Kol Ramah

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yehi [Genesis 47:28–50:26] is the twelfth and final parashah of Genesis. We address the overall theme/direction of the book, and how it fits into the Torah. We also discuss the burial of Jacob: why does he insist on being buried in the ancestral grave? As always [we hope] the conversation is spirited, and we hope you enjoy it! As daylight increases now that we have passed the winter solstice, may light again increase in the world as well. Again this week, our thoughts and prayers are with the hostages, may they be returned to their homes safely, the soldiers fighting in defense of Israel, may they be removed from harm’s way, and all those affected by this war, both near and far. May the One Who brings peace in the heavens, bestow it upon us on earth as well. Shabbat Shalom

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yigash [Genesis 44:18–47:27] is the penultimate parashah of the Book of Genesis. It opens with Judah’s plea to Joseph to take him as captive instead of Benjamin. The events unfold quickly which lead to the reconciliation of the brothers, the descent of Jacob and his family into Egypt, a genealogy [interesting enough on its own, but which we leave for another time], the reunion of Jacob and Joseph, the meeting between Jacob and Pharaoh, and concluding with what Nahum Saran in his JPS Commentary, calls “Joseph’s Agrarian Policies”. We focused on what seems to us a few of the key verses of the parashah. As becomes abundantly clear, biblical stories are never quite how they appear to us even the last time we encountered them. We hope you enjoy our conversation! Again this week, our thoughts and prayers are with the hostages, may they be returned to their homes safely, the soldiers fighting in defense of Israel, may they

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barrry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. According to Eliot, Parashat Mikketz [Genesis 41:1–44:17] is the second-most amazing parashah in the entire Torah, coming a week after his Bar Mitzvah parashah. This parashah is the heart of the Joseph story: Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams and subsequent elevation to second-in-command to Pharaoh, and the scenes with his brothers who have come to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph, as is well-known, tests his brothers, to see if they have changed. Our conversation focused almost exclusively on Joseph’s character. Has Joseph changed since that fateful day he was sold into slavery? The Hebrew of one of the verses makes the illuminating connection between recognition and strangeness, and estrangement, all with the same three letter root: nun, kaf, resh. We hope you enjoy it! As always, our thoughts and prayers are with the hostages, may they be restored to their families speedily, and with the soldiers defending Israel, may t

Parsha Talk Vayeshev, with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chasler and jeremy Kalmanofsky. Hanukkah edition.

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yishlah [Genesis 32:4–36:43] features, among other things, Jacob’s wrestling match with an angel, the meeting with Esau after a twenty-year absence, the disconcerting story of Dinah, the genealogy of Esau, and a list of kings of Edom. We spent a fair amount of time on the story of Dinah, discussing it in a way that is unlike any previous conversations we have had on this story, at least if memory serves correctly! Comments and criticisms are welcome below or at parshatalk@gmail.com. As always our thoughts are with Israel, both עם [am, people] and מדינה [m’dinah, political entity or state]. May those held hostage be returned to their families, may the soldiers defending Israel be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yetze [Genesis 28:10–32:3] is a personal favorite, in that it is my Bar Mitzvah portion. Coincidentally [or not] it is the Bat Mitzvah portion of my wife, Carol. And, my Hebrew name is יעקב [ya’aqov, Jacob], who is the main character. The parashah begins with Jacob heading northeast, to the land of his uncle Lavan, as he flees from his brother Esau. The parashah ends with Jacob on his way back to Canaan, with two wives and two handmaidens s, in tow, with 12 children [11 boys and a girl], and much flocks, preparing to meet his brother after 20 years.. The parashah begins with a divine encounter, the angels going up and down the ladder, and ends with one, after Jacob concludes his treaty with Lavan. This parashah seems particularly rich, though we say that almost every week. We confine our conversation to the scene at the well, and how that shapes our understanding of the characters involved and the events that subse

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Toldot [Genesis 25:19–28:9] is the sixth of the weekly parashiyot in the Book of Genesis. The toldot, or generations, from which the parashah takes its name, belong to Isaac. Eilleh toldot yitzhaq ben avraham, avraham holid et yitzhaq: this is the story of Isaac, son of Abraham; Abraham begot Isaac. After a couple stories about Isaac, one of which concerns the birth of Jacob and Esau, the narrative frame shifts to Jacob and Esau. Part of our conversation is devoted to an evaluation of Isaac as patriarch. Does he have what it takes? We began outside the box, so to speak, taking note of the passing of three teachers at the Seminary when we were students: Dr. Sam Klagsbrun, Dr. Israel Francus, and Dr. Avraham Holtz. We shared some memories of each of them. We also reflected on the Rally for Israel on Tuesday. Each of us went, but we did not manage to see each other. Apparently it is not so easy to find people in a crow

