Home > News > Food Tourah – Behar – Bechukotai
May 20, 2025 in Food Tourah
Because life so often happens around food, we’re spending the year exploring the weekly parshiot and finding connections to each week’s Shabbat menu. Yet again we have a double portion which results in the 32nd and 33rd parshiot down, 21 more to go! These are also the last two parshiot in Leviticus!
Behar introduces the concept of the sabbatical year (shemita), in which every seventh year the land itself observes a sabbath – it may not be sown or reaped. After seven such cycles (49 years), the 50th year is designated and celebrated as a yovel, or Jubilee: a time when all indentured servants are released and all property reverts to its original ownership, because ultimately all land belongs to G-d. This parsha also includes laws about servitude and a strong prohibition against idols.
Bechukotai, the final parsha in Leviticus, outlines the blessings that result from following G-d’s laws: abundance in their lands, protection from their enemies, and fruitful families. But the parsha also details the curses that will befall those that disobey – otherwise known as the tochacha. Bechukotai ends with a reaffirmation of the covenant between G-d and the people and a section on vows and dedication.
Observing a shemita year requires planning ahead – no planting or harvesting all year! This would seem to require some advance cooking. Enjoy this round up of Make Ahead Meals. We’re leaning towards the Iraqi Apricot Meatballs or this Balkan Vegetable Stew (with an option to add meat), but there’s lots to choose from. Add some mashed potatoes or your favorite rice, and you have a hearty meal that will sustain you. After this satisfying Shabbat meal, satisfy your sweet tooth with these Cherries Jubilee Brownies, a decadent nod to the Jubilee year! After all, when you follow the rules and finish your dinner, blessings (and dessert) follow. And since we could all use a few more blessings, why not whip up a batch of this to nosh on throughout Shabbat.
And with that, we’ve finished THREE books of the Torah – Chazak, Chazak, Venitchazek!
B’tayavon and Shabbat Shalom,
Alison (Baraf) & Sarah (Roark)
To read past installments of Food Tourah – Click Here.
For a more in-depth look at this week’s parsha, visit Sefaria.com.
