Kol Ramah

Parashat Matot-Masei [Numbers 30:2-36:13] is the double portion that concludes our reading of the Sefer B’midbar [Book of Numbers]. As befits a double portion, the longest Torah reading of the year, it is filled with a variety of material, including the annulment of oaths and vows made by women at the beginning of Matot [Numbers 30:2-17] and the itinerary of wilderness journeys [Numbers 33:1-49] a...

Parashat Pinchas [Numbers 25:10-30:1] has a lot of interesting material, such as the denoument to the Pinchas episode from last week [25”10-18], the daughters of Zelophechad receiving the inheritance from their father [27:1-11], and the holodiay readings [28:1-30:1], But since this Shabbat is July 4th, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we devoted the show to...

Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. The double parashah Chukat-Balak [Numbers 19:1-25:9] is rich with interesting material, including the red heifer [Numbers 19], Moses & The Rock [Numbers 20:1-13], the prophet Balaam and the scene with the talking donkey [Numbers 22-24], and the first half of the story about Pinchas [Numbers 25:1-19]. We find it difficult to pass up any op...

Parashat Korach [Numbers 16-18] is described by Jacob Milgrom as “Encroachment on the Tabernacle”. We know it better as the multi-layered account of a series of rebellions, the best known of which is Korach’s rebellion. However, the discerning reader can identify relatively easily 2 or 3 more, each distinguished by a different rebel or set of rebels, and a different object. Korach himself is unhap...

The main story in parashat Sh’lach [Numbers 13:1-15:41] is the tragedy of the spies. In some ways, this sin, the failure of the Israelites to recognize that their destiny is to conquer the land no matter what the odds, is their greatest sin. For the rabbis, there seems to be little question, for they associate the sin of the spies with Tisha B’Av, the worst day on the Jewish calendar, whereas the...

Parashat B-ha’alotcha [Numbers 8:1-12:16] is a particularly rich parasha, with passages about, among other things, the menorah, the second Passover for those unable to make the Passover sacrifice in Nisan, the trumpets whose blasts would summon the people to act in certain prescribed ways, and various complaints by Moshe and the people whose resolution required divine intervention. Our conversatio...

Parashat Naso [Numbers 4:21-7:89] features, among other things, the law of the suspected adulteress [sotah in Hebrew], the nazir [the person who seeks more piety than is required by normative biblical law], and the gifts of the chieftains in chapter 7, at 89 verses the longest in the Torah. Between the laws of the nazir and the gifts of the tribal chieftains we find a passage of 6 verses which con...

This Friday and Shabbat is the holiday of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, also known as Hag Ha-biqqurim, the pilgrimage of first fruits and z’man matan torateinu, the season of the giving of the Torah. As Jeremy explained the midrash, the rabbis were sensitive to the notion of the giving of the Torah, developing the idea that the Torah was not received until the time of Esther and Mordecai. You will...

Parashat B’midbar [Numbers 1:1-4:20] is the first parashah in Sefer B’midbar [Book of Numbers]. There are a lot of names and numbers, the opening chapters detailing the census of the Israelites in the second month of the second year of their journey in the wilderness. There are numbers provided for each of the tribes, for each camp [3 tribes for each direction (east, south, west, and north)], and...

Parashat B’har-B’hukotai [Leviticus 25-27] is the concluding parashah of Sefer Va-yiqra [Book of Leviticus]. The parashah may be divided into three parts: 25:1-26:2, which Baruch Levine entitles “The Principles of Land Tenure”, 26:3-46, the “Epilogue of the Holiness Code”, featuring the tokheha [26:14-45] often translated as reproof [Levine’s preferred term is “execration”], and chapter 27, “Fundi...

Parashat Emor [Leviticus 21-24] contains laws about the כהנים [kohanim, priests] [chapters 21-22, the holidays [chapter 23], and a miscellanea of laws [chapter 24], which includes one of the few events in Leviticus, that of the blasphemer. We focused on the holidays, in part because chapter 23 is read on the 1st two days of Sukkot and the 2nd day of Passover, in addition to the weekly reading. Bec...

Parashat Acharei Mot-Q’doshim [Leviticus 16-20] includes, according to Rabbi Aqiva, the great principle of the Torah [Lev. 19:18], “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. This verse is actually the second half of the verse, which begins with the injunction to not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people, which in turn is preceded by the command to not hate your kinsmen in...

Parashat Tazri-Metzora [Leviticus 12-15] is well-described by this morning’s Bar Mitzvah student as yucky. There are four chapters which focus on the removal of impurity introduced by childbirth [chapter 12], skin diseases [chapters 13-14], and discharges from sexual organs [chapter 15]. As Baruch Levine explains in his JPS Commentary on Leviticus, purity and impurity in the Bible might be best un...

