I hope that you welcome the blog back into your inboxes after the hiatus of several weeks.
This week's parashah begins with a discussion of the sactity of the kohanim and the various blemishes that disqualify them from service in the mikdash or mishkan. That section of the parahsah will not be the focus of our shabbat meal.
Instead, our nod to Emor will highlight the fourth, fifth, and six aliyot of the parashah. This center section establishes the holidays as integral parts of Judaism. So, our dinner Friday night will include foods traditional for the various holidays mentioned in the Torah reading: shabbat, Pesach, the omer, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah (I think our menu will have to skip Yom Kippur), and Sukkot. I'm still working on the specifics of the menu, but it will definitely feature romaine, matzah, and horseradish (Pesach), barley (the omer), some type of cream soup (pareve--for Shavuot), apples and/or honey (Rosh Hashanah), and hearts of palm (to represent a lulav).
I've also created a simple matching/ memory game that we can play--matching the dates given in the Torah and the name of the holiday.
We will also try to introduce the concept of kedushat hazman, sanctity of time/sanctifying time, through our discussion at the table. The holidays allow us to envelop ourselves in holiness and elevate ourselves spiritually during that sacred time.
That's it for this week. Have a shabbat shalom!
© Tammie Rapps 2009
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