HebdoSyna

Parashat Matot–Masei and Rosh Chodesh Av
^{Numbers 30:2–36:13 (Matot–Masei), Numbers 28:9–15 (Rosh Chodesh), Isaiah 66:1–24 (Rosh Chodesh)}

The double portion Matot–Masei concludes the Book of Numbers. It addresses the laws of vows and recounts the war against Midian. It also describes the settlement of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh east of the Jordan. Then follow the listing of the 42 desert journeys, the rules for dividing the Land, the establishment of the cities of refuge, and the question of the inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad.

In the haftarah, the prophet Isaiah portrays a messianic Jerusalem—a source of peace and a center of universal worship.

Numbers 33:33
וַיִּסְעוּ, מֵחֹר הַגִּדְגָּד; וַיַּחֲנוּ, בְּיָטְבָתָה
They journeyed from Hor‑Hagidgad and camped at Yotvata.

This verse names Yotvata^[2] among the 42 stations of Israel’s desert wanderings. When history takes root, the desert becomes fertile.
Kibbutz Yotvata was founded in 1957 by the Naḥal movement^[3], near Ein Radian—a major natural spring in the Arava Valley, 42 km north of Eilat—adjacent to the ruins of a Roman fort.
From its inception, Yotvata established the regional school Ma’aleh Shaharut^[4], which blends academic studies, environmental awareness, and civic engagement. The kibbutz also hosts a boarding program of Na’alé^[5].
In the 1960s, an agricultural center combined geological and agronomic research, irrigation innovations, and greenhouse cultivation. Solar panels now supply much of the kibbutz’s electricity, and wastewater is recycled for irrigation.
The Yotvata dairy^[6], founded in 1962, processes local milk into over forty products distributed throughout Israel.
Adjacent to the kibbutz, the Hai‑Bar reserve works to reintroduce biblical species to the Negev—onager, oryx, gazelle, and hyena.

^[1] Inyan ha‑yom – The subject of the day primes. When a special haftarah is prescribed (e.g., Rosh Chodesh, Hanukkah), it takes precedence over the regular weekly haftarah (Orach Ḥayim 425:1; Mishnah Berurah 425:7).
^[2] Deuteronomy 10:7 calls Yotvata “a land of flowing streams.” Some commentaries link its name to the Hebrew root T‑V‑B (tov, “good”).
^[3] Naḥal (Noʿar Ḥalutzi Loḥem) – “Fighting Pioneer Youth,” an IDF framework founded in 1948 to combine military service with founding agricultural settlements.
^[4] Ma’aleh Shaharut School serves about 600 students from the eleven communities of the Hevel Eilot Regional Council, including Yotvata. Under Israel’s Ministry of Education, it offers pluralistic academic, environmental, and civic education.
^[5] Na’alé (Noʿar Oleh Lifnei Horim) – a government program launched in 1992 bringing Jewish teens worldwide to finish high school in Israel before their families make aliyah.
^[6] The Yotvata dairy, operated since 2000 in partnership with Strauss Group, is renowned for its chocolate milk and dairy drinks.

Pin’has (פִּינְחָס)
Numbers 25:10–30:1 and Jeremiah 1:1–2:3 ^[1]

Pinchas receives a covenant of peace and the priesthood. Moses and Eleazar conduct a new census of the tribes. The daughters of Zelophehad are granted the right to inherit their father’s estate. Joshua is appointed as Moses’ successor. A description of the ritual sacrifices is given. The prophet Jeremiah evokes the bond between God and Israel, born in the wilderness.

Jeremiah 2:2
זָכַרְתִּי לָךְ חֶסֶד נְעוּרַיִךְ, אַהֲבַת כְּלוּלֹתָיִךְ, לֶכְתֵךְ אַחֲרַי בַּמִּדְבָּר
I remember the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you followed Me in the desert.