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Hayyai Sarah [23:1–25:18] is the fifth of the weekly parashiyot in Sefer B’reshit [the Book of Genesis]. It begins with the death notice of Sarah, and continues with the first acquisition of land by Avraham in Canaan. This is the basis of the subsequent Jewish claim to the Land. Canaan is the place where Avraham the Hebrew buried his dead. In fact, this burial is the first mention of burial in the Torah. Heretofore, the death notice was simply a death notice, often accompanied with a note on the years the deceased lived. But now, we find Avraham engaging in negotiations to acquire land to bury his dead. A piece of the land now belongs to him, and to his descendants. The story continues with Avraham now seeking to find a wife for his son Isaac. He sends his servant back east, to the ancestral homeland, to see if he might find a woman willing to come to Canaan. That woman is Rebecca, who we have had occasion to refer

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yera [Genesis 18-22] is the 4th weekly parashah in the Book of Genesis. It primarily consists of a series of events in the life of Abraham: the visitation of the angels/messengers of God with the news that Sarah will give birth to a son, Avraham’s discussion with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, a second iteration of the wife-sister story, this time featuring Avimelekh instead of Pharaoh, and the binding of Isaac. There are also stories about the fate of Lot and his family who had been living in Sodom and Gomorrah, and the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael, a story to which Avraham is only tangentially connected. Any one of these is worthy of an extended discussion; we chose to focus on the discussion between God and Avraham over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, going verse by verse until we ran out of time. The story resonates with the political situation today; while we do not necessarily look to the Torah for t

Parsha Talk - with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Lekh L’kha [Genesis 12:1–17:27] is the third parashah in the Book of Genesis. It opens with God’s dramatic call to Avram, instructing him to leave “his land, his birthplace, his father’s house, to go to the land that I [God] will show you”. Because this is the opening verse of the new parashah, it is easy to forget that Avram has already left his land and his birthplace with his father Terah, his nephew Lot, and his wife Sarai for the land of Canaan, making it as far as Haran, just two verses ago. This call to Avram is the beginning of Jewish peoplehood [if we allow for anachronism]. What distinguishes the journey in chapter 12 from the one at the end of chapter 11 is the voice of God. Avram not only hears the voice of God, he follows it. He allows God to lead him. What follows in the parashah are a number of events both in and out of the land, events of moral complexity which lead Avram to Egypt, to a war in the ne

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Noah [Genesis 6:10–11:32] is the second parashah in the Book of Genesis. The main story in the parashah is the flood that God brings in order to destroy God’s creation, to begin again with Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives. Our tone was more somber than usual, in the wake of the news in Israel since Sh’mini Atzeret/Simhat Torah. We call the Torah a tree of life to those who hold fast to it; when the events of the day threaten to restore the pre-Creation chaos, the tohu va-vohu of Genesis 1:2, we cling to what we can. For us as Jews, it is Torah, and for the three of us, it is our weekly conversation about the parashah. Our thoughts and prayers are with Israel: the Land, the State, the People. We say Shabbat Shalom about time; in the qaddish we express our wish for peace about space: עושה שלום במרומיו הוא יעשה שלום עלינו ועל כל ישראל ועל כל יושבי תבל – May God who makes peace from God’s heights, grant pe

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. We start our annual Torah Reading again this week with the first parashah, B’reshit [Genesis 1:1-6:8]. Because of scheduling issues, we recorded this last week, before the war in Israel broke out. Our prayers and thoughts are with Israel: the land, the state, and the people. May comfort come to those who mourn, may loved ones, soldiers and civilians, be restored to their families. May the words of Torah provide a measure of comfort and healing in dark times. Shabbat Shalom.

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Because Sh’mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah fall on Shabbat and Sunday, we have another special edition of Parashah Talk. The parashah for this Shabbat is Deuteronomy 14:22–16:17, from parashat Re’eh, which is also read on the last day of Passover and second day of Shavuot. It is Deuteronomy’s festival calendar. Ironically, this calendar does not mention Sh’mini Atzeret. Our conversation took up in turn, the holidays of Hoshanah Rabbah [Friday, October 6], Shmini Atzeret [Shabbat, October 7], and Simchat Torah [October 8]. Next week we return to the regular weekly parashah, as we start the Torah reading cycle over, with Bereshit [Genesis 1:1–6:8]. At this time of year, with the conclusion of the long holiday season in sight, I am reminded of President Ford’s comment when he assumed office in August, 1974: Our long national nightmare is over. Regularity and routine never looked so good! Shabbat Shalom & Chag Same’ach!!