Parashat Sh’mini [Leviticus 9-11] features the strange story of Nadav and Avihu, and the even stranger haftarah from 2 Samuel [6:1-7:17], as well as the levitical version of the dietary laws [there is a close parallel in Deuteronomy 14]. We found ourselves recording during Chol Ha-mo’ed Pesach, wondering whether we should talk about the parashah, or something else, since the last 2 days of yom tov...

Parashat Tzav [Levicus 6:1-8:36] presents the principal sacrifices discussed last week, but this time from the perspective of the priests. Beginning with chapter 8 is the inauguaration of priestly office, which will conclude in parashat Shmini, in two weeks. Because Passover begins next week and we will not be recording, we devoted our conversation to the Haggadah, discussing some of our favorite...

We begin a new book this Shabbat, Va-yiqra [Leviticus], which is also the name of the parashah [Leviticus 1:1-5:26]. The rabbis call the book torat kohanim. In his JPS Commentary, Baruch Levine discusses the double meaning of the phrase: it is both the teaching for the priests and the teaching of or by the priests. The book is at once an instruction manual for priests and a distillation of priestl...

Parashat Va-yaq'hel-P’qudai [35:1–40:38] concludes the Book of Exodus, echoing the parts of the three previous parashiyot which contain the instructions for the Tabernacle. This week, the parashah describes the building of the Tabernacle, concluding with the note that “when Moses had finished the work, the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses...

Parashat Ki Tisa [Exodus 30:11-34:35] this year coincides with Shabbat Parah [maftir, Numbers 19:1-22; haftarah, Ezekiel 36:16-38], the third special Shabbat before Pesah. It comes the week before Shabbat Ha-Hodesh, which occurs on Shabbat Rosh Hodesh Nisan, or the Shabbat before, as is the case this year. There are some final details about the plans for the mishkan [Tabernacle] and a concluding c...

Parashat Tetzaveh [Exodus 27:20-30:10] this year corresponds with Shabbat Zakhor, the 2nd of the 4 special parashiyot before Passover, marked on the Shabbat before Purim, celebrated Monday evening and Tuesday, March 2-3. Passover begins 4 weeks from Wednesday! The parashah continues last week’s parashah, with this week focusing on priestly clothing and the installation of the priests., and conclud...

Parashat T’rumah [Exodus 25:1-27:19] begins the lengthy section describing the mishkan [tabernacle] and its construction, which will take us through to the end of Exodus. There are a few verses that stand out, such as the three-fold repetition of t’ruman [gift] in verses 25:1-2 and the plural verb cconstruction in verses 8 and 10, the former describing the making of the sanctuary [miqdash] and the...

Parashat Mishpatim [Exodus 21:1-24:18] is largely taken up by the Covenant Code. One way to look at the Covenant Code is to see it as the details for which the Ten Commandments, read last week, are, so to speak, the chapter headings. The end of the parashah is narrative, entitled by Sarna in his JPS Commentary on Exodus as “The Renewal of the Divine Promises” and “The Ratification of the Covenant”...

Parashat Yitro [Exodus 18:1-20:23] features the organization of the judiciary, prompted by Yitro’s suggestion to Moshe on how he could reduce the burden on him, and the revelation at Mt. Sinai, where depending on one’s belief system, Moshe received the Torah, the Ten Commandments, or something else. It is hard not to get caught up in chapter 19, which is the description of the revelation itself, p...

Parashat B’shallach [Exodus 13:17-17:16] is the 4th parashah in the Book of Exodus. It features the dramatic crossing of the Sea of Reeds [14:1-31] with the companion poem [15:1-19], and a number of misfortunes: the lack of water, the lack of food, another lack of water [the Exodus story of Moses & The Rock, reprised in Numbers 20:1-13], and the attack of Amalek, which will reverberate through bib...

Parashat Bo [Exodus 10:1-13:16], which includes the final 3 plagues, also has one of my favorite chapters in the entire Torah. Chapter 12 is read twice a year for those who complete the Torah reading annually, for the first 20 verses are read on Shabbat Ha-Hodesh, the shabbat coinciding with Rosh Hodesh Nisan or just before it, and the final 31 verses are read on the 1st day of Passover. The chapt...

Parashat Va’era [Exodus 6:2-9:35] is the second parashah in the Book of Exodus, and a lot happens. Moses returns to Egypt and takes the mantle of leadership, appearing before Pharaoh with his brother, Aaron, his mouthpiece. In one place, God tells Moses, who is concerned about his public speaking deficiencies, that he will be like God, and Aaron his prophet. Very quickly, the text moves through th...