Near Gondar, on the road to the Simien Mountains, a handmade sign reads “Jewish village of Wolleka Falasha”. This village was home to an Ethiopian Jewish community—Beta Israel—whose religious tradition developed independently from rabbinic Judaism, without access to the Talmud or mainstream institutions. Their biblical and priestly customs, rooted in the desert, likely predate the Babylonian exile, making their history uniquely significant in the Jewish narrative.
Their spiritual life revolved around the qessotch ^[2], priests who led rituals and were responsible for reading the Orit ^[3], the sacred scriptures sung in Ge’ez ^[4] and transmitted orally across generations. In 1973, after an investigation by Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef officially recognized them as “descendants of the tribe of Dan”.
In 1975, following this halachic recognition, the Israeli government extended immigration rights to Beta Israel under the Law of Return. Many Ethiopian Jews joined Israel through large-scale aliyot. Some crossed Sudan on foot at great personal risk, later being evacuated by air ^[5], while others were flown out directly from Addis Ababa ^[6].
Today, no Jewish residents remain in Wolleka, but the village bears testimony to its past: a clay synagogue built in 1942 with traditional artwork, a cemetery with blue-painted tombs, and a memorial honoring Beta Israel members who perished en route to Sudan. A local family holds the synagogue keys and charges a small fee for upkeep and visits. By preserving the site, the villagers reinforce its identity as a place of remembrance, rather than just a tourist destination.

^[1] Normally, the haftara for Parashat Pin’has comes from 1 Kings 18:46–19:21. However, when read after the fast of 17 Tammuz, it is replaced with the haftara of Mattot: Jeremiah 1:1–2:3.
^[2] Qessotch are Ethiopian Jewish priests, distinct from rabbis, who maintain ritual purity and lead religious practices in the Beta Israel tradition.
^[3] Orit is the Beta Israel’s version of the Torah, encompassing the Pentateuch, Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings), Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, Ruth, etc.), and some apocryphal texts like the Book of Enoch and Book of Jubilees.
^[4] Ge’ez is an ancient Semitic liturgical language used by Ethiopian Jews, once the official language of the Aksumite kingdom and the Ethiopian Empire.
^[5] Operation Moses (1984) was a covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jewish refugees from Sudan to Israel.
^[6] Operation Solomon (1991) was a massive airlift, bringing over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews from Addis Ababa to Israel in less than 36 hours.

Balak (בלק)
^{Numbers 22:2–25:9 & Micah 5:6–6:8}

Balak, king of Moab, summons Balaam, the pagan prophet from Pethor,^[1] to curse Israel—yet his mouth utters only blessings. “How beautiful are your tents,” he declares, unveiling the inner beauty of the people of Israel. The prophet Micah extends these blessings by affirming that true greatness lies in justice, kindness, and humility before God.

Numbers 24:3
נְאֻם בִּלְעָם בְּנוֹ בְעֹר, וּנְאֻם הַגֶּבֶר שְׁתֻם הָעָיִן
Oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the word of the man whose eyes are opened.

In 1967, a Dutch archaeological team uncovered at Deir Alla (in the Jordan Valley) an Aramaic inscription explicitly naming Balaam son of Beor. The text, written in black and red ink on a plastered wall^[2], begins as follows:

כתב בל[ע]ם בן בע[ו]ר איש חזה אלהין
“Text of Balaam son of Beor, man who saw the divine.”

In the first section, Balaam predicts that darkness will fall upon the earth and cover the world, a reflection of the cosmic disorder caused by human impiety.
The second section, highly fragmentary, sketches an apocalyptic oracle announcing coming calamities, and concludes with a divine command forbidding Balaam to continue his prophecies.

Deir Alla, known as “Tarʿala” in the Jerusalem Talmud (Sheviit 2:3), was destroyed around 800 BCE, likely during the earthquake mentioned in Amos 1:1. Some scholars identify this site with the ancient Sukkot^[3] in the territory of Gad, located east of the Jordan in the Jabbok Valley.

^[1] Pethor is mentioned in Numbers 22:5 as located “by the river” (the Euphrates), probably in present-day northern Syria or southeastern Turkey.
^[2] The plaster fragments were found scattered across the southeast chamber floor of the sanctuary, mixed with pottery shards and debris. They were painstakingly reassembled by the Dutch team.
^[3] Sukkot, cited in Joshua 13:27, should not be confused with the encampment of the Exodus (Numbers 33:48).

Parashat Chukat (חקת – “Decree”)
^{Numbers 19:1 – 22:1 • Haftarah: Judges 11:1–33}

The parasha begins with the mysterious law of the red heifer, then recounts the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ sin, the episode of the bronze serpent, and Israel’s first military victories. The haftarah also tells of a victory: that of Jephthah over the Ammonites.

Numbers 20:28
וַיָּמָת אַהֲרֹן שָׁם, בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר
“And Aaron died there, on the top of the mountain.”

