Inheritance

In this week’s parasha, Pinchas, we hear the story of the daughters of Tzelophchad, who successfully petition to inherit their father’s holdings, since he had no sons (Num. 27:1-8). The daughters are held up in some Jewish circles as feminist icons, not only successfully gaining an inheritance for themselves but also impacting inheritance law for other women. In response to their case, God instructs Moses that the property of a householder who dies without sons should transfer to his daughter(s). By petitioning for their rights, they impact the entire community.

As I was reading their story this week, I was struck by how much we inherit from our parents, and how much that shapes our future. Certainly, and in ways that should not be understated, the wealth or debts that we inherit from our parents can have a dramatic impact on our lives and material circumstances. But this parasha also hints at all the other pieces of that inheritance; while the daughters’ claim has an economic impact, they specifically highlight another consideration, saying “Let not our father’s name be lost to his clan just because he had no son!” (Num. 27:4). Inheritance is about carrying on family traditions and memories. We name our children in honor of our relatives, hoping that they will carry on their legacy and in some way embody the same qualities we loved in those we lost. We make the special foods our parents made for us for our children, mixing into the dough our own nostalgic memories of childhood. And we tell our children stories about their ancestors, stories that tell them who they are in the world and also what it means to live a good life.

This weekend, my family will be marking the ways that Torah is also a type of inheritance, as we celebrate our son’s upsherin, a hair cutting ceremony to mark the end of infancy and the beginning of a child’s education. I did not grow up with this ceremony, but my husband did, and it’s strange to think how visibly and tangibly my son’s babyhood will be over when we cut off his little curls. Remembering my daughter’s first haircut, I know how much this will change his face, how he will transform suddenly before my eyes from “toddler” to “little kid”. But it is also exciting to think about this amazing phase of growth and learning that he is entering into, the years in which the world widens and expands and I will get to watch him grow into himself.

I love that we get to have these ritual moments to articulate for ourselves exactly what it is we hope to pass on to our children, what we hope their inheritance will be, beyond material goods. Whether you are marking a birthday or other special occasion in your family this week or not, this parasha is a good opportunity to reflect: what is something you inherited that you value? What is something that you hope to pass onto your children, and how do you plan to do that? This might be a good Shabbat to consider sharing some family stories, the collective memories that were passed along to you and that you want your children to know as well. Or it could be a good opportunity to break out an old photo album and tell your kids about the people and the moments in those images.

As parents, we often think about the practical logistics of caring for our children, and while the story in this week’s parasha centers on economic forms of inheritance, I’m going to be bet that you have already thought/worried/planned quite a bit about how to provide for your children financially. But one of the things I have loved about this weekly practice of reflecting on how to bring the parasha to my family table is the way it has prompted me to think more intentionally about the non-material things I want to transmit to my children, and the best ways to give those traditions to them.

Alef-Bet Cookies

Chocolate Sugar Cookie recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Because the upsherin ceremony marks the beginning of a child’s education, which starts with learning the alef-bet, it is traditional to put honey on the letters to make start of that education sweet. My kids are not big fans of honey, but they do love cookies, so I have decided to bake Alef-Bet cookies instead. You could easily make a standard sugar cookie for this, but my kids are big chocolate fans, so I couldn’t resist making chocolate cookies.

Learning the alef-bet is the steppingstone to any Jewish education; not only are the prayers traditionally recited in English, but although the texts of the Torah and rabbinic literature are often available in translation, they really come alive in the original. These cookies are a fun way to get kids excited about learning to read, just as English alphabet cookies would be!

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder (natural or dutch process both work)

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on high speed until creamy and smooth (1-2 mins). Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another minute until fully combined.

3. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and beat on low until combined. The dough will be soft, but if it seems too sticky to roll out, add an additional tablespoon of flour.

4. Divide the dough in half, and roll out in two equal parts, until about 1/4 inch thick. Don’t worry about the shape of the dough, just aim for the right thickness.

5. Chill the dough. This step is important, so don’t skip it! Place a piece of parchment paper over the top of one of the rolled out doughs, then lay the second layer of dough on top. The parchment will prevent them from sticking together. Wrap everything in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours, and up to 2 days.

6. Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350. Take the dough back out and cut out your shapes. Re-roll the remaining scraps until you have used up all of the dough. If the dough gets too soft from working with it, put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes. I made my cookies into alef-bet shapes, but you can use any cookie cutter you like.

7. Put cookies on a baking tray, leaving a few inches between them, and bake form 11-12 minutes. Let them cool on the tray for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

8. You can ice the cookies if desired. Here are recipes for royal icing or for an easy cookie icing.

9. Serve right away or once the icing is set. If making ahead, cookies can freeze for up to 3 month. I like to freeze them plain and then ice them once they are defrosted and we plan to eat them.

Notes:

• I found the step of rolling the dough out before chilling to be a bit of a pain and ultimately unnecessary. If I were to make these again, I would just chill the dough in a ball and then roll it out before cutting the shapes.

• These cookies have a nice chocolate flavor, but they are not very sweet. I had planned to serve them without icing (as pictured) but am now thinking I may ice some or all of them, as I expect kids will prefer a slightly sweeter cookie. For an iced cookie, however, its perfect, as the dough will stop the overall cookie from being too sweet (a problem I often find with iced cookies).