This week's double parasha focuses on the growing season and caring for our land by giving it a rest from time to time, every seven years to be exact. The year following the cycle of seven, seven years we call the Jubilee year and allow even greater restoration to our land-- returning to original owners, to servants, debts, etc-- all is returns to its "natural" status. I have been fascinated by this concept for years. As a child I learned about the importance of crop rotation to allow the land to rest and revitalize itself. We learned about a period in US history in which farmers worked the land so hard it was stripped. As an adult I learned how this pearl of wisdom has been before us for thousands of years and the insights that we do not always understand at the time, are there to guide us to healthy living-- for us, our communities, and the earth.
Mirroring this concept, as if to live it annually, we are towards the end of the Omer-- a period in which we count seven weeks of seven days, the following day being Shavuot. Shavuot celebrates revelation and thus hints to us that we come to understand fundamental truths by such return and restoration. Leaving the land fallow must take an act of faith that indeed we will have enough. We can learn to be resourceful and recognize how much is actually enough.
While canning and preserving would be excellent ways to introduce these themes into the parasha, I am going to go back a year to when we revealed to our girls that we were moving above the 49th parallel. While it is true that 50% of Canadians actually live below this imaginary line, we Americans live right above it (49.1666 degrees N). We celebrated this news with festive fanfare that included a number of Canadian favourites-- split pea soup, poutine, and Nanaimo bars. To focus on the importance of Shabbat, seven, Shavuot, and Jubilee, I think I will return to these dishes.
That said, the parasha opens with a focus on allowing your vineyards to lay fallow so one might consider a grape (or raisin studded) salad (or even raisin challah) or popping open a bottle of your favourite wine. The focus on forty-nine also reminds me of San Fransisco, so one might consider a sourdough-like challah or be inspired by the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company for some decadent chocolate desserts. One might also argue, as we finish reading the book of Leviticus this week-- hazak, hazak, v'nitchazayk-- be strong, be strong and let us strengthen one another, in other words finish strong with a yummy dessert!
For those looking for inspiration, I hope you will join Beth Tikvah on ZOOM for a festive food-filled week of Shavuot cooking from around the world.
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