Ever wanted to see how relatable the Torah really is? Counselors at URJ Kutz Camp, a Reform Jewish leadership camp for teens, wanted to do just that. They made awesome raps discussing the weekly Torah portion, or parashah, for an entire year!
Listen to this parashah as a man by the name of Pinchas is rewarded for killing the Israelite and the Midianite woman who cursed God. Israel fights a war against the Midianites and another census is taken.
Transcript
Saturday morning and the peeps are here
It’s time for Shabbat – let me get a cheer
We’ll talk about Moses, Aaron, the Levites too
Ayyoo Matt, you know what to do
Parashat Balak, we had last week
And in case you all forget, it was quite on fleek
The Israelites were supposed to be cursed by Balam
But instead of chaos, there was love and calm
This week is Pinchas, named for the man
Who made a passionate move to follow God’s plan
He killed some people, and that’s a fact
And was rewarded with a priesthood pact
A second census is taken, so here we go
We gotta count the people to get down on the low
A war breaks out and it’s against our rival
Whether we win or not, it’s certain to our survival
Here comes the census, ladies and gentleman
Here comes the census, the moment you’ve been waiting for
Here comes the census, we got to count some people
Here comes the census, let’s begin
601,730 is the number
Some years ago we had more what a bummer
We counted the people because there’s a new generation
Welcome folks to the Joshua administration
We pick another leader to show us through
To the land of Canaan, he’ll know what to do
And God picks Joshua from here on out
Eventually Moses dies from a technical knockout
We appreciate the love, we had quite a run
We miss you dearly, the summer was tons of fun
Kutz Camp is home for one and all
Let’s keep it going each week, and we’ll have a ball
Thanks for listening to our eighth rap
Stay tuned for more, we’re putting ourselves on the map
This has been your – Shabbat Sha’Rap!