TAZRIA/METZORA

I hope that you all had a wonderful Pesach.

This week we bless the new month of Iyar, which is Sunday and Monday.  Don't forget to count sefirat Haomer...

In Israel we read Parshat Tazria/Metzora and in America we read Shmini.

This week’s Parsha tells us that on the eighth day, the Metzora must bring Korbanos to complete his Taharah. The animal Korbanot of the Metzora include two male sheep and one female sheep. One of the male sheep is offered as an Olah and  the other as an Asham. The female sheep is offered as a Chatat. After all of the Korbanot were offered, the Kohein pours some of the oil in his left hand and sprinkles it seven times towards the Kodesh ha'Kodashim. He must dip his right finger in the oil each time. Here are sheep cookies and the Kohein’s “hands”.  I will hand it to you that it will be great!

What you will need:

Shortbread cookies

Sheep shaped cookie cutter

Hand shaped cookie cutter

Fondant

Chocolate chip or edible marker

Corn syrup and paintbrush

Shortbread Cookie:

1 ½ cups margarine

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tbs. vanilla

3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 325 F. Place everything in a bowl and mix until well blended.

Place a plastic tablecloth on your table and sprinkle with flour.  Roll out the dough and shape into sheep and hands. Place on cookie sheets covered in baking paper.  Bake for 16-18 minutes and let cool.

In the meantime, roll out the fondant and use sheep shape cookie cutters.  When the cookies are cooled paint corn syrup (it will be like glue) on the cookie and place the fondant on top.  Decorate as desired.

“hand”le with care.

This week is a minhag to bake a challa with a key inside.  I wrap mine in aluminum foil before baking.  This is supposed to be a segula for a good parnasa.

SHABBAT IMABBA:
Here is a great way for my father and I to learn a little bit of Parsha each week, even though we live far from each other.
( I like the play on words of Abba in the word Shabbat and bat (daughter...) and Imabba meaning "with Abba" and Ima Abba written together!  Thanks Abba and Ima :-)

This week's Parsha talks about women giving birth and when a boy is born, we have a brit mila for him.

Usually the bracha given by a brit milah is

כשם שנכנס לברית כך יכנס לתורה לחופה ולמעשים טובים.

Just like when you have a brit, it stays with the child forever, so to, the Torah, chupa and maasim Tovim should stay forever.

Why is it called Brit?  The gematria of brit is 612.  We have 613 mitzvot.  We are teaching the child that the first mitzvah, the brit mila, we are giving him forever and now it is up to the child, to hold the rest.



PARSHA PUZZLE:

Bracha’s dress was not so nice,

and Sara came home with some lice.

Shalom sang low in a play,

and Moshe misbehaved today.

Chaya’s family is poor,

Devorah’s clothes are all over the floor.

Esti’s baby is not so cute,

And  Racheli cannot play the flute.

You cannot wait until Tova’s call,

So you can really tell her all.

You really have to think this twice,

besides that all this isn’t nice.

You know that you really should,

always judge people for the good.

And anyway we learn this week,

Guard your tongue from what you speak.

There is a pasuk and a famous Rav too,

If you know it, you guessed this clue…

PLAYING WITH THE PARSHA:

This week’s Parshas Metzora talks about a person who was stricken with tzaraas. Tzaraas was a punishment from Hashem for a person who spoke Lashon Hara ( evil speech). Lashon Hara hurts many people. It hurts the listener, the one being spoken about, and all those who hear about it after. 

Hashem gave us the power of speech and we have to use it wisely.  If someone talks bad about someone else it is very hurtful.  Once you say something to someone, you can never take it back.  Imagine counting feathers and then taking it outside on a windy day and letting it go.  After a while, if you try to collect the feathers, you will never be able to retrieve all of them.  So too is lashon Hara.  Once you tell one person, it spreads.

A great game to play is telephone.  Have one person at the table whisper a sentence to the next person.  The next person will then whisper what he heard to the next one and so on.  No one can repeat what they whispered.  The last person has to say what he heard out loud.  Most of the time, it is different than what the first person said.  So to is lashon hara.  It never comes back the way it started.  Good lesson!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

This week we will make a cake in the shape of a house and tzaraat all over it.

What you will need:

9x13 inch pan

Red sprinkles

Lemon Cake

9T margarine                                                                                   2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cup sugar                                                                       ¼+1/8 tsp salt

3 eggs                                                                                            3/4 cup pareve milk substitute

2 1/4 cup flour                                                                        grated rind of 1 lemon

Cream margarine and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs.  Sift dry ingredients, and add alternately with milk to egg mixture.   Stir in the lemon rind.  Pour in a greased and floured 9x13 inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 for around 25 minutes, until cake springs lightly to touch. 

*Optional glaze: Combine ¾  cup sugar with the juice of 1 lemon.  Spoon onto hot cake.  Return to oven for 5 more minutes. 

When the cake has cooled cut ¼ of the top of the cake.  Cut that in half diagonally so that you have a triangular shape.  Place the triangle on top and now you have a cake that looks like a house!  Sprinkle to cake with red sprinkles- and there is the house with Tzraat in it.

Answer to Parsha Puzzle:(Mi haish hechafetz Chaim, Ohev yamim lirot tov, Netzor leshoncha meira… 

Have a great Shabbat!  Ruchie