Kol Ramah

Parashat Sh’lach [Numbers 13-15] is predominantly devoted to the episode of the spies, the 12 tribal leaders, men of renown, who entered the Land of Israel to scout it out and come back with a report to B’nai Yisrael, the Israelite community. The devastating consequence of that report was God’s decree that no one over twenty, save the two who rejected that bad report, Caleb and Joshua, would be pe...

Parashat B-ha’alot’kha [Numbers 8:1-12:16] has a number of different topics, including the story where Miriam and Aaron apparently malign Moses and Miriam is punished with tza’ra’at [commonly translated as leprosy] and Pesach Sheni, the provision for the observance of Passover a month later for those who were too far from Jerusalem or were ritually impure when the holiday was supposed to be observ...

Parashat Naso [Numbers 4:21-7:89] contains, among other things, the longest chapter in the Torah, Numbers 7 which describes in detail the gifts of each of the tribal chieftains to the Tabernacle. Each chieftain gives the exact same gift, which is faithfully recorded, accounting for the length of the chapter. There are other things of note, including the rite of the suspected adulteress [sotah], an...

Parashat B’midbar [Numbers 1:1-4:20] is the first parashah of the Book of Numbers. As befitting a book called Numbers, the parashah is filled with numbers, in particular, the number of men of fighting age in each tribe. An additional feature of the parashah is the tribal names of each of the tribes, which can provide interesting information for those who enjoy studying such things. Censuses, for m...

Parashat B’har-B’hukotai [Leviticus 25-27], a double parashah, the third in four weeks for those keeping score, is the concluding reading from ספר ויקרא [the Book of Leviticus]. Leviticus is the shortest book in the Torah, only 27 chapters, and with all the double parashiyot this year, is finished in only seven weeks. In his JPS Torah Commentary, Baruch Levine divides the reading into 3 sections:...

Parashat Emor [Leviticus 21:1-24:23] is perhaps best known for chapter 23, which describes the holidays and is the Torah reading on the 2nd day of Passover and the first 2 days of Sukkot. It is surrounded by laws related to the priesthood [including restrictions on contact with the dead and whom priests are permitted to marry] and a collection of laws which features one of the few narratives in Le...

Parashat Acharei Mot-K’doshim [Leviticus 16-20] is another double parashah. Acharei Mot is mostly known because it is read on Yom Kippur, chapter 16 about Yom Kippur in the morning, and chapter 18, traditionally, about the forbidden sexual relationships in the afternoon. K’doshim is perhaps best known for what Rabbi Aqiva recognized as the great principle of the Torah, v-ahavta l-rei’akha kamocha,...

Tazria-Metzora [Leviticus 12-15] is the first in a series of doubled parashiyot in the Book of Leviticus. With its emphasis on afflictions of the body, some caused by disease and some caused by natural processes, it has been a test for those seeking to find homiletical material connected to the text. It has been well said that doubling up makes the task easier in that there is only one difficult w...

Parashat Sh’mini [Levitcus 9-11] is the third parashah in Levitcus, and features the culminating ceremony for the inauguration of the mishkan, what Baruch Levine calls “The Initiation of Formal Worship” in his JPS Commentary on Leviticus. It culminates with the tragic deaths of Nadav and Avihu, which we discuss at some length. We also touch upon Yom HaSho’ah, Holocaust Remebrance Day, which is obs...

This shabbat is shabbat/yom tov sh’vi’i of Pesach, the shabbat that coincides with the 7th day of Pesach, which is a holiday. In Israel, where Eliot is for the birth of his 2nd granddaughter, it is the last day of Passover. In the Diaspora, Sunday [April 20th] is the 8th and concluding day of Passover. For the rabbis, the 7th day of Passover was the day when the Israelites crossed the Sea of Reeds...

Parashat Tzav [Leviticus 6:1-8:36] picks up where Parashat Va-yiqra leaves off, with a presentation of the principal individual sacrifices, only this time from the priest’s point ot view. Chapter 8 begins the inauguration cermeony of the priests, with its tragic denouement next week, with the deaths of Nadav and Avihu. We decided to leave Tzav for a future year’s discussion and discuss Passover [b...

Parashat Va-yiqra [Lev. 1:1-5:26] in a sense takes up where Exodus 40:38 left off. The last passage in Exodus informs us [Exod. 40:35] that “Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud had settled upon it and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.” Leviticus begins, “The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, . . . “ We discussed the features of L...

Parashat P’qudai [Exodus 38:21-40:38] concludes the book of Exodus. It also coincides with Shabbat Ha-Hodesh, the fourth special shabbat preceding Passover [beginning this year, Saturday night, April 12]. We spent some time discussing the end of the Book of Exodus, with the erection of the mishkan, and what that might mean for our understanding of the book as a whole. We also discussed the maftir...

