This week's parasha recounts the final three plagues-- darkness, locusts and the killing of the first born. Commentators have long understood this plague as not only the absence of light, rather a physical force so oppressive that it prevented individuals from standing. Each year, and especially in these times, I ponder the image of such pervasive darkness. While often this is understood to be physical I cannot read it without understanding an emotional heaviness to the darkness. In such dark (winter), isolating and fearful times, depression easily creeps in. The reality of depression makes movement, let alone getting out of bed, challenging. This week, as we read about these plagues let us be more attuned to the realities of depression. If you are feeling it, I beg of you to reach out to a loved one or a resource available in your community. And even if you are not feeling depressed personally, reach out to someone who you have not heard from, perhaps someone who ...
Martin Luther King famously said,"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that." Each of us possesses God's light, each of us is a light, let us use it to drive away the darkness that persists in this world.
My challah will be a traditional Russian black bread this week. While I have had dark breads throughout my life, years ago, on a trip to Moldova, I fell in love with this wholesome and flavourful bread. This recipe from SmittenKitchen seems to keep calling my name. Alternatively, calling all chocolate lovers-- this may be the week to get away with a dark chocolate challah!
On that note, I have considered, black bean anything as well as molten lava cakes or chocolate pudding cake.
And yet, years ago my mother made a grasshopper pie that, if I could find a non-alcoholic appetizing recipe, might have to represent the locusts/grasshoppers/crickets of this week's parasha.
My final menu thought for this week comes from the final plague in this week's parasha. So often we speak of favourite children or choose one child over another. This week, I would like to send the message that each of us has a special role to play, each of us are valued and therefore make one dish over the course of Shabbat that is a favourite (or greatly appreciated) of each person seated at the table. May we live to see the day in which we all truly feel valued in society and all of the plagues seem so far from our realities!
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