Month: October 2025

Noa’h (נֹחַ – Noah)
^{Genesis 6:9–11:32 • Isaiah 54:1–55:5}

^{Parashat Noa’h recounts the flood, the ark built by Noah, and the renewal of the world. Noah is described as a righteous man, blameless in his generation (Gen 6:9). He is commanded to build an ark to save his family and the animal species. After the rain, God establishes a covenant with humanity, symbolized by the rainbow. The haftara, full of hope, proclaims that God will never abandon Israel, even after the storms. It evokes restored peace and the promise of a radiant future.}

Genesis 6:19
וּמִכֹּל הַחַי מִכָּל-בָּשָׂר שְׁנַיִם מִכֹּל תָּבִיא אֶל-הַתֵּבָה
Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark.

Founded in 1940 by Professor Aharon Shulov^[1], the Biblical Zoo (גן החיות התנ״כי – Gan HaHayot HaTanakhi) was relocated in 1993 to a 25-hectare site in the Malha^[2] neighborhood, southwest of Jerusalem.
This move was part of a project launched in 1990 by the Jerusalem Foundation^[3] and the Jerusalem municipality, aiming to create a modern, educational, and cultural zoo open to all, dedicated to species mentioned in the Bible.
At the heart of the park stands a monumental ark^[4], surrounded by 23 animal sculptures covered in mosaics and mirrors, created between 1991 and 1994 by French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle^[5].
Biblical panels accompany the enclosures, and thematic trails connect the texts to living creatures. The site regularly hosts educational activities, temporary exhibitions, and events linked to Jewish holidays.
It is also a center for conservation^[6] of endangered species.

^[1] Aharon Shulov (1907–1997), Israeli zoologist born in Yelisavetgrad (Russian Empire, now Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine). Imprisoned for Zionist activism, he immigrated to Palestine in 1926. He studied zoology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, earned a doctorate in Naples, and conducted research in Egypt on veterinary care in subtropical climates. In 1940, he founded the zoo, which he directed for 43 years. He also developed an antivenom for the yellow scorpion and authored numerous scientific articles and an autobiography (The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb, 1981).
^[2] Malha, a neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem, was built on the ruins of the Arab village al-Maliha, evacuated in 1948. Excavations in the 1980s revealed traces of Jewish settlement from the 1st century CE, including wine presses, cisterns, and pottery. The site is near the Valley of Rephaim, mentioned in Joshua (15:8; 18:16) as the border of the territory of Judah.
^[3] The Jerusalem Foundation – founded in 1966 by Teddy Kollek (1911–2007), mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993 – supports cultural, educational, and social projects. In 1990, it initiated the zoo’s relocation project, with a major donation of $5 million from the Tisch family.
^[4] The zoo’s Noah’s Ark, inaugurated in 1994, is a structure measuring 20 meters long, 10 meters wide, and 8 meters high. It houses an interactive exhibition center on Genesis narratives, biblical animals, and contemporary ecological issues.
^[5] Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle, known as Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002), was a French-American artist renowned for her monumental, colorful, and playful sculptures. For the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, she created an iconic work between 1991 and 1994, commissioned by the Jerusalem Foundation, in collaboration with Swiss architect Mario Botta (born 1943).
^[6] The Biblical Zoo collaborates with Israeli and international scientific institutions to conserve endangered species, including the Rüppell’s vulture, Persian leopard, and Syrian brown bear. A member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), it participates in captive breeding programs, supports reintroduction initiatives, and promotes environmental education.

Bereshit (בְּרֵאשִׁית – In the Beginning)
^{Genesis 1:1–6:8 • Isaiah 42:5–43:10}

The Torah opens with the story of creation: light and darkness, heaven and earth, sea and life. Humanity is shaped in the divine image, yet violence and corruption soon take root. The haftara proclaims that God is the creator of all, calling Israel to be a light unto the nations.

