Kol Ramah

Join Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler for Parsha Talk! Parashat Acharai Mot-Kedoshim [Leviticus 16-20] is the subject of Parashah Talk this week. According to the rabbis, this is not only the center of Leviticus, but of the Torah as well. Leviticus 19:18, ואהבת לרעך כמוך, “love your neighbor as yourself”, is the basis for the Golden Rule. According to Rabbi Aqiva, it is the great principle of the Torah. We touch on this as well as the general theme of holiness [suggested by “Kedoshim”, the name of the 2nd parashah, meaning in context “be holy”] and the Yom Kippur ritual [Lev. 16], which is rather different in the Torah than it is in modern-day observance. There should be something here for everyone. Shabbat Shalom!

Come join us with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler. It is a double portion on Parashah Talk, Tazria-M'tzora [Lev. 12-15] and Yom Ha'atzma'ut, the observance of Israel's Independence Day [actual date-is April 17th, this year, which conflicts with Shabbat, necessitating the observance moving to Thursday]. It is, as my good buddy Ellot always notes, an amazing parashah. See if we connect all the dots, and let us know! Yom Ha-atzma'ut Same'ach! Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler once again invite us all in to the rabbis study tor a lively discussion of this week's parsha, Shemini.

(Image - https://atravesdelasescrituras.com/)

Parashah Talk for Sh'mini [Leviticus 9-11]: When I (BC) used to teach the story of Nadav and Avihu in 10th Grade Bible, I would refer to it as a "Tragedy in Three Verses" [Leviticus 10:1-3]. Each of these verses is subject to more than one interpretation, and how you put these interpretations together results in very different readings. Did Nadav and Avihu do anything wrong, and if so, what? What does it mean to die in the presence of God: is this spiritual or geographical? And are Moses' words in verse 3 meant to console Aaron or to rebuke him? There is a lot more in the Torah reading [each week, I've been told, we encounter another amazing reading], but we spent most of our time on this story. We hope you like it! Shabbat Shalom!!

Parashah Talk, the Pesach Edition: Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chester. This Shabbat is the 7th day of Passover, when we read the beginning of Parashat B'shallach [Exodus 13:17-15:27, last read on January 30], featuring the Song of the Sea [Exodus 15:1-21]. On Sunday, the Torah reading is the same as the 2nd day of Shavuot and Sh'mini Atzeret [Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17]. There is a longstanding tradition to read the Song of Songs on the Shabbat of Pesach [unless Shabbat is both 1st and 8th day, when it is read on the 8th day]. Our discussion focuses first on the Song of the Sea, and then on Song of Songs. Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sameach!

This week, the Shabbat before Pesach, is known as Shabbat Hagadol, for reasons that are not entirely clear. In European Jewish communities, it was one of two shabbatot [the other being Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur] when the community rabbi would address his flock. Traditionally, the rabbi would speak about the laws of Pesach; one might think it a little late to do that when Pesach began on a Saturday night!

In Parashat Talk this week, we divided our conversation between the weekly reading, Parashat Tsav [Leviticus 6:1-8:36], with the presentation of the sacrifices from the priests’ perspective [unlike last week, when they were presented from the offerer’s perspective], the fire kept going by the priests, and the ordination/investiture ceremony for the priests [which will conclude in parashat Sh’mini, in two weeks], and favorite passages from the Haggadah. A Shabbat Shalom and Zissen Pesach [Happy Passover] to one and all!

We begin a new book of the Torah this week, ספר ויקרא [Leviticus], which gives its name to the parashah [Leviticus 1:1-5:26] as well, va-yiqra. We spend some time discussing the nature of the book, quite unlike Genesis and Exodus, the layered meanings of the first verse, and the laying on of the hands [1:4] as it appears here, and elsewhere. And before you know it, with so much left to say, our time is up! Shabbat Shalom!!

This week, parashat va-yaqhel-p’qudei [Exodus 35:1-40:38], is where it all began. Parashah Talk in its current format has been produced each week for the last year. This is our response to the Covid 19 pandemic. It has given Eliot, Jeremy, and I a chance to deepen our friendship which was rooted in many summers together at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. While we hardly saw each other throughout the camp off-seasons, this year we have been together every week on Zoom. For you who have listened and viewed, we hope our conversation about Torah has deepened your own understanding and appreciation of Torah. For me it remains one of the highlights of each and every week for the past year. Shabbat Shalom!

(Image chabad.org)

Meet the newest member of the Radio Kol Ramah staff: This is a rebroadcast of a 2019 interview with Mitch Mernick at Yiddish New York. You surely want to hear about Amy's experience with WFDU-FM, The radio station of Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Join Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler for Parsha Talk! Parashat Ki Tissa [Exodus 30:11-34:35] coincides with Shabbat Parah [Numbers 19:1-22], the third of the 4 special shabbatot [sabbaths] before the upcoming Pesach [Passover] holiday. One way of considering this conjuction is as the story of a bad cow [the Golden Calf (Exodus 32)] and a good cow [the so-called red heifer in Numbers whose ashes are required for the ritual of purification after corpse contamination]. We spend most of our time talking about the bad cow, but the good cow does get a shout-out, as does Shabbat, whose 2-verse feature in the parashah [Exodus 31:16-17] has become part of the Saturday morning amidah [central prayer of the morning worship service] and kiddush. We hope this puts you in the right “moo”d for Shabbat!

(Image from Chabad.org)

Join Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler for Parsha Talk! Because Purim is observed Thursday night, and many of us will be davening ma’ariv [praying the evening service] and reading the megillah [the Scroll of Esther] at the time we normally record Parashah Talk, this week we recorded Wednesday evening. We have parashat T’tzaveh [Exodus 27:20-30:10], taken up mostly with a description of the special vestments of the High Priest, and a few minutes to explore the greatness of Purim. Give a listen!

Let us know what you think at [email protected]. As we begin to gear up for Passover, just a month after Purim [March 27th, to be precise], we hope to devote some time to questions previously sent to us. New questions, comments, and criticisms are always welcome. Purim Same’ach [Happy Purim]! Shabbat Shalom!!