Parsha Inspired Menus - Shemini

It feels like we've been prepping for Shemini for weeks! Well, we kind of have since it's the weekly Torah portion we've been reading since mincha on the day of Erev Pesach and we are finally getting to read it in shul this week. This parsha has a lot of rules about kashrut, what you can eat, what you can't eat (if you can be sure of what the Hebrew translates to today.) The text also goes into how touching dead carcasses of particular animals/insects makes the touched item impure - people, materials, etc. For example,

Those are for you the impure among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead shall be impure until evening.

And anything on which one of them falls when dead shall be impure: be it any article of wood, or a cloth, or a skin, or a sack—any such article that can be put to use shall be dipped in water, and it shall remain impure until evening; then it shall be pure. (Vayikra 11:31-32)

This treatment (Dipped in water to purify) reminds me of some of the techniques we use to kasher now and I love when I see elements of modern Jewish ritual practice in Torah. But what really caught my attention was the contrast in the next set of pashukim. When an impure thing falls into an earthenware vessel (pot, jug, stove), anything in the vessel is now impure AND the vessel itself should be SMASHED. So, picture a jug of water and a dead lizard falls into it. That water cannot be drunk or used and the jug itself must be destroyed and not used again.

However, a spring or cistern in which water is collected shall be pure, but whoever touches such a carcass in it shall be impure.

If such a carcass falls upon seed grain that is to be sown, it is pure;

(11:36-37)

In this case, the dead thing is still impure and by fishing that same dead lizard out of the spring, the person touching it becomes impure, but the spring is PURE and the same is true of seed grain. Why the difference? According to Rashi, the difference lies in the connection to the earth: "A FOUNTAIN OR A PIT WHERE THERE IS A GATHERING OF WATERS which are attached to the ground are not receptive of uncleanness." Or, as Rashbam puts it "anything still connected to the earth is not subject to ritual defilement."

Yet, I saw something different here. Perhaps it's my economics major background that colors my way of thinking, but I see these exceptions as a leniency to avoid a hardship. If one dead carcass could cause impurity to the whole spring or cistern, it would create major issues for the people who relied on that water for their food, drink, and industry. Similarly, if a dead carcass falling on seed rendered it impure, it could cause a negative spiral of economic devestation. So, in these exceptions I see God's care and ability to be reasonable about kashrut - keeping it from being a bigger burden than it needs to be. This is a message I can really get behind!

So, what's the food for these ideas: I am going to focus on the spring of water with a dish that puts a lot of emphasis on SPRING onions - Beef Wrapped Scallions (aka Beef Negimaki) and for the second dish, let's focus on SEEDS with these Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies from The Joy of Cooking. See the recipe below.

Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!

RECIPE

In a large bowl, beat until very fluffy:

2 sticks plant butter or vegetable shortening

1 c. sugar, processed in a food processor for 30 seconds (or superfine sugar)

1/2 tsp salt

Add and beat until well blended:

1 egg yolk

Add and beat until well combined:

1 large egg

2 tsp lemon zest

2 tsp vaniaa

Reduce mixer to low and add until combined

2.5 c flour

2 T poppy seeds

Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour. To bake, preheat to 375. You can either make balls of dough and flatten to 1/8 inch thick or roll the dough to 1/8inch and cut with cookie cutters into desired shapes. Place on parchment paper and bake for 6-8 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Transfer to cooling racks immediately.