Terumah

וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה מֵאֵ֤ת כָּל־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ

you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him/her…

We each have unique gifts to offer. This Torah portion begins by asking for us to give of them freely and willingly. As the Torah portion continues the details become more intricate and precise, clarifying which gifts seem particularly helpful towards the goal of building the mishkan, the portable sanctuary. And yet, the Torah inspires me annually in considering that if we all brought the same gift, the central space would have lacked depth, dynamism, verve. In short it could not, by definition, have been a communal space. Such a holy endeavour requires each of us to bring that which makes us unique, and the combination of singular particularities gives space to the communal holy spirit.

So how can we represent such gifts on our altars, our tables? Perhaps either phyllo wrapped fish (we like salmon flavoured with salt and pepper, a dab of sesame oil, a piece of pickled ginger topped with scallions and sesame seeds) or strudel, or even burekas — something edible and wrapped. For those who prefer dairy, think of a baked brie topped with your a bit of your favourite flavour of jam, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden brown on the outside and gooey on the inside!

וּתְכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י—blue, purple, and crimson (Ex. 25:4)

This is quite a colourful parasha. Dammara Kovnats Hall recently taught me about butterfly pea flower tea for its blue to purple magical colour changing properties (she was sharing how appropriate this would be for say a Purim drink with the theme of change and hiddenness). If I can swing it having Butterfly pea flower lemonade seems like the perfect way to honour these deep, majestic colours of the parasha. To be honest, we may have to sip it out of fancy tea cups just because it will prompt my girls to feel like royalty which in turn might provide access to the entire point — the building of the mishkan and offering our finest selves and stuff!

For those without access to this tea, a dressed purple cabbage salad with craisins, madarin oranges, pine nuts and scallions dressed with a slightly sweet and tangy oil dressing will also offer some of the colours shared in the parasha. It also feels special, festive, and is quite tasty!

וְהָי֣וּ הַכְּרֻבִים֩ פֹּרְשֵׂ֨י כְנָפַ֜יִם לְמַ֗עְלָה סֹכְכִ֤ים בְּכַנְפֵיהֶם֙ — The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, shielding the cover with their wings (Ex. 25:20)

Wings… We all need to feel God’s protective cover right now whether in the form of cherubim, angels, or any divine beings. We could all use to feel wings with which we could soar. Wings. When my girls were a bit younger they loved to put on butterfly wings, fairy wings, airplane wings. Why not return, this week, to that place of innocence, that feeling of elevation, that sense that anything is possible. And let’s honour those cherubim (it is mid-February after all) with wings — whether chicken or cauliflower (although it is known to be the worst flower to give or receive for Valentine’s Day, I think it gets a bad rep and my family will take it any day)!

I could not help but notice that in the myriad of details of this parasha that the word “rings” kept being repeated. It would seem that most of the vessels and instruments being crafted needed to be easily transported and these rings would allow for poles to carry the holy objects. In chapter 25 alone, I counted the wholly, holy number of 7 occurrences of rings. Rings are important in Judaism. In a Jewish wedding, traditionally a groom offers the bride a simple, plain band with no gemstones or other embellishments to express a binding of souls and a never-ending commitment to one another. Many connect this symbol to this week’s parasha in fact and choose gold for this very reason.

What, therefore, could be more perfect than beautifully golden onion rings? Remember calories don’t count on Shabbat! I learned, as well, that there are a host of “ring” foods that expand beyond jello ring molds to crescent rolls cut to create a ring of sorts. For me, I will stick with the onion rings and perhaps end the feast with an amaretto almond bundt cake (again ring shaped) which can bring in the stunning almond blossom branches which adorned the menorah (25:34). This will provide a wonderful opportunity to return to Tu B’shvat, look ahead to Purim and connect it all with Chanukah. So many opportunities here.