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Shabbat Shalom!.

Shabbat Shalom!.

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Behaalotecha

Numbers 8:1-12:16

Torah Reading for Week of May 23-29, 2010 -

Sivan 10-16 5770

"And the people took to seeking complaints; it was evil in

the eyes of Hashem……and they said,’who will feed us meat?

we remember the fish that we ate in Egypt, the cucumber,

melons ….. but now our life is parched, there is nothing;

we have nothing to anticipate but the manna.”

(11:1,4,5,6)

For forty years Hashem provided the Jewish people with manna which miraculously fell daily and faithfully from heaven. All they needed to do was go out each morning to collect the food. Moreover, our Sages teach that the Manna tasted like whatever the person eating it desired. Many commentators have explained that this 40 year sojourn in the desert was meant to prepare the Jewish people for the realities of life .In this weeks parsha we see a thankless generation of complainers; despite everything they had been given, the Jewish People were not appreciative. Human nature is such so that even when we have everything we need, one finds fault. This attitude is not uncommon today, when we have so much , we come to expect even more. We live in a time of unprecedented freedom and materialism, we are surrounded by a society which influences us to believe that we are entitled to immediate gratification, to have everything we want. The only problem with this is how much is enough? In response to the people's complaints about the lack of meat and the boring taste of "manna", Hashem responded by giving them an abundance of meat, and when the people gathered it greedily, many of them were punished for their lack of appreciation and faith in G-d.

As we see complainers have been complaining since the earliest of times. Perhaps the less we expect the more likely we are to see the good in what we have. For those of us blessed with good health, maybe working in a hospital or home for the aged would help us to appreciate what we have so easily. We need to step back and look at life with the proper perspective, look hard at the blessings we enjoy but also realize that there is no life that is not fraught with hardships and frustration, and even in the best of times, we are still faced with difficulties to overcome. Don’t let us focus only on what is missing, so we are blinded to what we have.

As Jews, as people, we have been dealt many difficult situations in life. In our personal lives, we are faced with the struggles of existence every day, whether they are financial, intellectual, social, emotional or medical , and as a Jewish nation we have been threatened by enemies of annihilation. But we need to continue to learn that when G-d serves us lemons, we should use them to make lemonade . Jewish people have been compared to a fish and seem to have this precious instinct of self preservation by learning how to swim upstream against the tide. There never comes a time when we can step back and say, “All right, I’ve set up my life just right, everything is just perfect so I can relax. We seem to continue to rise above the unpredictability and the hardships we encounter.

I was listening to a news program this morning about effects of the recession on different people. One of the woman interviewed has been looking for a job for the last year and is barely making enough money to put food on her table, yet asked how she continues to have optimism she mentioned her grandparents and how during the depression her grandmother was sent to the grocery store to buy celery, In today's world when someone goes to the grocery to buy celery I don’t believe you can purchase just one stalk. (individual rib of a bunch)

Appreciating what we have is crucial to our spirituality and happiness. There will always be something to complain about if we look hard enough. This is the message of this parsha, one we need to take this time to appreciate. Judaism is about action about optimism about believing that G-d bestowed us with this gift of life and when things get rough and we think we can’t handle what has been dealt us think about what King Solomon the wisest of all men tells us we can do to create the most beautiful life,

“Trust HASHEM with all your heart and upon your own understanding do not rely. In all your directions know Him and He will make straight your ways”. (Mishlei 35-6)

Shabbat Shalom,

Miriam

The next time that we find ourselves upset about minor issues let us remember the lesson of the Manna. (Manna is the Hebrew word for “what is it?” and the Israelites were instructed to eat only the manna they had gathered for each day. the exception being the day before Shabbat when twice the amount of manna was gathered, which did not spoil overnight. Despite their grumbling this food was provided daily., and the The pot of manna in the ark of the covenant was an uncomfortable reminder that despite what God had provided for them, the Israelites had rejected God’s provision.

These butter cookies looks like the manna as is stated in the torah

"And the house of Israel called the name there of manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey (l6:31)."

MANNA COOKIES

3/4 c. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

21/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/4 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. honey

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and mix well. Add honey and vanilla. Add flour slowly. Drop by half teaspoon on cookie sheet then bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until done.

Pheasant

The “meat“ which G-d provided was actually pheasant. Pheasant or any wild fowl is much like chicken and can be prepared as such.

honey

salt and pepper

granulated garlic powder

tarragon

thyme

1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Place the pheasant into a baking dish.

Pour lemon juice over the pheasant.

Generously spread the honey over the entire bird.

Season the cavities of the pheasant generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, tarragon & thyme.

Lightly sprinkle the outside of the pheasant with salt, pepper, garlic powder, tarragon & thyme.

Place into the bottom third of the oven & roast until done, which will be when you puncture the bird & the juices run clear.

Be careful not to over cook the pheasant, as it is a very dry bird with very little fat.

Shish Kabob

For those of us that love “ real meat” this shish kabob recipe is wonderful for these long summer month. The longer you marinate the better the kabob. Put your meat chunks in the marinade in the morning and then it will be ready for the grill by dinner.

2 pounds beef, precut into chunks

2 medium red onions, chunks

1 red pepper, chunks (orange)

1 green bell pepper, chunks

1 8oz.pack mushroom buttons

marinade:

2/3 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup olive oil

1 tbsp cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp. dijon mustard

4 tbsp minced garlic

salt

pepper

lemon juice

Marinate in fridge for at least one hour. Longer the better, Alternate skewers of beef, and vegetables.

Place on grill. Keep turning sides as necessary, about every two minutes. Should be done in 10-12 minutes for medium doneness.

To top off your meal this salad is great during these months when strawberries taste like manna from heaven!

SPINACH AND STRAWBERRY SALAD

12 oz. fresh spinach

1/4 c. safflower oil

1 to 2 tbsp. sugar

Dash of pepper

Dash of Tabasco

2 tbsp. sesame seeds

2 tbsp. salad vinegar

2 tbsp. minced green onion

1 tsp. salt

1 pt. sliced strawberries

Wash spinach, discard stems; dry and tear into bite size pieces. Wrap in toweling and refrigerate. Toast sesame seeds on pie pan, in 350 degree oven about 10 minutes until golden; cool. Combine oil, vinegar, sugar, onion, salt, pepper and tabasco in covered container until sugar dissolves; refrigerate. To serve: in salad bowl, toss dressing into spinach and sesame seeds. Gently toss in strawberries.