Kol Ramah

Amy Erlanger interviews people from Ramah Berkshires and Ramah Palmer (Ramah New England) before the opening ceremony. Following that, we have the ceremony.

Is it possible that Amy knows some of these Palmer people? Find out....

Parsha Talk- with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. This morning I (BC) got up from shivah [the initial 7-day mourning period after a funeral] for my brother, Bruce, z”l [zikhrono livrakhah, may his memory be for a blessing]. What better way to rejoin the world than to sit on Zoom with colleagues and friends, Rabbis Eliot Malomet and Jeremy Kalmanofsky and discuss the parashah? This week’s parashah, Parashat Va-etchanan [Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11] features the Shema/V-ahavta [6:4–9] and a version of the Ten Commandments [5:6–17; cf. Exodus 20:2-14], as well as some verses which were taken into the liturgy.

We began our conversation with a discussion of the Mosaic moment: Moses finds himself rebuffed for the last time in his quest to enter the Promised Land. God does not want to hear any more of this matter, leaving Moses with a crucial question — what should he do now? We follow up on last week’s conversation about Moses as Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses our Teacher, and discuss more precisely how Moshe fulfills this role. We managed to discuss the Shema in the context of both the Ten Commandments and the other appearances of the root-word ahav [to love] in this week’s Torah Reading. As often seems the case, the time is up before we seemed to get anywhere! Give a listen, and let us know what you think! Shabbat Shalom!!

Adat HaBogrim puts on the musical, Matilda.

The kids of Shorashim talk to and play games with Amy and Benji of Kol Ramah.

Amy and Benji talk to the Gan kids. Listen to them talk, sing, and make animal sounds.

Join this fast-paced discussion with our very own Shorashim and hear about their brand-new musical and more.

Benji, Amy and Charlotte discuss musicals, acting and more in this radio chat show.

The kids of Shorashim put on an original play about exams, revenge, and friendship.

Parsha Talk Devarim with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. We begin a new book of the Torah this week, Sefer Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy, which always comes the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Av. This year Shabbat is actually the 9th of Av, but we postpone the observance of the fast and the mourning rituals that accompany it until Sunday.

A new book of the Torah often begins with great promise, but Rashi notes that the rabbis understand the opening words, “These are the words,” to actually be words of rebuke to B’nai Yisrael. This would make Parashat Devarim [Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22] fitting for the season of national mourning which commenced with the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz [observed this year on July 17th] and culminates with Tisha B’Av. We spend most of our conversation on situating the book in the context of the Torah as a whole and in the context of the life of Moses.

The emphasis on mourning this year speaks to me on a personal level as I (BC) mourn the death of my brother, Bruce Evan Chesler, who departed this world for another early Sunday morning [July 31, 2022]. In order to accommodate the needs of a small but far-flung family, the funeral will take place on Friday, August 5, 2022. Speaking words of Torah with my good friends and colleagues provides comfort for my personal loss as well as for the national loss we remember at this time of year. Shabbat Shalom.

The 4 teams are: Yellow Cheerios, Green Apple Jacks, Blue Frosted Flakes, and the winning team, Orange Reese's Puffs.

These are their songs and cheers.