Following God’s command, Moses ascends Mount Hor with Aaron and his son Eleazar. There, Eleazar receives the priestly garments. Aaron dies in silence atop the mountain.
Tradition identifies Mount Hor with Jebel Haroun – “the Mountain of Silence” – near Petra, Jordan. At the summit stands the Tomb of Aaron (Arabic: Maqam Haroun), built in the 14th century by the Mamluks.
Today, the site is under Muslim religious administration, and as in many such locations, Jewish religious practices (tallit, tefillin, prayers, singing, etc.) may be seen as provocative or even illegal.

Korah (קֹרַח – Korah)
^{Numbers 16:1 – 18:32 & I Samuel 11:14 – 12:22}

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram are swallowed up for challenging the legitimacy of Moses and Aaron, while the 250 other rebels, who offered unauthorized incense, are consumed by divine fire. To prevent further dissent, Moses asks each tribal leader to place his staff in the sanctuary; only Aaron’s staff buds, blossoms, and produces almonds — an unmistakable sign of divine choice. In the haftarah, the prophet Samuel, who is also challenged, reminds the people that God is Israel’s only true leader.

Numbers 17:23
וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת, וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה אֶל-אֹהֶל הָעֵדוּת, וְהִנֵּה פָּרַח מַטֵּה-אַהֲרֹן, לְבֵית לֵוִי; וַיֹּצֵא פֶרַח וַיָּצֵץ צִיץ, וַיִּגְמֹל שְׁקֵדִים
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into the Tent of the Testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

In the time of the Second Temple, Magdala — or in Aramaic Migdal Nunaya, “Tower of the Fish” — was a prosperous Jewish city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had up to 40,000 inhabitants, with a market, ritual baths, a fish-salting industry, and several synagogues. One of these yielded the famous Magdala Stone, adorned with symbols of the Jerusalem Temple: a menorah, jars, columns… and, on its upper face, a floral arrangement that some archaeologists interpret as stylized almond blossoms.

The modern locality of Migdal was founded in 1910 by Russian Jewish pioneers from the Hovevei Tsion movement^[1]. Among the founders were notable figures such as Joseph Trumpeldor^[2] and Yossef Haim Brenner^[3]. They established an agricultural training farm called Ahuzat Moskva – “Moscow Estate” – to train Jewish farmers.

^[1] Hovevei Tsion – Lovers of Zion: a proto-Zionist movement founded in 1881 in Russia, aimed at promoting Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel.
^[2] Joseph Trumpeldor (1880–1920): Zionist hero, Russian army veteran, co-founder with Ze’ev Jabotinsky (1880–1940, militant Zionist leader advocating for a strong Jewish state in the Land of Israel) and Nahum Sokolow (1859–1936, writer, politician, and Zionist diplomat) of the Zion Mule Corps (a voluntary Jewish muleteer unit that supported the British Army during the 1915 Gallipoli campaign, seen as a precursor to the Jewish Legion). He died defending Tel Hai, a Jewish outpost in Mandatory Palestine, during an Arab tribal attack in 1920.
^[3] Yossef Haim Brenner (1881–1921): major Hebrew writer and pioneer of modern Hebrew literature, assassinated on May 2, 1921, in Jaffa during anti-Jewish riots by Arab assailants, alongside Zionist activists Dr. Yitzhak Vitkin, Dr. Yosef Luria, Avraham Yesod, and Moshe Feinstein, a prominent community leader. They were all buried together in the Trumpeldor Cemetery in Tel Aviv.

Shelach Lekha (שלח לך – Send for yourself)
^{Numbers 13:1–15:41 and Joshua 2:1–24}

Moses sends twelve explorers into Canaan; upon their return, ten of them deliver an alarming report. Frightened, the people refuse to take possession of the land and are consequently condemned to forty years of wandering in the desert. Forty years later, Joshua in turn sends two spies to Jericho, the key to entering Eretz Israel (Talmud, Sotah 34b). Their successful mission leads to the conquest of Canaan. In both narratives, one motif recurs: the cord^[¹]. The blue thread of the tsitsit, and the scarlet cord hung by Rahav at her window.

Numbers 15:38
דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל… פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת
Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them to make fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a thread of blue on each corner fringe.

The method for producing the tekhelet (תְּכֵלֶת – indigo blue) was lost over the centuries. In the 19th century, Mediterranean fishermen reported that their garments turned blue after handling certain sea snails. In 1882, intrigued by these accounts, Rabbi Gershon Hanokh Henikh Leiner^[²] applied his dual expertise in Torah and natural sciences in an attempt to identify the animal used for dyeing the tsitsit. His investigation — mistakenly — led him to identify the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) as the ḥilazon (חילזון – the biblical snail).

