Kol Ramah

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat B’reshit [Genesis 1:1–6:8] begins the annual reading of the Torah once again. We spend some time discussing the phenomenon of reading and rereading the Torah, and how we might approach it with new eyes, with freshness, year after year. We discuss Creation, as it appears in chapter 1 and in chapter 2, we discuss Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel; we talk about Noah, who makes his appearance at the end of the parashah. There is no end to what we could talk about other than the one imposed by time!

We welcome you to our new year of conversation about the Torah, and we look forward to hearing from you, by e-mail at [email protected], facebook, or some other medium. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. It is a special edition of Parashah Talk this week since there is no regular weekly Torah Reading because of Chol Hamo’ed Sukkot; the intermediate days of Sukkot have a special Torah Reading. On Shabbat we read from Exodus 33:12-34:26, from Parashat Ki Tissa. We read the same selection on Chol Hamo’ed Pesach. In addition to this special Torah Reading, we have a special haftarah, about the future war of Gog and Magog as prophesied by Ezekiel. And, we read from Megillah Kohelet, the Book of Ecclesiastes. We spent most our time on this Book, what it might mean to us today, how we might best understand it as a reading for Sukkot, and how it should have ended. We saved a few minutes for a consideration of Simchat Torah, which is observed on Tuesday, October 18th. When we return next week, we return to Bereshit, where, each year, it all begins anew. Moadim L’simchah! Shabbat Shalom! Chag Same’ach!

Parsha Talk - with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chseler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Ha’azinu [Deuteronomy 32:1-52] presented us with unusual difficulties, of a technological nature. Because of the way Yom Kippur fell out, we recorded during my school day, and space in my school is at a premium. Eliot askes for mechilah [forgiveness] in case I come in and out, I was reminded periodically that my internet connection was unstable, and I do as well.

Ha’azinu presents other difficulties as well. The parashah is divided into a poem [verses 1–43] and a prose sections [44–52], which Professor Jeffrey Tigay entitles “Conclusion to the Poem”. The poem, as far as the Torah records, should have become more important than it actually became, perhaps because of some of the theological issues which we discuss. The parashah ends with God yet again telling Moses he will not enter the Promised Land, but can only view it from the mountain.

We also took the opportunity to discuss some elements of the upcoming holiday of Sukkot, which begins this Sunday night. Shabbat Shalom & Hag Same’ach!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yelekh [Deuteronomy 31:1–30] is the shortest parashah in terms of verses, but in terms of words and letters it is second to V-zot Ha-b’rakhah, which is read on Simhat Torah. When Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat, it is paired with Nitzavim [read last week] 29:9–30:30, which has forty verses.

Our discussion this week is perhaps more freewheeling than most other weeks, and if memory serves correctly, we did not delve too deeply into the parashah. Eliot noted that this is the most musical season of the Jewish year, and from their our conversation meandered, taking in the significance of Moses’ death at 120 years and various connections to Psalm 27, occasioned by variations of the phrase hazak v-amatz, which appears 3 times this week, and in the last verse of Psalm 27, as well as in the first chapter of Joshua.

As the Jewish calendar works out, this is our first Parashah Talk in 5783. We began this journey over 2 1/2 years ago and we have hardly missed a week. We our grateful to all of you who have listened, watched, commented, and sent e-mails to us at [email protected]. As with Neil Young’s car, Long May You Run! With best wishes for a g’mar hatimah tovah, a seal in the Book of Life for the New Year. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk, with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Nitzavim [Deut. 29:9-30:20] is the last parashah of 5782, and the third from the end of the weekly readings [V-zot Ha-b’rakhah (Deut. 33:1-34:12), the last parashah, is read on the morning of Simchat Torah (this year, Tuesday, October 18, 2022)]. Nitzavim begins with the declaration that “You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God . . . to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, which the Lord your God is concluding with you this day. . . “ (29:9-11 [NJPS]). The Torah goes on to elaborate, “I make this covenant . . . not with you alone, but both with those who are standing here with us this day before the Lord our God and with those who are not with us here this day (29:13-14). This led us to a discussion of which looms larger in our imagination, the Revelation at Sinai or the Coveant Renewal in the plains of Moab. We managed to mention, and discuss, the last verse of the parashah as well, which also serves as a coda to this section of Deuteronomy. Professor Jeffrey Tigay labels the remaining 4 chapters [Va-yelekh, Ha’azinu, and Ve-zot Ha-b’rakhah] as an Epilogue, describing Moses’ Last Days. With best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tovah!