Parsha Talk - with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. The parashah this week is a special Torah Reading for Sukkot. This may be familiar to those who remember the Torah reading from the second day of Passover, 6 months ago, and it will be repeated again on Sunday in communities observing two days of yom tov [holiday]. The Torah reading comprises the sacred calendar of Leviticus. Of special note is verse 23:40, from which the rabbis derive the commandment to gather the four species [etrog (citron), palm branch, myrtle, and willow] and 23:43, which gives the reason for building the sukkah, the temporary dwelling in which one lives during the holiday of sukkot. Our conversation focused primarily on the meaning of the holiday itself, and the symbolism of the sukkah. In hoping you enjoy it we are only underscoring a special commandment associated with Sukkot, v-samachta b-chagekha [Deuteronomy 16:14], to rejoice in the holiday. Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sa’me’ach!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. When either Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat, this week’s parashah, Ha’azinu [Deuteronomy 32] is also Shabbat Shuvah, with a special haftarah [Hosea 14:2-10, Joel 2:15-27, according to the Ashkenazic tradition recorded in the Etz Hayim]. Though the Shabbat takes its name from the first word in the Hosea text [as Shabbat Hazon, the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av, takes its name from the first word of its haftarah, Isaiah 1:1-27, and Shabbat Nahamu, the Shabbat following Tisha B’av, takes its name from the first word of its haftarah, Isaiah 40:1-26 , the Shabbat is sometimes called Shabbat T’shuvah, the Sabbath of Repentance, after the season. Our conversation this week also took its cue from the season, and we devoted it entirely to a discussion of Yom Kippur, observed Sunday evening and Monday, September 24-25. Wishing everyone a Shabbat Shalom and a meaningful fast!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. It is the week before Rosh Hashanah [which begins this Friday evening, September 15, 2023], so the weekly parashah is replaced by the special Torah readings for the holiday: on Saturday, Shabbat, we read Genesis 21; on Sunday, we read chapter 22. Rather than speak directly about the Torah reading this week, we spoke instead on the emotional highlights for us of Rosh Hashanah, and in particular, the prayers or texts that speak to us most directly. Unlike the other holidays, where we might prepare the house by removing hametz [leavened products] or prepare a temporary dwelling such as the sukkah [and even on Shavuot, we prepare cheesecake!], on the High Holidays we have the idea that we have to prepare ourselves. We hope our conversation helps you get ready in a meaningful way. לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו! [L-shanah tovah tikatevu v-te’chatemu]. May you and yours be inscribed and sealed for a good year!!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. This week’s double parashah Nitzavim/Va-yelekh [Deut. 29:9–31:30] is relatively short yet contains memorable lines and ideas that have had a kind of an afterlife well beyond the Torah. The phrase lo bashamayim hee [Deut. 30:12], “it is not in heaven” figures prominently in one of the great talmudic stories, The Oven of Akhnai [b. Bava Metzia 59ab], and the command to choose life [u-vaharta ba-hayyim] is often cited in discussions governing moral choice. As the book of Deuteronomy winds to a close in the synagogue reading, the figure of Moses looms larger and larger, as does the seeming inability of the author, whoever that may be, to appropriately close the book. Deuteronomy seems to have a number of different endings, and we have yet to get to the concluding parashah. Thankfully, perhaps, our conversation did have an end. We hope you enjoy it! Shabbat Shalom!!

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky present Parsha Talk. Parashat Ki Tavo [Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8] contains a lengthy section [Deut. 28] known as the תוכחה [tokhehah, or “rebuke”], which parallels the similar text found near the end of Leviticus [ ch. 26]. Before we got to it, we spent quite a lot of time discussing the passage about the first-fruits ritual [Deut. 26:1–11], and in particular the declaration made by the farmer [vv. 5–10]. Along the way we discussed the upcoming High Holidays and still had time to touch upon the beautiful haftarah [Isaiah 60:1–22]. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Ki Tetze [Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19] is, to use one of Eliot’s favorite phrases, mitzvah-dense, with 74 of the 613 commandments according to Sefer ha-Hinukh, a medieval compilation and explanation of the laws of the Torah. With so much to choose from, we used a somewhat random method, rolling dice to determine a chapter and verse for our discussion. Please let us know if you like this approach. We certainly had fun! Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Shoftim [Deuteronomy 16:8–21:9], as described by Jeffrey Tigay in his JPS Torah Commentary on Deuteronomy, “deals with the responsibilities of public officials, . . . It introduces four main types of human authorities: judges, kings, priests, and prophets . . .” It is thus a political document, outlining the rules intended to check the powers of those in authority. It reminds us, in a way, of the US Constitution, predicated on an intricate web of checks and balances so that no one person or group may exercise ultimate, unchecked authority. As is often the case, it is particularly relevant in this summer of 2023, given the unfolding events both here in the US and in Israel. We hope you enjoy our conversation. Shabbat Shalom!