In 1968, Israeli chemist Otto Elsner (1936–2022) demonstrated experimentally that the Hexaplex trunculus produces a blue dye through a photochemical reaction. In 1980, the Ptil Tekhelet team in Israel, led by Rabbi Eliezer Yosef Tavger^[³], succeeded in reproducing this process. The method was validated, and a breeding farm for Hexaplex trunculus^[⁴] was established in Haifa.

Today, several halakhic authorities^[⁵] recognize the validity of modern tekhelet. Figures such as Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, and Rabbi Shlomo Machpud consider the accumulated evidence⁶ strong enough to restore this forgotten mitzvah.

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^[¹] Joshua 2:18 mentions a “cord of scarlet thread” (תִּקְוַת חוּט הַשָּׁנִי); Joshua 2:21 repeats “the scarlet cord” (תִּקְוַת הַשָּׁנִי).
The word תִּקְוָה (tikvah), from the root ק–ו–ה (“to hope” or “to stretch a line”), conveys a sense of active, tension-filled anticipation. In kabbalistic tradition, this thread is associated with protection against the evil eye. Two words, two registers: the text could have chosen the generic hevel (חֶבֶל – simple rope), yet deliberately selects ptil (פְּתִיל) — a twisted, ritualized thread — a sacred reminder of the covenant. And on the other hand, tikvah bears the full weight of longing and redemptive hope.
^[²] Rebbe Gershon Hanokh Henikh Leiner (1839–1891), Hassidic master of Radzin and a pioneer in reviving the search for tekhelet in the 19th century.
^[³] Rabbi Eliezer Yosef Tavger (1948–2022), physicist and Torah teacher. In 1988, he performed the first halakhic tekhelet dyeing in over 1,300 years.
^[⁴] Hexaplex trunculus (also known as Murex trunculus): a marine gastropod identified as the biblical ḥilazon. The Talmud (Menachot 42b–44a) provides clues: “its body resembles the sea” — it lives in the Mediterranean and has an iridescent shell; “it resembles a fish” — it has a coiled, fishlike form; and “its blood is used for dye” — its glandular secretion turns blue under sunlight. About 30 snails are required to dye a full set of tsitsit.
^[⁵] Halakhic authorities:
– Rabbi Tsvi Hershel Schachter (b. 1941), leading Orthodox halakhic authority in the U.S., heads the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (Yeshiva University), author of Guinat Egoz (2007), which discusses tekhelet.
– Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg (1931–2020), former head of the rabbinical court in Jerusalem and director of the Talmudic Encyclopedia.
– Rabbi Shlomo Machpud (b. 1946), prominent Sephardic decisor of Yemenite origin, heads the Yoreh Deah kashrut agency in Bnei Brak, and actively advocates for reintroducing tekhelet as an authentic mitzvah.
^[⁶] Accumulated evidence: Fragments of textiles dyed with tekhelet and argaman (crimson dye from Bolinus brandaris) have been found at Masada and in the Judean Desert. Chemical and spectroscopic analyses confirmed the use of Hexaplex trunculus as a dye source. Phoenician dye workshops have yielded thousands of broken shells. Pliny the Elder (Natural History, Book IX) names eight types of mollusks used for purple or blue dyes and details the manufacturing process.

Beha’alotekha (בהעלותך – when you raise up)
^{Numbers 8:1–12:16 and Zechariah 2:14–4:7}

The parashah begins with the command given to Aaron to light the menorah and the consecration of the Levites. In the haftarah, the prophet Zechariah describes the vision of the menorah and the consecration of the High Priest Jeshua.

Psalm 29:2 (Kabbalat Shabbat ^[1])
הָבוּ לַה’, כְּבוֹד שְׁמוֹ; הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַה’, בְּהַדְרַת-קֹדֶשׁ
Give the Lord the glory due His name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Built in 1964, the Maguen David Synagogue in Mexico is an architectural work designed by Mathias Goeritz ^[2], blending modernism with Jewish tradition. Its imposing Star of David, supported by two monumental columns, immediately catches the eye. Inside, the inscription of Psalm 29:2 on the women’s balcony faces a large menorah placed near a semicircular hekhal. Natural light and colorful stained glass windows create an atmosphere conducive to prayer.

