Lech Lecha Sand Trifles

In a discussion about Lech Lecha, Rav Kook noted that Hashem promises Avraham that his descendents will be as numerous as the stars. Later, Hashem will promise Avraham that his decendants will be as the sand on the seashore.  Why sand and stars? The metaphor of stars emphasizes the importance of each individual Jew: “Every soul is a universe unto itself, as the Sages wrote: “One who saves a single soul of Israel, it is as if he has saved an entire world” (Sanhedrin 37a).” On the other hand, the importance and power of sand lies not in any individual grain, and the metaphor of sand alludes to the collective purpose of the Jewish people.

Over at Parsha Post, Rabbi Neil Fleishmann brings up the observation of the Kli Yakar that there are actually three similes for Avraham’s descendants:  sand, stars and dust. The stars represent us at our height of greatness, the dust represents us at our lowest, and the sand represents our ability to endure.

For this parsha dessert, I went with something super easy. Just crush vanilla cookies or tea biscuits and layer them with a vanilla mousse made with Tofutti “cream cheese,” Rich’s Whip, almond milk and vanilla pudding mix. Very easy to make right before Shabbos with your kids.

Lech Lecha Sand Trifles
Inspired by this sand trifle at Confetti Diaries and by the Gatherings pareve tiramisu.

1 package vanilla tea biscuits (about 4 ounces), crushed (or graham crackers or any light colored cookie), crushed to sandy texture
8 ounces Rich’s Whip
8 ounces Tofutti “cream cheese”
1 package Osem vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup dairy free milk, like almond milk, or soy or rice or coconut

Whip the Rich’s Whip until stiff. Beat in the “cream cheese,” then the vanilla pudding mix and almond milk. Add vanilla.

You can use a single glass dish or layer this in individual cups. You can get about 8 cups. Layer some crumbs on the bottom of each cup. Add some of the vanilla mousse, then a layer of crumbs, more mousse, and then a final layer of crumbs.

That’s it! Put it in the fridge and you are done.

Bonus: Lech Lecha Sand and Stars cookies at Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Tags: Lech Lecha, no bake dessert, trifle, vanilla pudding