Parsha Talk Beha'alotkha 5784 2024

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Maomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Special Guest Rabbi Eliezer Diamond sitting in for Rabbi Kalmanofsky who is travelling to Israel. Parashat B’ha’alot’kha [Numbers 8-11] is particularly rich, featuring, among other items: the menorah [8:1-4] and the trumpets [10:1-10]; the Second Passover [9:1-14], for those who were unable to observe the First Passover; the bracketed verses [10:35-36],which have become part of the Torah service in synagogue worship; various complaints of the people [chapter 11], and the complaints of Aaron and Miriam about Moses [12]. We focused on the bracketed verses, and chapter 12, in particular the prayer offered by Moses in v. 13. We were fortunate to have with us this week Rabbi Eliezer Diamond, the Rabbi Judah Nadich Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at The Jewish Theological Seminary, who filled in for Rabbi Kalmanofsky, who is in Israel this week. It was a real treat for Eliot and me, who were students of Rabbi Diamond at the Seminary, and spent several summers with him at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. We hope you enjoy hearing a different voice! We are ever mindful of the hostages and their families, and the men and women who defend Israel as soldiers in the Israel Defense Force. May the hostages be speedily returned to their homes; may the soldiers be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.