There is a great truth out there, that the world really needs to know:

Jews. Love. Food.

The Talmud teaches us (Pesachim 109a): אֵין שִׂמְחָה אֶלָּא בְּבָשָׂר וְיַיִן, there is no joy without meat and wine.

Now, of course, there are some people who may not drink wine or eat meat, but that is not the point. Rather, in Judaism, this is an injunction to celebrate Shabbat and Holidays with tastes and flavours and scents that bring joy to the body and soul, and unity to all at the table. By making our body feel whole and satisfied, it allows our soul to bask in the sanctity of the day.

When I and so many others reflect upon early Sabbath memories, what stands out amidst the aura of love, family, the connection between generations, holy guests, sounds and song, is the smell of fresh baked challah, the warmth of chicken soup, and all of the other incredible Shabbos foods, from whatever culture you come from.

There is just so much more to say about this deep connection between food and Jewish spirituality. So I want to invite you to join my conversation with Nancy Weisbrod, about her relationship with the 4th Dibber of Shabbat and food.

Wife, mother and grandmother, Nancy is the founding president and board member of The Village Shul Aish HaTorah Learning Center, in Toronto. She is also the Project Aseret Ambassador creating the WAVE (Wisdom of the Aseret Values Education) Workshop.

Most importantly for our conversation, she is a Kosher cooking teacher, Umami Sushi founder, Cordon Bleu graduate, and has been teaching and sharing delicious, simple and health-giving meals for over 4 decades.

This conversation was super heartfelt, light hearted and yet full of depth and meaning. It was a true pleasure to learn from her about the intimate relationship between Judaism and food and I think you will feel the same.

As for the episode, we hope you find it meaningful! Click HERE to Listen, and don’t forget to subscribe.

Love, Noach Binyamin