The traditional blessing that parents give to their sons (on Friday nights and some other occasions) is:
יְשִׂימְךָ אֱלֹהיִם כְּאֶפְרַיְם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁה
Yesimcha Elohim k’Ephraim v’chi-Menashe.
May you be like Ephraim and Menashe.
One might have thought we'd use the patriachs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Or even Jacob's sons, the original B'nai Yisrael. But in this week's parsha Jacob, when on his deathbed and taking the opportunity to bless his descendants, explicitly says
וַיְבָ֨רְכֵ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַהוּא֮ לֵאמוֹר֒ בְּךָ֗ יְבָרֵ֤ךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יְשִֽׂמְךָ֣ אֱלֹהִ֔ים כְּאֶפְרַ֖יִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁ֑ה וַיָּ֥שֶׂם אֶת־אֶפְרַ֖יִם לִפְנֵ֥י מְנַשֶּֽׁה׃
“By you shall Israel invoke blessings, saying: God make you like Ephraim and Menashe.”
Three interesting things here:
1) I love when we see direct links from the Torah to what we do in the here and now. Each week we use this directive from Jacob and bless our sons in the names of Ephraim and Menashe
2) Ephraim is said first and given the "older child" blessing and he is the younger, which has been a major cause of tension in other generations, but in this case it does not create havoc. Many cite this peaceful relationship among brothers as the reason we use their names in the blessing we give our sons.
3) Ephraim and Menashe might not be thought to be the epitome of being a descendent of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The never lived in Israel, they grew up in Eyptian society, their maternal grandfather is Poti-phera, a priest of the Eygptian God On, they don't live in Goshen with the rest of the family of Jacob and I saw one commentary that suggests that they look so Eygptian that Jacob doesn't initially recognize them. By choosing to bless our sons (to this day) with Ephraim and Menashe it reminds us that a wide diversity of B'nai Yisrael is not only accepted, but treasured. There's not one "perfect" way to be Jewish.
Since Ephraim is the son that is first and highlighted, I'm focusing on his name to bring attention to this topic. The origin of Ephraim's name is going to help us find a dish for #parshainspiredmenus.
וְאֵ֛ת שֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖י קָרָ֣א אֶפְרָ֑יִם כִּֽי־הִפְרַ֥נִי אֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּאֶ֥רֶץ עׇנְיִֽי׃
He named the second son Ephraim [from peri, “fruit”] – “because,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
So, since it's all about being FRUITFUL, I am going with a dessert with lots of fruit and I am going to use some of the more wintery fruits of cranberry, apple, and orange with this Ina Garten Easy Cranberry Apple Cake.
The second dish is also from blessings, but that's because most of this parsha is about blessings. Not all of Jacob's deathbed blessings are so positive (you should check out what he says to Reuven, Simeon, and Levi, for example.) One son who does get a very positive blessing is Judah, perhaps because of the way he handled himself in the whole Joseph story. Why else this might be is a good discussion option. The blessing is about being powerful, and a leader and Judahs' land is described as so abundant that:
אֹסְרִ֤י לַגֶּ֙פֶן֙ עִירֹ֔ה וְלַשֹּׂרֵקָ֖ה בְּנִ֣י אֲתֹנ֑וֹ כִּבֵּ֤ס בַּיַּ֙יִן֙ לְבֻשׁ֔וֹ וּבְדַם־עֲנָבִ֖ים סוּתֹֽה׃
He tethers his donkey to a vine,
His donkey's foal to a choice vine;
He washes his garment in wine,
His robe in blood of grapes.
As Rashi says: He (Jacob) prophesied of the land of Judah that it would run with wine like a fountain: the vines will be so productive that a man of Judah will bind to a vine one foal and he will fully load it with the grapes of only one vine, and from the produce of only one branch he would load one ass’s colt....all these phrases indicate abundance of wine.
So, I want a Shabbat dinner dish that is "wine forward." The title of the dish I chose makes me think it is a good fit! It is called "A Bottle of Wine & Chicken." (all about what words go first, right Ephraim?!?!) See the recipe below.
Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!
A Bottle of Wine & Chicken (from I ❤️ Kosher, by Kim Kushner)
2 T olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and cut into quarters
2 yellow beets, trimmed peeled and cut into quarters
salt & pepper
1 whole chicken
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 bunch of fresh sage, tied with kitchen string
1 bottle of dry white wine (she recommends Sauvignon Blanc)
In a large Dutch oven or large stove top roasting pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until light brown, about 10 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, yukon potatotes, fennel, and beets. Reduce heat to medium. Mix gently and season generously with salt and pepper.
Season chicken with salt and pepper (inside and out.) Then rub tumeric inot the skin. Place the chicken over the veggies in the Dutch oven.
Pour the entire bottle of wine over the chicken and veggies. Top the chicken with the sage and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, so it is simmering slowly and cover. Simmer until the chicken is falling apart, about 2 hours. Uncover and cook over medium high heat for 20 mins longer to thicken the liquid. Discard the sage and serve.
Comments