Kol Ramah

Listen to the wonderful kids of Tzeirim interviewing the people at the farm of Camp Ramah!

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky - broadcasted directly from our studio in Ramah Berkshires! This week the double parashah Chukkat-Balak [Numbers 19:1-25:9] allows the Diaspora communities to catch up with Israel. Because the 2nd day of Shavuot was on Shabbat in the Diaspora, necessitating a special reading for the holiday while in Israel it was a normal Shabbat with a regular weekly reading, Israel has been a week ahead. This week is the first opportunity for a double portion in the book of Numbers, so we are reading Chukkat-Balak while in Israel they will be reading Balak. Among the many topics covered in this double portion, we ended up focusing on two: chapter 19 with the ritual of the red heifer for purification after corpse contamination and chapter 20:1-13 which is the famous story of Moses and the Rock, on account of which, at least in this week’s Torah reading, Moses and Aaron lose their ability to enter the Promised Land, because of their failure to sanctify God before t

Take a listen as Omer and Ben of Radio Kol Ramah get to speak to campers and staff as the buses pull up for the start of Kayitz 2023!

Parsha Talk; with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky Parashat Korach [Numbers 16-18] is one of the few parashiyot [weekly Torah readings] to take the name of a person. The Book of Numbers itself has two others, next week with half of Chukkat-Balak and the following week with Pinchas. Korach, a cousin of Moses and Aaron, leads a rebellion against their authority. Jaccob Milgrom, in his JPS Commentary on Numbers, identifies the strands of at least four separate rebellions which are fused together in the parashah this week. In our conversation we try to untangle Korach’s complaint. Is it in anyway justified? Give a listen and let us know what you think below in the comments or at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Sh’lach L’kha [Numbers 13-15] neatly divides into two uneven sections: the story of the spies [13-14] and, as Jacob Milgrom describes it in his JPS Commentary on Numbers, a miscellany of laws. The end of the miscellany is the passage on tzitzit, which became well known as the 3rd paragraph of the Shema. There is a connection between the spies and the tzitzit passage; both contain variation of the Hebrew root “tur”, meaning “to scout” or “to follow”, and zanah, perhaps euphemistically, “to follow one’s lustful urge” or “to be led astray”. Our conversation focused mostly on the spies, which for the rabbis was one of the great catastrophes of biblical history. They imagine it as the first of a series events which took place on the 9th of Av [cf. Mishnah Ta’anit 4:6]. Like many another story in the Bible, it is endlessly fascinating. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat B’ha’alot’kha [Numbers 8-12], the third parashah in Numbers, covers a lot of ground. To name just a few topics, there is the lighting of the menorah [Numbers 8:1-4]; the ritual purification of the Levites so they might perform their duties with the Tabernacle [Numbers 8:5-22]; the Second Passover [9:1-14], which allows those who are in a state of ritual impurity or too far from the Temple at the time of the First Passover to participate in this great national celebration; the guidance in the wilderness [Numbers 10:29-36] provided by Hobab, the name given here for the figure known elsewhere as Jethro (father-in-law of Moses), and the Ark, including the two verses separated by the inverted nuns [the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet], the complaints at Taberah [11:1-3] and Kibbroth-Hattaavah [4-35], which includes Moses complaining to God about his burden, God providing for 70 elders to assist Moses, and God providing a mont

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Naso [Numbers 4:21–7:89] is the second parashah in the Book of Numbers. It contains the longest single chapter in the Torah [7, with 89 verses], and at 176 verses, is also the longest single parashah of the year. In fact, it has the most letters, the most words, and the most lines in the Torah scroll of any single parashah. For content, it contains the conclusion of the levitical census, detailing the count of Levites between 30 and 50, and the responbilities of each of these families when the Tabernacle must be taken down in order for the camp to move. It take up some matters related to the purification of the camp, the ritual for the woman suspected of adultery, the ritual of the Nazir [the man or woman who takes upon him or herself extra religious obligations], the priestly blessing, and, the lengthy description of the tribal gifts to the Tabernacle. Because this week Eliot’s family welcomed his first grandchild, a da

