Food Tourah: A Food Tour through the Torah

October 9, 2025 in Food Tourah

New year – renewed initiative!  Because life so often happens around food, we are again spending a year exploring the weekly parshiot and finding connections to each week’s Shabbat dinner/Shabbat afternoon offerings.  This parsha-inspired recipes project grew from a shared desire to spend a year exploring the weekly Torah portions in a fun, modern way, and also inspired by another friend’s insightful weekly blog – Parsha Inspired Menus. Sarah, a seasoned Jewish educator, brings a wealth of knowledge to our discussions, while Alison, who loves creating dishes that bring people together, is excited to explore the weekly portions in greater depth.

Each week we will give a brief overview of the parsha and then suggest ways to incorporate its themes into your Shabbat menu. This is our version of Julie and Julia – the charming movie in which a blogger challenges herself to make all 524 recipes from Julia Child’s 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking in just one year.  Lucky for us, we only have to cover 54 parshiot!

Beresheet is the first parsha in the annual Torah reading cycle, which restarts at the beginning of Genesis.  In it, God creates the world in six days and then gives us the gift of Shabbat on the seventh.  This parsha also tells the story of Adam and Eve eating the apple from the tree of knowledge.

Who doesn’t love a good Black and White cookie?  We thought this was particularly fitting to represent the creation of day and night.  We decided to try this recipe from local chef Paula Shoyer.   And as an ode to the “Day of Rest,” you can enjoy these “Bake While You Sleep Cookies.”

B’tayavon and Shabbat Shalom,

Alison (Baraf) & Sarah (Roark)