Kol Ramah

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky bring us Parsha Talk! The parashah this week is Emor [Leviticus 21-24], which features the Levitical calendar [chapter 23], last read in the synagogue on the 2nd day of Passover. This calendar is a culmination of the move to a fixed calendar, with nearly all the holidays now designated for a specific day and month, completing the shift from agricultural occasions in the earlier calendars [Exodus and Deuteronomy]. Chapter 21 is devoted to various priestly restrictions and limitations, to borrow the title given it by Baruch Levine in his JPS Torah Commentary, while Chapter 22 discusses various sacred donations which come to the priests as a result of their service. Chapter 24 contains one of the few events that takes place in Leviticus, an event which sparks the conclusion of our conversation. As always, comments and criticisms are welcome at parshatalk.com. Shabbat Shalom!