Parsha Talk; with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. With the onset of Shavuot Thursday night it is another early edition of Parashah Talk. In the Diaspora [outside the Land of Israel], the 2nd day of Shavuot on Shabbat preempts the weekly Torah reading, so that Israel will be a week ahead for a number of weeks. Our show is devoted to an exploration of Shavuot, which comes with its own set of Torah readings, haftarot, customs such as eating dairy, and the all-night study session known as Tiqqun Lail Shavuot. We discuss Revelation and what it might mean to us and how one might best understand the holiday as a celebration of Revelation. Along the way we discuss some other aspects of the holiday as well. With best wishes for a Chag Same’ach and Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk - with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. It’s an early edition of Parashah Talk this week. It turns out we all have lives outside of Parashah Talk which affects the day we record. So we open up the Book of Numbers on a Monday, with Parashat Bemidbar [Numbers 1:1–4:20]. There is more to discuss than one might first realize; we hardly got much beyond the first few verses! Let us know what you think here or at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk; with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat B’har-B’chukotai [Leviticus 25-27] concludes the Book of Leviticus. Leviticus is the shortest book in terms of chapters [27], and the fewest in parashiyot [10, tied with Numbers], but takes as few as 7 weeks to read when all of its potentially doubled parashiyot are in fact doubled, as is the case this year. B’har opens with a description of the sabbatical year and the jubilee year, which led to a discussion of time and how we mark it and find meaning in its passage. Our discussion, as is so often the case, meandered: we mentioned the Rebuke [Leviticus 26:14-45] and the double ending of the book, since the last verse in chapters 26 and 27 are virtually identical. Sinai looms large in the book and the parashah, as does, in at least one reading, the relationship between time and space. In the synagogue, when we conclude a book of the Torah, we say chazzak, chazzak, ve-nitchazzek. Let us be strong, let us be strong, and w

Parsha Talk: with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Emor [Leviticus 21-24] further develops the theme of holiness which is at the core of the Holiness Code [Leviticus 17-26]. The parashah begins with restrictions on kohanim [priests], on whom they marry, whom they mourn, what physical characteristics prevent them from serving. Chapter 23 is the Book of Leviticus’ sacred calendar, which is always worth studying, especially in comparison with the calendars in Exodus [23:14-19 & 34:18-26], Numbers [28-29], and Deuteronomy [16:1-17]. The parashah concludes with chapter 24, a miscellany of laws, including the incident of the blasphemer and the determination of what to do with him, and one of the three appearances in the Torah of the lex talion [law of revenge, better known perhaps as “eye for an eye”]. We opened the show with a tribute to Rabbi Harold Kushner, who went to his eternal home last week. We welcome comments below or at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. This week is another double parashah, Aharai Mot-Q’doshim [Leviticus 16-20], which features a description of Yom Kippur, and in particular the ritual of the goat sent to Azazel, and the beginning of the Holiness Code [Leviticus 17-26]. The Holiness Code develops the idea of holiness as it pertains to the priests and the people Israel in general. What does it mean to be a holy people? How is it possible to become a nation of priests? What do we expect of the modern state of Israel, a pertinent question as we record on Yom Ha-atzma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day. Give a listen! Shabbat Shalom!!

Parsha Talk; with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. This Shabbat features not only the weekly parasha, Tazria-Metsora [Leviticus 12-15], but also a maftir [Numbers 28:9-15] and haftarah [Isaiah 66] for Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the new month of Iyar whose first day is this Saturday. In addition, it is the Shabbat preceding Yom Ha-Zikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, and Yom Ha-atzma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day. The parashah describes the rituals for childbirth [ch. 12], the disease commonly referred to as leprosy in humans and its manifestation in clothing and in houses [chapter 13-14], and bodily discharges [chapter 15]. These are not the topics that normally provide rich conversation, so we devote the first half of the show to the meaning we might find in these chapters. In the second half, we discuss new rituals for Yom Ha-atzma’ut and how we might understand the religious signficance of the day. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. The parashah this week is Sh’mini [Leviticus 8-11], but we recorded on the 5th day of Passover, the third of the four intermediate days before the concluding holiday resumes on Tuesday evening. So, Passover was still on our mind. We began our discussion by talking about Yizkor; recited on the last day of Passover [and also on the 2nd day of Shavuot, Sh’mini Atzeret, and Yom Kippur]. Our conversation meandered, taking in the story of the untimely deaths of Nadav and Avihu, the older two of Aaron’s four sons [Leviticus 10:1-7], the upcoming observances after Passover, beginning with Yom Ha’Shoah [Holocaust Commemoration Day] on Tuesday, the 18th, and continuing with Yom HaZikkaron [Israel’s Memorial Day] and Yom Ha’atzma’ut [Israel’s Independence Day] the following week, on the 26th and 27th. The Book of Job also entered our conversation. So the tone was perhaps more somber than we had anticipated when we first started to talk. W

