Kol Ramah

The parashah is Ha'azinu, Deuteronomy 32. This Shabbat is also known as Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return, after the 1st word of the haftarah, Hosea 14:2. The close connection between the word shuvah and t'shuvah [commonly translated as repentance] has been explored in biblical interpretation and Jewish theology for hundreds of years!

We discuss some verses from the weekly Torah reading, some verses from the haftarah [Hosea 14:2-10, Micah 7:18-20, Joel 2:15-27] talk about Moses near the end of his life, and touch upon some other issues, all in a half an hour or so!

With best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and G'mar Chatimah Tovah, a good seal in the Book of Life on Yom Kippur!

As 5780 winds to a close and we begin to usher in 5781, I wanted to express my gratitude to my chaveirim, Rabbis Eliot Malomet and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. For the last 6 months we have met once a week on Zoom to reprise our camp radio show Parashah Talk. For me personally, the opportunity to connect to my good buddies in the non-camp season has been one of the decided pluses of covid19. While I often study Torah alone, Torah study is actually a team sport, and I am thankful that I am part of a team that continues to meet and talk Torah. I hope this augurs well for the coming year!

To all who observe, please accept my wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and a Shanah Tovah U-m'tukah, a good and sweet year. To everyone else, a great weekend! Rabbi Barry Chesler

This week is a double parashah, Nitzavim/Va-yelekh [Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30], but we didn't quite make it into Va-yelekh! We spent a fair amount of time on the opening verses of Nitzavim [29:9-14], especially verse 14, in considering who the people who were not standing with the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan were. We touched upon the classic verse Lo bashamayim hee [30:12] with nary a mention of the famous story about the Oven of Akhnai, which may be a first for us, or for rabbis anywhere!. And, we concluded with remarks about Rabbi Eliot Malomet's favorite verse in the Torah [30:19], where the Israelites have set before them the blessing and the curse, and are instructed to choose life, Together with Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Rabbi Barry Chesler this is this week's Parashah Talk. Give a listen!

Parashah Talk for Ki Tavo [Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8], featuring Rabbis Eliot Malomet and Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler in conversation about the weekly Torah reading, is now available. Give a listen as they discuss the range of meaning in the ritual of the first fruits [26:1-11], connecting it with God's promise to the Israelites in Exodus 6:6-8 and the cups of wine at the seder. We explore the nexus between storytelling and redemption and provide commentary on some verses of particular importance to us.

Finally, we touch upon the blessings and the curses, and compare them to their appearance in Leviticus [chapter 26], attempting to wrest meaning for modern day Jews.

Parashat Ki Tetze [Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19] is known for its mitzvah density. 74 of the 613 commandments the rabbis located in the Torah [12%, for the mathematically inclined] are found in these few chapters. There are laws for all occasions. Give a listen as Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmonofky and Barry Chesler discuss some of them. Among those discussed are the ben sorer u-moreh (the stubborn and rebellious son) [21:18-21], levirate marriage [25:5-10], and the command to destroy Amalek [25:17-19]. Shabbat Shalom!

Our great show! The audio edition. Lots going on in the Parasha Talk this week for Parashat Shoftim. Join Rabbi Eliot Malomet, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, and Rabbi Barry Chesler for an amazing talk. Dedicated to Yaakov Malomet and Gabi Wachs who are getting married this Sunday! Mazel Tov!

The latest edition of Parashah Talk, for Re'eh [Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17] is now available! Rabbis Eliot Malomet and Jeremy Kalmanofsky join Rabbi Barry Chesler in lively conversation about the choice between a blessing and a curse, the meaning of the metaphor of us as God's children. the Deuteronomic addition to the laws of the sabbatical year and how it might effect public policy, and the holiday calendar. Give a listen!

Here is Parasha Talk Ekev, with our good friends, Rabbi Eliot Malomet, Rabbi Barry Chesler and Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky. There's lots to talk about: the land of Israel, our relationship with God, and what does God really want from us. Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom!

A special edition of Parashah Talk on Tisha B'av, in which we discuss some aspects of Tisha B'Av, Parashat Va-etchanan, and Shabbat Nachamu. Give a listen!

The boys are back! Rabbis Eliot Malomet and Jeremy Kalmanofsky and and I Barry Chesler, have taken our show on the road, as it were. A longstanding highlight of the camp week, Parashah Talk, now is available on Facebook and on Kol Ramah, 102.3 FM on your FM dial [when camp is in session and you are in the vicinity of Wingdale, NY] and on the World Wide Web at Kolramah.us.

This week we begin reading the 5th and final book of the Torah, Sefer D'varim, the Book of Deuteronomy. We spend some time talking about the setting and significance of the book as well as discuss the upcoming fast day of Tisha B'Av [the 9th of the Hebrew month Av, observed Wednesday evening and Thursday, July 29-30], which has become a national day of mourning for the Jewish People.

The other name for Sefer Devarim in Hebrew is Mishneh Torah, often translated as 2nd Torah, since Deuteronomy recapitulates a number of laws and events from Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, in addition to providing fresh material. When Rambam [Moses Maimonides, 1138-1204] wrote his distillation of the Oral Law, he called it Mishneh Torah, since the Oral Law was the 2nd Law revealed at Mt. Sinai, together with the Written Law, the 5 Books of Moses. We might understand Sefer Devarim as a kind of Oral Torah to the Written Torah of the first four books. This is but one reason why I think it is hard not to love the book! Happy viewing!