This week’s parashah is Va-yaqhel [Exodus 35:1-38:20]. It is also Shabbat Parah, the third special Shabbat before Passover. Shabbat Parah always falls the Shabbat before Shabbat Rosh Hodesh Nisan or, as this year, two shabbatot before Rosh Hodesh Nisan. The weekly parashah is often combined with next week’s parashah [Pequdai] to conclude the reading of Exodus with a flourish, the entire constructi...

Parashat T’tzavveh [Exodus 27:20-30:10] coincides with Shabbat Zakhor, the second of the four special shabbatot before Passover, each with its own maftir [Deuteronomy 25:17-19] and haftarah [1 Samuel 15:2-34]. The weekly Torah reading picks up where last week’s left off, continuing the discussion of the provisioning of the Tabernacle. In particular, we discussed the clothes of the high priest and...

Parashat Ki Tissa [Exodus 30:11-34:35] is perhaps best known for the episode of the Golden Calf and the repairs entailed by that grievous sin. Our conversation focused on the לוחות, generally understood as the stone tablets on which were incised the Ten Commandments. We discussed the significance of the material, stone, as compared with papyrus in Egypt and parchment in Israel; the stone seems to...

Parashat Mishpatim is called The Covenant Code by biblical scholars. It has, as Jeremy notes, over 50 commandments. The laws are both many and varied, regulating all spheres of human life. During this difficult week, we spent a lot of time in our conversation seeking out comfort. On the face of it, Mishpatim might seem an unlikely source of comfort, but we offer avenues wherein comfort might come....

As Eliot notes, Parashat T’rumah [Exodus 25:1-27:19] begins the 2nd half of the Book of Exodus and is concerned mostly with the planning for and construction of the mishkan, the portable tabernacle which accompanies the people in their wandering in the wilderness. The purpose of the mishkan and how it fits into the larger religious life of the people is the basis of part of our conversation. We al...

Parashat Yitro [Exodus 18:1–20:23] features the 10 Commandments. Before we get to the Ten Commandments we spend some time discussing the character of Jethro, who makes his appearance in chapter 18. We actually recorded this when we recorded the episode on B’shallach, for last week, in order to accommodate Eliot’s travel to Israel for his daughter Naama’s wedding this week. Mazal Tov! We remain eve...

Parashat Bo [Exodus 10:1-13:16] is jam-packed with interesting passages. The eighth and ninth plagues take place as well as the announcement of the tenth and final plague [ch. 10-11]. This is followed by the long chapter 12 [51 verses] which we will meet again on Shabbat Ha-Hodesh, the shabbat before or coinciding with Rosh Hodesh Nisan [this year on March 29, 2025] when we will read the first twe...

Parashat B’shallach [Exodus 13:16-17:16] includes the Song of the Sea [15:1-19], which has been incorporated in the daily morning liturgy. It concludes with the original battle with Amalek [Exodus 17:9-16], which will be read again on Purim [March 14, 2025]. Our conversation divided into two, the first part dedicated to a discussion about Joseph’s bones and the second to a conversation about the l...

Parashat Sh’mot [Exodus 1:1-6:1] begins the Book of Exodus. In the opening verses the scene quickly shifts from the patriarchal families described in Genesis to the nation, the people Israel. The descent of Israel [the other name for the patriarch Jacob] into Egypt refers to the sons of Israel, twelve in number. By verse 10, this family has become am b’nai yisrael, the people known as b’nai yisrae...

Parashat Va’era [Exodus 6:2-9:35] is filled with rich material, almost too much to enumerate. At the heart of the parashah is the description of the first 7 plagues, culminating with that of hail. Its position as the 7th in a list of 10 underscores its significance. Our conversation, as is perhaps typical, meandered through the parashah. We talked about the first two verses where God is identified...

Parashat Va-yehi [Genesis 40:28–50:26] is the twelfth and concluding parashah of Sefer B’reshit [The Book of Genesis]. Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s two sons born in Egypt while Jacob was still in Canaan, are blessed by their grandfather, with Jacob reversing his hands so that the younger Ephraim receives the primary blessing. Jacob “blesses” his sons, though not all the sons will probably feel t...

Parashat Va-yiggash [Genesis 44:17-47:27] provides the denouement to the Joseph story, which formally comes to a conclusion next week with parashat Va-yehi tidying up the loose ends and concluding the book of Genesis. This week opens with Judah’s appeal to Joseph and Joseph’s disclosure of his true identity to his brothers. The family makes its way to Egypt ostensibly to sit out the rest of the ye...