34 | MAY 30 • 2024 
J
N

W 
 

ith Passover behind us, it 
is time to gear up for the 
holiday of Shavuot. The 
holiday originated as a harvest festival, 
but according to Jewish tradition and the 
Talmud, Shavuot marks the anniversary 
of the revelation at Sinai and the granting 
of the Torah to the Jewish 
people. 
As a result, it has become 
traditional to stay up all 
night studying Torah and 
also to indulge in dairy-
based foods for a whole host 
of reasons including but not 
limited to textual references 
and gematria-based associations related to 
milk, halachic considerations associated 

with the revelation and coincident timing 
of calving season.
The menu I’m sharing showcases dairy 
and was inspired by one of my favorite 
activities: counting the omer from the 
second night of Pesach until the night 
Shavuot begins. Each night, we say a 
blessing and count the day and the week, 
mirroring the journey of the Israelites 
who spent these 49 days between the 
Exodus and the giving of the Torah in 
spiritual preparation and anticipation. 
A Kabbalistic tradition associates 
sefirot (attributes) with each week and 
each day of the week, including chesed 
(lovingkindness), gevurah (strength), 
tiferet (beauty), netzach (endurance), hod 
(humility), yesod (foundation) and malchut 

(sovereignty). The practice is then to 
think about the interactions of the week 
and the day’s attributes to focus on self-
improvement akin to the spiritual practice 
of Mussar.
What I love about this practice is 
that in the Mussar framework, each 
attribute exists on a spectrum, and it 
is our goal not to be at the extreme 
of any attribute, but rather to find 
balance. The beauty of exploring these 
attributes while counting the omer is 
that it provides a multi-dimensional 
look at each attribute — for example, 
considering the gevurah (strength) aspect 
of chesed (lovingkindness) in contrast 
with the hod (humility) aspect of chesed 
(lovingkindness).
Motivated by this idea, I share a 
balanced menu for Shavuot. While as 
a dairy lover I might be inclined to 
prepare a meal that consists of cheese 
on cheese on cheese, there is a beauty in 
allowing the dairy elements to shine by 
complementing them with contrasting 
flavors and textures. It is also easier on 
the digestive system. 
To balance the two recipes that include 
several steps and components (which 
I think are worth the effort), I chose 
a simple main. I also wanted to share 
recipes that highlight some local produce 
in peak season, reminding us of the 
harvest origins of the holiday. 
I start with a favorite salad including 
asparagus, feta, mint, onions, croutons, 
and a punchy vinaigrette. The salad 
showcases in-season asparagus, and the 
other ingredients balance each other 
beautifully, though the recipe can be 
adapted to omit the croutons or feta 
without detriment. 
For a main, I include a no-recipe 
recipe for a simple mustard-brown sugar 
salmon, which has spicy-sweet flavors 
that complement the salad. Finally, a 
showstopper goat cheese cheesecake with 
a raspberry-rhubarb compote, making 
use of seasonal rhubarb and topped with 
a crunchy streusel, is a delightful way to 
end the meal.

ASPARAGUS, FETA & MINT SALAD
Adapted from Samin Nosrat 
Serves 4-6 as a side 
Dairy, can be made pareve 

Food for Thought: 
Food for Thought: 
 A Spring 
 Shavuot Menu

Joelle 
Abramowitz

FOOD
HOLIDAY MENU
Asparagus 
salad

JOELLE ABRAMOWITZ

