Feinsteins sister as to why her brother was so special? Her answer
"What makes my brother special is that he never looks at himself as being so special."
This applies to our relationship with God as well. The higher a person becomes spiritually, the more humble he becomes. As we get closer to God, we become more realistic about our own limitations, vulnerability and mortality. We internalize the reality that every human's position is tenable and only God is eternal. There is a Midrash that G-d chose Mt. Sinai for the Giving of the Torah because it was "the smallest of all mountains," emphasizing the importance of humility, but along with humility the choice of giving it on a mountain indicates the need for a certain degree of self-esteem. For both these qualities - humility and self-esteem - are necessary to our acquisition of Torah. The Torah (Numbers 12:3) refers to Moses as "the most humble person who ever lived" and yet he aggressively confronts Pharaoh, fights a war against Amalek, and stands up for the Jewish people.
Our Torah emphasizes the importance of each individual in the eyes of G-d. Only by appreciating each other, and overlooking our differences, can we once again come together and truly deserve to reacquire the Torah. The acceptance of the torah by each individual Jew is an ongoing process, which can occur any day, or anytime a Jew makes a decision based on Jewish values. Any time one recites a Jewish prayer (bracha), or makes a conscious effort to better the world. Each and every experience of our lives provides us with a new context to learn and understand Torah and put it into action in our lives. As a nation we were given the Torah just once, on the holiday of Shavuot. If we remain humble, make some space, and let the truth of Torah enter deep inside, then can we genuinely celebrate not only Shavuos once a year but a renewed Jewish life every day!
Shabbat Shalom,
Miriam
It is customary to eat dairy foods on shavuos. One of the explanations given for this is because when the Jews received the Torah they learnt the laws of keeping kosher and the meat that they had available was no longer permitted to them. Milk and milk products however were not a problem. For this weeks parsha in honor of shavuos I have put in some of my favorite dairy recipes, Enjoy!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
7 whole graham crackers, coarsely broken
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/3 cups bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (about
8 ounces)
2/3 cup plus 1 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream, divided
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
6 ounces (1 cup) peanut butter chips
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned style or freshly ground)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish with nonstick spray. Blend graham crackers, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar in processor until moist clumps form. Press crumb mixture over bottom and up sides of prepared pie dish. Bake crust until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine chocolate chips, 2/3 cup cream, corn syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium heat until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Whisk until melted and smooth. Spread chocolate mixture over bottom of crust. Freeze 10 minutes.
Microwave peanut butter chips and 3/4 cup cream in large microwave-safe bowl on medium heat at 15-second intervals just until chips soften, stirring often. Whisk in peanut butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool to barely lukewarm. Beat remaining 1 cup cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until very thick but not yet holding peaks; fold into peanut butter mixture in 3 additions. Spoon mousse over chocolate layer. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
Greek Feta Salad
3/4-cup feta cheese
1 clove garlic
3 large tomatoes cut into eighths
1 red onion, thinly sliced
12 ripe black olives, cut in half
1 english cucumber quartered
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
1/2-cup olive oil
1/2-teaspoon oregano
1/2-teaspoon thyme
1-teaspoon salt (or to taste)
freshly ground pepper
lettuce leaves
Crumble cheese coarsely. Rub a wooden bowl with garlic. Add tomatoes, cucmber,onion slices, cheese and olives. Mix vinegar, oil and seasonings. Shake well. Pour over tomatoes and marinate at least 4 hours. Line a serving bowl with lettuce and pour in mixture. Server chilled.
Broccoli Salad
1 cup of mayonnaise (whipped)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
2 bunches raw broccoli
1 cup toasted cashews
1 diced red onion
craisins
Prepare salad in a large bowl.
Prepare dressing in a tight container
and shake well. Dress immediately
before serving.
Shabbat Shalom!.