Parsha Talk, with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Ki Tavo [Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8] features some texts which appear in Mishnah Sotah 7, where there is a discussion about which texts may be recited in any language, meaning a language one understands, and which must be recited in Hebrew, presumably because the ritual itself is what is important, and not so much one’s understanding. In the latter group [actually mentioned first in the Mishnah] is the passage recited by the farmer who brings his first fruits [Deut. 26:5–11] and the blessings and curses [Deut. 27:12–26}, which is something of an anomaly because they were only recited once, when the Israelites crossed over the Jordan into the Promised Land [see Josh. 8] In the former group is the vidui ma’aser, the confession over the tithe [Deut. 26:12–16]. We spent most of our time discussing the ritual of the first fruits and the confession of the tithe, which more than filled up our time. Give a listen! Shabbat Shalom!!

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky with Parsha Talk, . This week’s parashah, Ki Tetze [Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19], is the most mitzvah dense, with 74 commandments in 110 verses. A number of these commandments are problematic [in no particular order, the call to destroy Amalek (25:17-19), the stubborn and rebellious son (21:18-21), marriage with a woman captured in war (20:10-14); how the rabbis deal with them and how we might deal with them today was the focus of our conversation. But we also touched on some others, such as those which seem to be basic moral precepts: building a parapet (22:8), chasing away the mother bird when taking her young or eggs (22:6-7). We may have even considered some which seem morally neutral: the prohibition against sha’atnez [mixing wool and linen in clothing] and kilayim [mixing seeds of different species, even yoking two different kinds of animals for plowing (22:9-11). We hope you enjoy! Shabbat Shalom!!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Shoftim [Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9] is the fifth parashah in the Book of Deuteronomy. It has a mitzvah density of about 40%, according to Eliot, who found this statistic in the Koren Torah with Rashi. Mitzvah density is the ration of mitzvot [commandments] to the number of p’suqim [verses]. So there are a lot of mitzvot in this parashah. We spent most of our time focusing on the king, and in particular, his writing of a copy of the Torah [the exact meaning of which is subject to much rabbinic comment]. We barely had time to more than mention some of the many other interesting commandments, but did manage to link the beginning and end of the parashah, thereby providing a metaphorical covering ot the entire parashah. Comments, criticisms, and questions are welcome at [email protected]. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk: with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chsler. Parashat Re’eh [Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17] is the beginning of the legislative core of Deuteronomy, which will extend over the next few weeks until the beginning of Parashat Ki Tavo [read this year on September 17]. One might look at it as the foundation of Israelite religious life, with laws calling for the centralization of cultic life “to the site that the Lord your God will choose” [12:5], the dietary laws [ch. 14], צדקה (charity) [ch. 15], and holidays [ch. 16]. We spent a lot of time talking about the centralization of the cult: what did it mean for our ancestors in ancient Israel, and in what ways it might be applicable or desirable today. This did not leave a lot of time to discuss other things, but there is always next year! Comments, questions, and criticisms may be directed to [email protected]. Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky discuss this week's parsha. Parashat Eqev [Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25], the third parashah of the book, has its share of quotables. The second paragraph of the Shema, recited by the faithful twice each day, is found here [Deuteronomy 11:13–21], as is the verse at the heart of the second blessing of Birkat Ha-mazon [Grace After Meals] [8:10], and the phrase [ha-el ha-gadol ha-gibbor v-ha-no’ra [10:17], by which God is addressed in the opening prayer of the Amidah, the prayer par excellence according to the rabbis. Other verses worthy of mention include “man does not live by bread alone” [8:3], the seven species which characterize the Land of Israel [8:8], and the variation of the question that Micah poses and answers about what God wants from us [Micah 6:6–8; cf. Deut. 10:12f]. We manage to at least touch on all of these! Shabbat Shalom!!