‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me." אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי לְמִצְרָ֑יִם וָאֶשָּׂ֤א אֶתְכֶם֙ עַל־כַּנְפֵ֣י נְשָׁרִ֔ים וָאָבִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי
It was, for me, as if it was meant to be. I went on a refreshing and stunning walk this week and towards the end looked up to see at least 5 majestic bald eagles soaring through the sky! Stunning! As I paused to admire their beauty, I was struck that this was the week of the nesher (eagle) in which God poetically says that our deliverance came as God symbolically carried us on eagles' wings. I have often heard it said that this metaphor comes as the eagle soars highest in the sky-- with nothing higher and yet with the most extraordinary eyesight and one of the largest wingspan.
I plan to honour this sighting, my continued prayer for deliverance, and my longing for our world to soar with an eagle shaped challah, with proud wings.
בְּעַ֣ב הֶֽעָנָן֒ And the LORD said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud
Pavlova- I cannot think of a dessert of food that looks more like a heavenly thick cloud like Pavlova. I discovered this delightful dessert when preparing for Passover a number of years ago and while I do not make it frequently, it always feels like a treat. Basically, you make one large circular meringue, top it with fruit of your choice (or even jam) and then top with whip cream. In this case, the whip cream can stand for Mt. Sinai peeking through. May if feel like revelation and much less intimating than our ancestors felt in meeting God at Mt. Sinai!
הַ֥ר סִינָֽי Mount Sinai
As we all, tradition maintains, stand at Mt. Sinai this week-- with both the mountain our our own legs trembling. Smoke and the sound of shofarot fill the scene. For me, I see a Mt. Sinai of mashed potatoes with smoking gravy pouring out. I learned that little hot dogs or cocktail weenies in bbq sauce are called Little Smokies! Who knew!?! This brings me to consider all of the things that might represent the smoke-- vegetarian cigars, smoked paprika in my matbucha. Oh! the possibilities are endless!
The Ten Commandments עשרת הדיברות
Ah! but the number of mitzvot are not. 613 mitzvot in all, the 10 in this week's parasha are among the most famous. Needing to honour this number of 10, I plan to make a beautiful, colourful, layered salad with 10 layers in a glass bowl. Think of the possibilities: lettuce, purple cabbage, corn, peas, red pepper, carrot, chick peas, cukes, grape tomatoes, scallions or change out a layer for another colourful option. Have fun but stick to 10 this week!
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