Parshas Ki Savo

Supplies :

1. Plain cake of your choice
2. White fondant
3. Food coloring: purple, red and green
4. Plastic knife
5. Rolling pin
6. Parchment paper

Specialty Item list

Instructions

1. Soften a large piece of white fondant with your hands. Roll it out on a piece of parchment paper until it becomes large enough to cover the cake
2. Lay the fondant over the cake. Pat down the flat sides and cut off the extra fondant hanging at the corners. Pinch together the open parts at the corners and smooth it out with your fingers. Trim off any fondant sticking off the cake at the bottom.
3. Divide the leftover fondant that you cut off into 3 balls. Add food coloring to each ball and mix till the color is even.
4. Take purple fondant and roll several teeny balls. Smash each ball onto the top of the cake to form a cluster of grapes in the left corner of your cake as shown.
5. Take some green fondant. Roll into a ball then flatten. Use plastic knife to cut 2 leaves and a stem as shown. Place the cut-out leaves and stem above the grapes.
6. Take some red fondant. Roll it into a ball and flatten. With a knife cut ¾ of a circle to form a partial pomegranate. Place it at the right bottom corner of the cake.
7. Roll a small piece of white fondant into a thin rope. Place it on the edge of the cut-out part of your pomegranate. Then roll some tiny red balls and flatten them in the empty space inside and beyond the pomegranate.
8. Fill most of the remaining space with a lot of red and purple balls, flattened and placed on the cake as shown.
9. Create 3 red leaf-like shapes, and place them in the middle of the pomegranate so that the middle of each shape sticks off the surface.
10. Your bikkurim cake is ready!

Imagine…

Farmers from all over Eretz Yisroel are heading towards the Beis Hamikdash with their full baskets of Bikkurim fruit, ready to give them to the Kohanim as tokens of thanksgiving to Hashem. The sound of a flute accompanies the joyful procession. As each farmer comes up to the Kohen, he holds the edges of his Bikurim basket while the Kohen holds the basket from below and waves it in every direction. The farmer recites a passage of thanksgiving to Hashem, then places the basket next to the Mizbeach, to be distributed to the Kohanim on duty at that time.

Delving Deeper

Expressing thanks is important, both to Hashem and to any person who helps you. When feeling gratitude, you might think it in your head, but the Mitzvah of Bikkurim teaches us to verbalize it, and to do so with joy and intention. The farmers who brought Bikkurim put in extra effort to beautify their gifts, traveled to the Bais Hamikdash with songs on their lips, and verbally recited a passage of thanks to Hashem.

While we cannot bring actual Bikkurim today, we can make a point to thank Hashem for the many gifts He has given us, as well as the people who have helped or done us a favor. Just as the Bikkurim were accompanied by a verbal recitation and brought with fanfare, we too can make sure to express our thanks and put thought into the way we do so. For example, you can smile, look the other person in the eye, and specify what you are grateful for. If it’s appropriate, you can even give the person a gift with a nice note.

Point to Ponder

What are some words you can use or actions you can take to show Hashem your gratitude for all that He gives you? How about when it comes to thanking another person?