Present since the 16^th century with the conversos ^[3] fleeing the Spanish Inquisition, the Mexican Jewish community grew stronger through 20^th century waves of migration ^[4]. Today, it has around 40,000 members and boasts educational, religious, and cultural institutions that reflect its diversity.

^[1] Kabbalat Shabbat: Ritual for welcoming the Sabbath, introduced by the Kabbalists of Safed in the 16th century.
^[2] Werner Mathias Goeritz Brunner (1915–1990), German-Mexican artist and architect, pioneer of emotional architecture, known for emblematic projects like the Torres de Satélite.
^[3] Conversos: Spanish Jews forcibly converted to Christianity under the threat of the Inquisition.
^[4] Two major waves of migration: The first in the early 20th century from Muslim countries, the second between the World Wars from Eastern Europe.

Nasso (נשא – Elevate)
^{Numbers 4:21–7:89 and Judges 13:2–25}

The parasha Nasso addresses the role of the Levites, the Sotah, the purity laws, and the Nazirite vow. It invokes peace and protection upon Israel and concludes with the tribal offerings for the dedication of the Tabernacle. In the haftara, an angel announces the birth of Samson, who is consecrated as a Nazirite from birth.

Numbers 6:24-26 (Priestly Blessing)
יְבָרֶכְךָ ה’ וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ
יָאֵר ה’ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ
יִשָּׂא ה’ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
May the Eternal bless you and keep you!
May the Eternal make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May the Eternal turn His face toward you and grant you peace!q

In 1979, archaeologist Gabriel Barkay ^[1] led excavations at the site where the Repha’im and Hinnom valleys converge in Jerusalem. During the dig, a young participant uncovered a hidden burial chamber containing more than 1,000 artifacts, including silverware, gold, bones, precious stones, arrowheads, and, most notably, two tiny silver scrolls measuring 2.5 cm long, dating to the late 7th century BCE, during the First Temple period, before the Babylonian exile. These scrolls, known as the Ketef Hinnom amulets, are the oldest known fragments of biblical texts, predating the famous Dead Sea Scrolls by several centuries. They contain an inscription in ancient Hebrew, featuring the Priestly Blessing from parasha Nasso.
Due to their extreme fragility, it took three years of meticulous work to unroll them without causing damage. Their content demonstrates that biblical passages were not only written but actively used in a liturgical and apotropaic (protective) context as early as the time of the prophet Jeremiah.
Today, they are preserved and exhibited in the archaeological wing of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

^[1] Gabriel Barkay (born in 1944 in Hungary) is an Israeli archaeologist specializing in biblical archaeology and the history of Jerusalem. In 1999, the Islamic Waqf, the administrator of the Temple Mount, carried out large-scale construction work without authorization or archaeological oversight, including the expansion of an underground mosque beneath the Temple Mount. These works led to the deliberate and illegal destruction of unique archaeological remains. To salvage what could be recovered, Barkay co-founded the Temple Mount Sifting Project with Zachi Dvira, aiming to sift and study the 9,000 tons of debris removed from the site. This project has led to the recovery of thousands of artifacts covering nearly 3,000 years of history, despite the irreversible losses to archaeological heritage.

Bamidbar (במדבר – In the Wilderness)
^{Numbers 1:1–4:20 and Hosea 2:1–22}

In the wilderness of Sinai, God commands Moses to take a census of the children of Israel and establish an organized structure for the people, defining the arrangement of the camps, the order of march, and the distribution of tasks. The prophet Hosea discusses Israel’s destiny through a symbolic perspective, comparing the people to the sand of the sea, illustrating their growth and continuity.

Hosea 2:1
וְהָיָה, מִסְפַּר בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּחוֹל הַיָּם, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יִמַּד, וְלֹא יִסָּפֵר
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor counted.

Hosea uses this powerful image to recall the original covenant ^[1] with the patriarchs and highlight the continuity of the divine promise across generations.

Jewish presence in Jamaica dates back to the mid-17th century, when Sephardic Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition ^[2] sought refuge on the island under British rule. The Kahal Kadosh Sha’are Shalom Synagogue in Kingston stands as a testament to the local Jewish history. Built in 1885, it was destroyed in 1907 by a devastating earthquake that struck much of the city. In the aftermath, the six Henriques brothers united to help rebuild both the synagogue and Kingston itself. Completed in 1912 in a British colonial style, the synagogue is distinguished by its 52-stop pipe organ. However, what makes it particularly remarkable is its white sand-covered floor ^[3]—a tradition inherited from the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula, used to muffle the sound of their prayers.

