Kol Ramah

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat P’qudai [Exodus 38:21-40:38] recounts the final details of the erection of the mishkan [Tabernacle] with the concluding verses noting that the cloud covered the ohel mo’ed [sacred tent] and the glory or presence of God filled the tabernacle, so much so that Moshe could not enter. When the cloud lifted, the Israelites set out on their journeys; but when it remained in place, so did the Israelites. The cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle during the day and the fire at night, in the presence of the entire house of Israel in all their journeys. The fire and cloud are two of the great symbols of God’s presence, since each has substance but no fixed form. We discuss the meaning of the tabernacle, the multiple beginnings of Exodus and how the end shapes our understanding of each beginning, and more. We hope you enjoy our conclusion of the Book of Exodus! Shabbat Shalom!!

Parsha Talk-with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler. Parashat Va-yaqhel [Exodus 35:1-38:20] is the penultimate parashah of Sefer Sh’mot [the Book of Exodus]. In non-leap years it is paired with the last parashah [P’qudai, more on that next week] to make one of the longest parashiyot of the year. These last two parashiyot take up the actual construction of the mishkan [tabernacle], after the planning was described in the three preceding parashiyot. We spent a fair amount of time talking about Shabbat, since one of the few specific prohibitions is found in the second verse. We also discussed the meaning of the word va-yaqkel, which is often translated as “convoke” or “gather”. For those who like to look ahead, this week is also Shabbat Sheqalim, the first of the 4 special shabbatot before Passover, each with a special maftir [additional reading] and haftarah [prophetic passage]. For Sheqalim, the maftir is from the beginning of last week’s parashah, Ki Tissa [Exodus 30:11-16]. For

Join Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmonofsky for Parsha Talk. Parashat Ki Tissa [Exodus 30:11-34:25] features the episode of the Golden Calf, which provided the material for most of our discussion this week. How should we evaluate the performance of God? Moshe? B’nai Yisrael? What is the nature of the sin of idolatry? Does it have modern relevance? resonance? We came at these questions, and the story, each in his own way, making for a thoughtful discussion as we shared our ideas and responded to each others’. Comments and criticisms welcome at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Tetzaveh [Exodus 27:20-30:10] follows closely on T’rumah with the plans for some of the furniture and objects of the Mishkan [Tabernacle] and the priestly vestments. On the face of it, it does not seem to provide material for an interesting discussion, but we persevered and perhaps even prevailed! As with last week, we talked more theology than the parashah as a whole might suggest at first blush. In particular, we talked about the priestly breastplate, with its four rows of precious jewels, and considered the meaning of the Exodus in a different light than usual, basing ourselves on the passage at the end of Chapter 29 [43-47]. As always, comments and criticisms are welcome at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk - with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler. Parashat T’rumah [Exodus 25:1-27:18] begins the Torah’s lengthy disquisition on the building of the Tabernacle, whose plan and construction will take up most of the remaining chapters of Exodus. This week and next the Torah will describe in great detail how the Tabernacle should be constructed, including descriptions of the furniture and utensils, and then, separated by the episode of the Golden Calf, the Torah will describe the actual building of the Tabernacle. Our conversation this week is perhaps more theological than usual for us, and less tethered to the text. Perhaps we discuss one specific verse, but not much more! Still, the time went quickly. Before we knew it, we were wishing a Shabbat Shalom, which I shall echo here. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk - with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler. Parashat Mishpatim [Exodus 21-24] contains the Covenant Code, one of the major pieces of legislation in the Torah. One way of looking at it is to think of it as the prose to the poetry of revelation in last week’s parashah. In Jewish terms it is the halachah [law] to last week’s aggadah [narrative, non-legal material]. Mishpatim is rich in legal detail, with laws covering a variety of situations, many of which must have been more common while others would have occurred more rarely. Our conversation began with the first verse and included the last chapter, a ritual that is, shall we say, distinctly non-modern. Along the way we discussed some of the specific laws one or more of us find interesting. Comments and criticisms are welcome at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler. Parashat Yitro [Exodus 18:1-20:23, and in some versions enumerated as 20:26] features the Ten Commandments, which is half of a larger unit generally referred to as Revelation at Sinai. When I used to teach Exodus 19 and 20 in high school, I would entitle the unit, “Revelation: There is less than meets the eye”. For many people, most of what they know, or think they know, about Revelation comes from the rabbis and not from the Torah. The Torah’s account is rather spartan and difficult to follow. Give a listen to see what we make of it. As always, comments and criticisms are welcome at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!

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 unhea

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 parshatalk@gmail.com. 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 look

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 parshatalk@gmail.com. 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 qui

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 othe

Come join us for Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky's Parsha Talk. Parashat Toldot [Genesis 25:19-28:9] lives up to its opening words וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן־אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת־יִצְחָק, [ve-elleh toldot yitzhaq ben avraham, avraham ho’lid et yitzchak, “these are the generations of Isaac the son of Abraham, Avraham fathered Isaac], for it features the crucial events in Isaac’s life after the Binding of Isaac [ch. 22] and the securing of a wife for him [ch. 24]. Our conversation is spirited, focusing on the character of Isaac and the character of Esau, sometimes in comparison with Jacob. Give a listen and let us know what you think at parshatalk@gmail.com, where comments and criticisms are always welcome. Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chesler. The parashah this week, parashat Chayyei Sarah [Genesis 23:1-25:18) pretty much covers the life cycle: There are the deaths of Sarah, Abraham, and Ishmael; the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca; the births of Abraham’s last six sons. We spend a lot of time talking about Abraham, it is our last chance this Torah reading cycle, and some time talking about Rebecca. and of necessity, Isaac; according to Jeremy, the three patriarchs are Abraham, Rebecca, and Jacob. I have been assured this show is one of the best, so feel free to respond with your own thoughts at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky - Parashat Va-yera [Genesis 18-22] begins with the arrival of the messengers of God to the tent of the recovering Abraham [he circumcised himself and all the males of his household at the end of last week’s parashah] to announce the upcoming birth of Isaac to the elderly Abraham and Sarah. It ends with Abraham sacrificing a ram in the place of his son Isaac on an altar the rabbis will later place on the Temple Mount. But the actual conclusion is a five-sentence coda announcing the birth of Rebecca, who will ultimately marry Isaac, in next week’s parashah. The Torah has a wonderful way of compressing time in the telling of its stories. The three of us, in our conversation, struggled valiantly to compress time so we could get in as much as possible in our allotted time. Please let us know if you think we succeeded! We receive e-mail at parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!