Parsha Talk Korach 5784 2824

Kol Ramah

Parsha talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmonofsky. Parashat Korach [Numbers 16-18] follows a similar pattern to Sh’lach L’kha last week. There are two chapters devoted to the main topic, in this case, the rebellions of Korach and others, followed by a chapter with a miscellany of laws. Parashat Tzitzit [Numbers 15:37–41], the paragraph about the ritual fringes which is the biblical source for the wearing of the tallit, the ritual shawl worn primarily during morning prayer services and became the third paragraph of the Sh’ma, the credal statement of rabbinic Judaism, is an appropriate conclusion to the story of the spies as well as an introduction to the rebellions of this week. We devoted most of our conversation this week to a discussion of the nature of the rebellion and how we might make sense of it today, with a little time left to chapter 18, which discusses, among other things, the proper perquisites of the priests and Levites. We hope you enjoy it! 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.