Adjacent to the synagogue, the Museum of Jamaican Jewish History is renowned for its rich Judaic collection, one of the most remarkable in the Caribbean.

[1] Biblical promise: “I will bestow my blessings upon you; I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore, and your offspring shall possess the gates of their enemies.” (Genesis 22:17)
[2] Spanish Inquisition: Established in 1478, it led to the persecution of Jews, notably through the expulsion decrees of Spain in 1492 and Portugal in 1497. Some Jews sought refuge in the colonies as early as the 16th century, but since Jamaica was under Spanish rule until 1655, Jewish presence remained limited until the English conquest.
[3] Sand: Besides discretion and the covenant, another explanation is that it symbolizes the Sinai wilderness.
[4] Jolly Roger: The famous pirate flag depicting a skull and crossed bones—a Memento Mori (“Remember that you will die”)—used by some Jewish corsairs and privateers.
[5] Notable Jewish figures in piracy in Jamaica and the Caribbean:
– Moses Cohen Henriques (1595–after 1681) – A Sephardic Jew who fled the Spanish Inquisition, he made history in 1628 by helping Dutch admiral Piet Pieterszoon Hein (1577–1629) capture a Spanish fleet carrying gold and silver, a loot estimated today at one billion dollars. After the Portuguese reconquest of Brazil in 1654, he sought refuge in Jamaica, where he contributed to the establishment of the Jewish community and is believed to have advised the famous privateer Captain Morgan (Sir Henry Morgan, 1635–1688) in Port Royal.
– David Abrabanel (17th century) – Known as “Captain Davis,” this Jewish privateer commanded the ship “Jerusalem” and carried out independent raids (without official commission) against the Spanish in retaliation for the persecution suffered by his family.
– Yaacov Kuriel (17th century) – A former Spanish captain, captured by the Inquisition, he was freed by his own sailors, most of whom were Marranos. He then took to the seas with three ships and led attacks against the Spanish in the Caribbean.

Behar-Bechukotai (בְּהַר – “on the mountain”, בְּחֻקֹּתַי – “in My laws”)
^{Leviticus 25:1 – 27:34 and Jeremiah 16:19-17:14}

The parashah Behar-Bechukotai teaches the laws of Yovel ^[1] and Shemitah ^[2], reminding that the land belongs to God and must be cultivated with respect. It speaks of blessings linked to obedience and curses in case of transgression, reaffirming constant faithfulness to His covenant. The Haftarah of Jeremiah emphasizes the importance of trusting in God rather than wealth or power. Man, as the guardian of the land, must use it with wisdom, faith, and fairness.

Jeremiah 17:7
בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר, אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בַּה’; וְהָיָה ה’, מִבְטַחוֹ.
Blessed is the man who trusts in God, and whose hope is in Him.

This trust is reflected in the way the land is cultivated at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu. This kibbutz practices organic farming and uses insects ^[3] to control pests and ensure pollination in greenhouses and open fields.
In this religious kibbutz, a synagogue, a beit midrash, a regional religious school, an ulpan, and a volunteer program provide a setting for life and learning based on Jewish traditions. Students alternate between three days of work and three days of study, benefiting from dormitories, break rooms, and dedicated living spaces.

Sde Eliyahu, located 5 kilometers south of Beit She’an in the Valley of Springs, 200 meters below sea level, was founded in May 1938 by a group of young German Jews following the Choma U’Migdal model (חומה ומגדל – palisade and tower). This method, used under the British Mandate, allowed rapid establishment of secure agricultural settlements by erecting a watchtower and wooden palisade overnight. The name of the kibbutz honors Rabbi Eliyahu Guttmacher ^[4], a 19th-century figure who supported religious Zionism.

^[1] Yovel (Jubilee): planned for 5802 (2041-2042), a jubilee year celebrated every 50 years with the release of lands and slaves.
^[2] Shemitah (sabbatical year): planned for 5789 (2028-2029) and 5796 (2035-2036), observed every 7 years with land rest and debt cancellation.
^[3] In 1983, the kibbutz created the company Sde Eliyahu Biological Control Insectaries, now BioBee, which distributes its products internationally. This company develops biological pest control techniques, uses sterile insect technology, and provides bumblebees for pollination.
^[4] Originally from Poland, Eliyahu Guttmacher (1795-1874) was a rabbi and kabbalist, a precursor of religious Zionism. He encouraged Jewish agricultural settlement in the Land of Israel as a path to redemption.