Parsha Inspired Menus - Tzav

With Pesach starting as Shabbat departs, this Friday night is a bit complicated to cook for...you're not supposed to have anything that really tastes like matza and you're already supposed to have gotten rid of your hametz. This became particularly relevant as my son made a suggestion for #parshainspiredmenus. He said, "Ema, I have an idea, but I don't think you're going to like it." "Why not?" I asked. "Because," he said, "you'd have to make something that needs a lot of attention," as he pointed to these pasukim:

The fire on the altar shall be kept burning, not to go out: every morning the priest shall feed wood to it, lay out the burnt offering on it, and turn into smoke the fat parts of the offerings of well-being.

A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out. (Vayikra 6:5-6)

The kohen's role was to keep a watch, to tend the fire, to ensure that it was always available for the sacred act of sacrifice. I like the idea of highlighting this service and what we can remind

ourselves about the importance of tending to the things that matter. What first came to mind when our son said a food that needs a lot of attention was risotto, but we can't make that this week, so then I thought of schnitzel (using matza meal.) That's a food I never walk away from when frying.

The other pasuk I wanted to highlight is this:

וְזֹ֥את תּוֹרַ֖ת הָאָשָׁ֑ם קֹ֥דֶשׁ קׇֽדָשִׁ֖ים הֽוּא׃

This is the ritual of the guilt offering: it is most holy.

Among all the offerings and rituals, I noted that this gets called out as Most Holy. One way to think of this designation is about who gets to eat from the offering. (Those designated as Most Holy are only for the males in the priestly line, as compared to what they could share with their

families.) But I noticed that it is the guilt offering that gets this special status - the offering that addresses a sin that requires restitution or compensation. It's not something you did unintentionally. It's an issue that may involve some shame and so addressing it and owning up to the sin can be hard. Doing it is "most holy." With limited options because of Passover, I think the best path for holy is hole-y. Maybe try this Passover-friendly Chocolate Bundt Cake.

Shabbat Shalom, B'Tayavon, and Chag Kasher v'Sameach!