Kol Ramah

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires
  • 4.1 (7)
  • RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Broadcasting from Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. We are the one and only kayitz soundtrack, our airwaves filled with shows produced by and for the campers! LISTEN LIVE: http://KolRamah.us

  1. Parsha talk Yitro 2026 5786

    FEB 6

    Parsha talk Yitro 2026 5786

    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, preceding the Ten Commandments in chapter 20. What is the purpose of revelation? why on a mountain? how do the various characters -- God, Moshe, the Israelites -- come off? Shabbat Shalom!

    37 min
  2. Parsha Talk Beshalach 2026 5786

    FEB 6

    Parsha Talk Beshalach 2026 5786

    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 biblical history and beyond. It is a partiuclarly rich parashah in a book that is known to have several. We hope our conversation lives up to the parashah! We take note of the return of the body of Ran Gvili to Israel for a well-deserved dignified burial. This is the first time since 2014 that there are no Israeli hostages in Gaza. It is a time of complex emotional responses, but surely thanksgiving is one of them. We continue to keep in mind the soldiers defending Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces. Shabbat Shalom!

    37 min
  3. Parsha Talk Bo 5786 2026

    JAN 22

    Parsha Talk Bo 5786 2026

    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 chapter includes a description of Pesah mitzrayim, the Passover celebrated by our ancestors in Egypt, and Pesah le-dorot, the Passover celebrated in subsequent generations to commemorate that 1st Passover. And there is much else! We continue to keep in our hearts Ran Gvili, the remaining hostage yet to be returned to Israel for a proper, dignifiied burial. We also keep in mind the soldiers defending Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

    36 min
  4. Parsha Talk Va'era 5786 2026

    JAN 22

    Parsha Talk Va'era 5786 2026

    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 the first 7 plagues, preparing for the denoument next week, with the last three plagues and the Exodus, the actual leaving of Egypt. There is so much to say about this parashah, but we focused on the roles of Moses and Aaron. We were missing Jeremy again this week, who is sitting shivah for his father, Michael Kaplan z”l, who died last Friday and was buried on Sunday. Our condolences to Jeremy and his family. We continue to keep in mind Ran Gvili, who remains the single hostage whose body has not been returned for its much deserved proper and dignified burial. We also keep in mind the soldiers defending Israel as part of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

    35 min
  5. Parsha Talk Shmot 5786 2026

    JAN 9

    Parsha Talk Shmot 5786 2026

    Parashat Sh’mot [Exodus 1:1-6:1] is the first parashah of Sefer Sh’mot [the Book of Exodus]. The book opens up with a quick summary of the end of Genesis, detailing that Jacob and his sons came to Egypt. Very quickly these b’nai Yisrael, the children and grandchildren of Israel, the patriarch Jacob, become b’nai yisrael, the people Israel. In just a few verses, a family three-generation family of 70 becomes a nation of perhaps 2 million and more, and troubles ensue. The parashah is chockful of interesting verses, commentaries, and longer sections. eAs is often the case, we meander through the parashah. We were missing our good friend and colleague, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, who is tending to family matters. We hope that you find our conversation sufficiently engaging, even though Jeremy is clearly missed. We continue to keep in mind Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage in Gaza, and hope and pray his body will be soon returned to Israel for the dignified funeral he and his family deserve. We also have in mind the soldiers defending Israel as part of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

    35 min
  6. Parsha Talk Vayehi 5786 2026

    JAN 8

    Parsha Talk Vayehi 5786 2026

    Parashat Va-yehi [Genesis 47:28-50:26] is the last parashah in the Book of Genesis. It records the end of Jacob’s life and the end of Joseph’s life. In between we have the adoption of Menasheh and Ephraim, raising them to traibal status, and the elevation of Ephraim over Menashe, even though Menashe is the older. There is also the testament of Jacob [chapter 49], in which Jacob’s offers his final words to each of his sons. There is much more, but an abbreviated schedule meant we did not get to everything we might have, had cirucmstances been different. In the meanwhile, best wishes for a Happy New Year. May 2026 be a year of blessing and peace. We keep in mind Ran Gvili, who yet remains a hostage in Gaza, may he be returned to his family, immediately, for a proper, dignified burial. We also have in mind the soldiers defending Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

    23 min
  7. Parsha Talk Vayiggash 5786 2025

    12/26/2025

    Parsha Talk Vayiggash 5786 2025

    Parashat Va-yiggash [Genesis 44:18-47:27] is the penultimate parashah in the Book of Genesis. It is hard to believe that it has been well over two months since we began our annual reading in the synagogue! This parashah provides the climax to the saga of Joseph and his brothers, with the big reveal, the reunion of the brothers, now each known to one another, and the reunion of Jacob with all of his sons. We sometimes lose sight of the idea that these stories in Genesis operate on two distinct levels: on one level, they are the stories of individuals in specific family relationships; on another level, they are stories about tribal dynamics, a way of explaining the national drama. We try to address both in our conversation this week. Please leave any comments below. Now well over 800 days into the war, Ran Gvili remains the single hostage who remains in captivity. We continue to pray for his speedy release to his family for a final, dignified burial. We also have in mind the soldiers who defend Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

    34 min
  8. Parsha Talk Miketz 5786 2025

    12/26/2025

    Parsha Talk Miketz 5786 2025

    Parashat Mi-ketz [Genesis 41:1-44::17] is the second parashah in the extended Joseph saga, which stretches over 4 parashiyot, taking us to the end of Genesis in two weeks. This year, it coincides with Rosh Hodesh and Hanukkah, an occurrence which happens with some frequency. In 1991, this triple Torah header took place on the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, and my senior sermon. It allowed me to begin by noting this was the Jewish version of Torah Torah Torah. I spoke then of the butler’s confession, et hatta’i ani mazkir ha-yom, My sins I mention today. The midrash pays attention to the plural, sins, noting that the butler sinned against Pharaoh, which caused him to be sent to jail, and he sinned against Joseph by letting him languish in jail after promising to mention him at the end of last week’s parashah. It occurred to me only recently that the butler had in mind his sin against Joseph does not make a great deal sense; what is the value of a public confession when the person sinned against is not even present. Rather, I now think, the butler recognized that his sins against Pharaoh were more numerous than he previously acknowledged. We often see ourselves as more sinned against than sinning, more deserving of being forgiven than forgiving those who have wronged us. In this reading, the butler is more worthy of praise because he is taking on more responsibility, rather than less. Our conversation focused on the character of Joseph, in someways the quintessential diaspora Jew, yearning to be at home and never quite fitting in. He is also one of the more fully drawn characters in the Bible, and his portrait is quite complex. We hope you enjoy it! We continue to keep in mind the one hostage whose body has yet to be returned, may he be returned speedily to his family. We also have in mind the soldiers defending Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces. Shabbat Shalom. Hodesh Tov. Hag Urim Same’ah.

    38 min
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About

Broadcasting from Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. We are the one and only kayitz soundtrack, our airwaves filled with shows produced by and for the campers! LISTEN LIVE: http://KolRamah.us

Information

  • Creator
    Camp Ramah in the Berkshires
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    539
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Kol Ramah