Kol Ramah

Join Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler for Parsha Talk! This week is the 2nd of the 4 special Shabbatot before Pesach. In addition to the regular Torah reading of T'ruman [Exodus 25:1-27:19], which begins the lengthy section on the description of and building of the mishkan ["tabernacle"], there is a special maftir (additional reading) [Deuteronomy 25:17-19] and haftarah (prophetic reading) [1 Samuel 15:2-34] concerning the war against Amalek. Our conversation is pretty much equally divided between T'rumah and Zakhor [the commandment to remember to destroy Amalek], from the point of view of time. Dare I say we have interesting observations and commentary in both halves!

As always, questions, comments, and criticisms are welcome at [email protected]. We still plan on answering all questions by Passover, the liturgical time to ask and answer questions. Shabbat Shalom!

Parashat Mishpatim [Exodus 21:1-24:18] contains the Covenant Code, the first extended legal section of the Torah. The laws themselves defy easy categorization; the rabbis of the Mishnah used their own organizational system in Seder N'ziqin [Damages], the Mishnah's 4th Order, whose foundation is in the Covenant Code. Our conversation meanders through the parashah, with due time devoted to chapter 24, a return to narrative and the famous response of the Israelites: na'aseh v-nishma [you will have to listen to find out how we understand this engimatic phrase!].

As always, comments, criticisms, and suggestions are welcome at [email protected]. Do not despair, we do intend to get to questions previously asked [even as we look forward to new ones]. Sometimes we get carried away by our own conversation! Shabbat Shalom!!

Max Silverstone, music staff at Camp Ramah and 2nd year cantorial student at JTS, returns to Radio Kol Ramah with Mitch Mernick for an in-depth look at original research he is compiling on the history and music of the the site that we call Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. Of note, there has been an organized Jewish presence on the shores of Lake Ellis for over 100 years!

Tracks:

1940 Bob Chester - Maybe (Dolores O'Neill, vocal)

Riobamba – Leonard Bernstein

1935 Sid Peltyn - Lullaby Of Broadway (Dick Robertson, vocal)

Frank Sinatra, Stubby Kaye, and Johnny Silver - Guys And Dolls from Guys And Dolls (1955)

It Hurts to Say Goodbye

Al Naharot Bavel

Kanar Al Hagag.

Let's Give a Cheer for Kee-Wah

Wah Farewell

Himnon Ramah

Produced by Max Silverstone

Co-produced and edited by Mitch Mernick

Parashat Yitro [Exodus 18:1-20:22] is best known for the original narration of the 10 Commandments. They will appear again in Deuteronomy 5, when Moses is reviewing for the people their history and narrates them again. The episode in Exodus is known as מעמד הר סיני [ma'amad har sinai, "the standing at Sinai"], and is the central event in the Jewish people's self-understanding. Chapter 18 focuses on Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law, and has its own intereset, We spend time on both chapter 18 and chapters 19-20, we hope to your benefit! Comments, questions, and criticisms welcome at [email protected]. Shabbat Shalom!

Parashat B'shallach [Exodus 13:17-17:16] features the Song of the Sea, the triumphant poem of redemption sung by the Israelites when they have crossed the Sea of Reeds and turn around to see the Egyptians dead on the opposite shore. Rather than poetry, our conversation is more about prose: the character and leadership of Moses, the character of the Israelites as they cross over, ostensibly into freedom, the institution of Shabbat, and the battle with the Amalekites. Give a listen to Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmonofsky and Barry Chesler on Parsha Talk!

Comments and criticisms are welcome at [email protected]. While we read the mail and intend to answer questions on the next show, we are not always successful. Do not despair! Send the question again! There is, for the forseeable future, always next week!

Join Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmonofsky and Barry Chesler for Parsha Talk. Parashat Bo [Exodus 10:1-13:16] covers the last three plagues [locusts, darkness, and the slaying of the first-born] and includes chapter 12 [one of my favorite chapters in the entire Torah] and the beginning section of chapter 13 [which is actually more than half the chapter going by the verse count]. This beginning section is perhaps better known to us from tefillin, worn at weekday morning services, which has four Torah passages in its boxes [the first and second paragraphs of the Sh'ma and Ex. 13:1-10 and 13:11-16]. Chapter 12 itself is read, in addition to this week, on Shabbat Hachodesh [verses 1-20, March 13 this year], the Shabbat just before or coinciding with Rosh Chodesh Nisan, and on the first day of Passover [verses 21-51, this year on March 28]. In addition, we have some of the questions associated with the 4 sons of the Passover Seder. So we will get another crack at some of this material! Comments and criticisms are welcome at [email protected]. Shabbat Shalom!

Join us on this MLK weekend as we celebrate and remember Dr. King, whose transformative message is tied to our early chapters of the book of Shemot.

Parashat Va-era [Exodus 6:2-9:35] opens with a theological bang, the declaration by God that He did not make Himself known to the patriarchs by the same name as He made Himself known to Moses [6:2-3]. A little later, Moses gives, as it were, his first sermon [in particular, 6:6-8], with the 4-5 words of redemption which are each represented by a cup of wine at the Passover Seder. The people do not listen, because of qotzer ru'ah [diminished spirit] and hard work; a modern idiom might say that Moses bombed! And then we get the first seven plagues. Our conversation meanders, as is our wont, but there should be something for everyone! As always, comments and criticisms are welcome at [email protected]. Shabbat Shalom!

Join Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmonofsky and Barry Chesler. Parashat Sh'mot [Exodus 1:1-6:1], which takes its name from the first key word, sh'mot [names], as does the book itself, is better described by the Latin/Greek name Exodus, since that is the, or at least a, great theme of the book. But the events that lead up to the Exodus and the Exodus itself take up less than the first half of the book.

Within the first few verses, b'nai Yisrael, the children of the patriarch Jacob who had been renamed Israel, become b'nai Yisrael, the people Israel. Indeed, the Hebrew word עם [am, people], is used for the first time in connection with the people in verse 9, by Pharaoh, which is appropriate, since names are often how other people call us, not necessarily how we call ourselves.

In a parashah which collapses the first 80 years of Moses' life into a few chapters, there is a lot going on. The central part of the reading for those on the annual cycle is the scene at the Burning Bush, which we discuss. But events in the US yesterday also attract our attention, as we puzzle out what the Torah might possibly have to say about our national situation. As always, the conversation is spirited, and we hope that you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording! Shabbat Shalom!!

The last edition of Parashah Talk 2020 is now available for the New Year with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmonofsky and Barry Chesler. Parashat Va-yehi [Genesis 47:28-50:26] concludes ספר בראשית [Book of Genesis]. With the conclusion of the book comes the blessing of Ephraim and Menashe, Jacob's last words to his sons, the death of Jacob and the return of his remains to Canaan, the last scene between Joseph and his brothers, and the death of Joseph, with the promise of returning his remains to Canaan one day. As always the conversation is spirited. Comments and criticisms welcome at [email protected]. Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler bring us Parsha Talk! It is the last Shabbat of 2020 but the penultimate parashah of Sefer Bereshit. Va-yiggash [Genesis 44:18-47:27] describes the reconciliation of Joseph and his brothers, the move to Egypt of Jacob and his entire family, and Jacob's meeting with Pharaoh. As if there were not enough in the parashah itself to talk about, we touch upon the ones for next week [the end of Genesis] and in two weeks [the beginning of Exodus]. I think you will find something to think about! Comments, criticisms, questions welcome at [email protected].