Parsha Talk; with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. While the Torah reading this week, Tzav [Leviticus 6–8], continues with a description of the principal sacrifices from the priests’ point of view [chapters 6–7] and a description of the inauguration of the Tabernacle [chapter 8], we went in a different direction. In anticipation of the upcoming festival of Passover, we discussed the six haftarot that mark the holiday: the haftarah for Shabbat Hagadol this week [Malachi 3:4–24], followed in turn by the haftarah for the 1st day from Joshua [5:2–6:1, 6:27], the 2nd day from 2 Kings [23:1–9, ,21–25], Shabbat Chol Ha-mo’ed from Ezekiel [37:1–14], the 7th day from 2 Samuel [22:1–51], and the 8th day from Isaiah [10:32–12:6]. It was a lot of page turning and a lot of fun. We hope you enjoy! We will be taking a week off for Passover, and will return in two weeks for Parashat Sh’mini. Shabbat Shalom and Chag Same’ach!

Parsha Talk; with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yiqra [Leviticus 1–5] begins the Book of Levitcus. However, it is quite possible, as we discuss, to read Leviticus as a seamless continuation of the end of Exodus. These first 5 chapters take up the description of the 5 principal sacrifices in ancient Israel. While sacrifice is quite foreign to most of us, and I suspect not many among us are eager to see the building of the Third Temple in our lifetime so we can reinstitute animal sacrifice, the chapters can still be read for profit in our own day. We spend sometime on the opening verses, and not just the first verse, and discuss the meaning of sacrifice both then and now. We hope you enjoy! Shabbat Shalom!!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yaqhel-P’qudai [Exodus 35–40], a double portion, concludes the reading of the Book of Exodus in the synagogue. This year it coincides with Shabbat Ha-Hodesh, observed on Shabbat Rosh Hodesh Nisan, or on the Shabbat when the new month of Nisan is announced, as is the case this year. The month of Nisan officially begins on Wednesday night, March 22, so that Passover, and the first seder, begins two weeks later on April 5. Shabbat Ha-Hodesh has a special maftir [Exodus 12:1–20] and haftarah [Ezekiel 45:16–46:18]. The Torah reading primarily concerns itself with the execution of the mishkan, or Tabernacle. Whereas T’rumah and T’tzavveh concern themselves with the description of how the mishkan will be built, this week’s parashiyot concern themselves with the actual building. Last week’s parashah, Ki Tissa, features the tragedy of the Golden Calf. In our conversation this week we seek to understand the precise nature of

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Ki Tissa [Exodus 30:11–34:35] this year coincides with Shabbat Parah, the third special Shabbat before Passover, with a special maftir [Numbers 19] and haftarah [Ezekiel 36:16–38]. The parashah is perhaps best known for the episode of the Golden Calf, perhaps the greatest sin in the history of the Israelite people, and its aftermath. It is part of a larger them on the presence and absence of God, and how we live in a world where God’s presence is not guaranteed. We gave a shout-out to Purim, since that is when we recorded, and we may have touched on some other things as well. As always, comments and criticisms are welcome here and at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat T’tzavveh [Exodus 27:20–30:10] coincides this year with Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat before Purim [observed Monday night and Tuesday, March 6 & 7], which takes its name from the first word of the special maftir [Deuteronomy 25:17-19], with its call to remember what Amalek did to the Israelites when they left Egypt, and to blot them out once safely ensconced in the borders ot the Land of Israel. The parashah itself continues the description of the plans for the Ohel Mo’ed [Tent of Meeting]. We discussed some of the parashah and some relatively randomly chosen verses from the Book of Esther, in anticipation of Purim! We hope you enjoy. Shabbat Shalom and Hag Purim Same’ach!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat T’rumah [Exodus 25:1–27:19] begins the lengthy description of the plans for and building of the mishkan [tabernacle, or dwelling-place for God], which will take up most of the rest of the Book of Exodus. We focused on a few verses, in particular 25:8 [And let them make Me a sanctuary that I many dwell among them] and 25:22 [There I will meet with you, and I will impart to you—from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are on the top of the Ark of the Pact—all that I will command you concerning the Israelite people], as well as discussing the purpose of the structure itself in the religious life of the people, then and now. As always, comments are welcome here or at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!