Kol Ramah

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shirah, after the Song of the Sea [Exodus 15:1–18], which is featured in this week’s parashah, parashat B’shallah [Exodus 13:17–17:16]. For the haftarah [Judges 4:4–5:31], the rabbis chose another triumphant song, the Song of Deborah [Judges 5:2–31], celebrating another event in Israel’s salvation history. We spend some time talking about the Song of the Sea itself, as well as the event it celebrates. In the nearly two years we have been doing Parashah Talk on Zoom, I do not think Eliot has missed a week to describe this week’s parashah as amazing. We hope you find that our conversation measures up! Shabbat Shalom!!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler: Parashat Bo [Exodus 10:1-13:16] contains the first commandment to B’nai Yisrael, the commandment to mark what came to be known as the month of Nisan, the month in which Passover is observed, as the first month in the calendar. So important is this commandment that Rashi [1040-1104], the famous Bible [and Talmud] commentator raises the possibility in his comment on the first verse of the Torah [Genesis 1:1] that this commandment [Exodus 12:2] should be the actual beginning of the Torah. Exodus 12 is one of my favorite chapters in the Torah, and it provides the basis for much of our conversation. Give a listen! Shabbat Shalom!!

Parashat Va-era [Exodus 6:2-9:35] opens with a verse that has intrigued modern critical biblical scholars for generations: God tells Moses that He appeared to the patriarchs as El Shaddai, but did not make his name YHVH [the unpronounceable 4-letter name of God] known to them. How much does it matter by which name we call upon God? The parashah also features the first 7 plagues; the phenomenon of the plagues [are they best understood in the aggregate, or perhaps individually; is it phenomena or phenomenon?] which engenders quite a bit of discussion. Are the plagues to show the Egyptians something? or perhaps the Israelites? At the beginning the Egyptian magicians match in some measure the early plagues, but very quickly they move beyond their capabilities. Speaking of capabilities, we find an echo of the verse from last week in which God tells Moses that Aaron will play the prophet to Moses’ God, which suggests that perhaps it is the voice of the prophet who speaks for God, who is mostly silent, or unheard. We had an opportunity to respond in some fashion to questions submitted by e-mail, so please submit them at parshatalk.com. Shabbat Shalom and a Happy 2022!

Parsha Talk; with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. We began a new book, Sefer Shemot [the Book of Exodus], with parashat Shemot [Exodus 1:1-6:1] and our discussion did not get very far. It seemed that we were just touching on some of the items of interest in chapters 1 and 2 when time was called; we closed with each of us offering an explanation/interpretation of God’s curious name: ehyeh asher ehyeh, a phrase which defies a coherent English translation [see Exodus 3:14]. We could easily have talked for twice as long, so rich is the parashah. If you do not want to wait until next year, you can wait until next week, when we offer another edition of Parashah Talk! As always, comments and criticisms welcome at [email protected]. Shabbat Shalom!

Come join Rabbis Malomet, Chesler and Kalmanofsky for Parsha Talk. Any time one can reference “The Princess Bride” it is sure to bring a smile to one’s face, so we are pleased that Parashat Ve-yehi [Genesis 47:28-50:26] provided us with that opportunity. We spend our time talking about Jacob at the end of his life, there are a couple of deathbed scenes, and Joseph at the end of his life. Genesis began with such hope, the Creation of a perfectly ordered world, and ends practically in despair, with the death of Joseph who can only make his brothers and descendants promise that when the people leave Egypt they will take his bones with them for burial in the Promised Land, underscoring the different experience after the death of Jacob, when the brothers at least were able to bury their father’s remains at the Cave of Machpelah. We have successully concluded our journey through the book of Genesis which began 11 weeks ago with the first of the 12 parashiyot that make up the book. Even as we linger, we are looking forward to beginning the Book of Exodus. Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky with Parsha Tralk. As I (BC) mention early in the program, I found parashat va-yigash [Genesis 44:18-47:27] somewhere between unsettling and disturbing. Our conversation focuses on the character of and characters, Jacob, Joseph, and Pharaoh. The parashah is more than amazing, I understand that each week’s parashah qualifies on that score, it is particularly rich, recalling for us earlier stories in Genesis, going back to Creation, and pointing forward to Exodus, and even Joshua and beyond. As always, your comments and criticisms are welcome at [email protected]. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler. Parashat Mi-qetz [Genesis 41:1-44:17] coincides this year with Rosh Chodesh Tevet [the first day] and, of course, Hanukkah. Thirty years ago on this Shabbat, I delivered my senior sermon in the Seminary Synagogue at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. I shared the bimah with my wife, Carol, who led the davening as part of her senior Shabbat as a cantorial student. The date was December 7, 1991, the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Parashah Talk this week allowed me to revisit some of the themes of my sermon that year, as well as the line with which I began, noting that this was the Jewish version of tora-tora-tora! There was a lot to talk about, so we hope you enjoy! Shabbat Shalom! Chodesh Tov! Hag Urim Same’ach! A Shabbat of Peace, a Good Month, Happy Festival of Lights!

Join Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmonofsky for Parsha Talk - Thanksgiving Edition. Parashat Va-yeshev [Genesis 37-40] is the first of four parashiyot which feature Joseph and his brothers. This week, Joseph is given a technicolor dreamcoat, as it were, which sets in motion the dreams he perhaps carelessly reveals to his brothers, his going forth to see how his brothers are faring as shepherds in the area of Shechem, his sale into slavery and his interactions with Potiphar and his wife. At the end of the parashah, after successully interpreting the dreams of the butler and baker, he is left languishing in prison, forgotten by the butler who had promised to remember him to Pharaoh. In chapter 38 we have the curious interlude of Judah and Tamar. We discuss Joseph as a transition figure, in terms of his ancestors, the Patriarchs, and his brothers. We touch upon the story of Judah and Tamar, and we discuss the episode with Mrs. Potiphar, which will land Joseph in jail. The time went quickly, so we hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Shabbat Shalom, and a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Parsha Talk; with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmonofsky - Parashat Va-yishlach [Genesis 32:4-36:43] is the subject of this week’s Parashah Talk. We discuss Jacob’s encounter with the malakh, the messenger, which results in injury but acquires for Jacob a blessing and a new name. We talk about the disturbing story of Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob and Leah, and what befalls her from her encounter with one of the locals. And we point ahead to Va-yeshev next week , and Mi-ketz in two weeks. We conclude with the burial of Isaac and its significance. Shabbat Shalom!

Parashah Talk, with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky has gone international! Eliot recorded the show in Ottawa, Ontario, where he is visiting his mother, while Jeremy and I were in our customary places in New York City and Long Island. Parashat Va-yetze [Genesis 28:10-32:3] has long been one of, if not my very favorite parashah. Not only was it my Bar Mitzvah parashah [1968] but also my wife, Carol’s [1974]. And since my Hebrew name is Ya-aqov, Jacob has always been one of my most favorite biblical characters.

Each week before we record we kick around ideas for about a half hour. Some of what we discuss in our initial conversation makes it into the recording in one form or another [I think every week one of us makes mention of our prior conversation]. And even though this happened again this week, I do not remember another recording that seemed so different from our initial conversation. We talked about the well, the character of Jacob and Lavan, the pathos of Leah, among other things. While we did not run out of things to talk about, we did run out of time. There is always next week! Shabbat Shalom!!