Genesis 1:14
יְהִי מְאוֹרֹת בִּרְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמַיִם
Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens

In the heart of the Negev Desert, the Mitzpe Ramon Astronomical Observatory, founded in 1993, rises above the cliffs of the Ramon Crater (מכתש רמון – Makhtesh Ramon), a geological formation^[1] unique in the world. Shielded from light pollution, this site offers an exceptional view of stars, planets, and nebulae. It is one of the few places in Israel where the Milky Way can be admired^[2] with the naked eye.

^[1] The Ramon Crater (Makhtesh Ramon) is a natural geological formation of the “makhtesh” type, unique to the Negev Desert. Unlike volcanic or meteoritic craters, a makhtesh is formed by the erosion of softer rock layers beneath a harder surface layer, creating a heart-shaped depression. Ramon Crater is the largest makhtesh in the world, measuring approximately 40 km in length and 2 to 10 km in width. It reveals geological strata over 200 million years old, offering a rare glimpse into Earth’s history.
^[2] The Mitzpe Ramon Observatory is open to the public and offers guided night observations, especially during celestial events such as meteor showers and eclipses. It collaborates with international scientific institutions on research and educational projects. The site is also used for space simulations, notably by researchers from the D-Mars project, who study life-support conditions on Mars. These simulations include scientific protocols, stays in confined habitats, and extravehicular activities in spacesuits, all designed to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

‘Hol Hamoed Sukkot (חול המועד סוכות – Intermediate Days of Sukkot)
^{Exodus 33:12–34:26 • Numbers 29:26–31 • Ezekiel 38:18–39:16}

Moses asks to know the ways of the Eternal. God reveals His attributes of mercy and renews the covenant. Then, the festivals are recalled, especially Sukkot. The Maftir details the specific offerings for the day of the festival.
In the Haftarah, Ezekiel prophesies an apocalyptic war led by Gog against Israel, followed by a return to peace and universal recognition of God.

Ezekiel 38:18 _{^{(pdf 492/575)}}
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא בְּיוֹם בּוֹא גוֹג עַל אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל
And it shall come to pass on that day, the day when Gog comes against the land of Israel.

The Codex Cairensis, or Codex Prophetarum Cairensis, is a 9th-century Hebrew manuscript containing all the books of the Prophets in their entirety. It was copied in 895 by Moses ben Asher^[1], a central figure in the Masoretic tradition^[2] of Tiberias.
This manuscript is written on parchment, with meticulous calligraphy and Masoretic annotations. Preserved for over a millennium by the Karaite community of Cairo, it was transferred in 2023 to the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, housed in a contemporary building designed by the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, located between the Israel Museum and the Knesset.

^[1] Moses ben Asher is the patriarch of the Ben Asher lineage, Masoretes of Tiberias. He is recognized as the author of the Codex Cairensis and father of Aharon ben Moshe ben Asher, who would later establish the Aleppo Codex.
^[2] The Masoretes (בעלי המסורה, ba’alei hamassora) are the guardians of the textual tradition of the Hebrew Bible. Between the 6th and 10th centuries, they established the vocalization, accentuation, and punctuation of the biblical text. Their meticulous work included counting letters, noting variants, and faithfully transmitting the text.

Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר – Day of Atonement)
^{Leviticus 16:1–34; Leviticus 18:1–30 • Numbers 29:7–11 • Isaiah 57:14–58:14 • Jonah 1:1–4:11}

The Torah describes the ritual performed by the High Priest in the sanctuary: entering the Holy of Holies, sending the scapegoat into the wilderness, and sprinkling blood to atone for the people’s sins. In the second Sefer, it details the specific sacrifices of the day. In the afternoon, the reading recalls the laws of holiness.
In the morning haftarah, the prophet Isaiah urges repentance (teshuva) and the pursuit of justice. The afternoon haftarah recounts Jonah’s flight and the repentance of the great city of Nineveh.

Jonah 2:1
וַיְמַן ה׳ דָּג גָּדוֹל לִבְלֹעַ אֶת-יוֹנָה
The Eternal sent a great fish to swallow Jonah.

Located 12.5 km north of Tiberias, Huqoq (חוקוק) is mentioned in the Book of Joshua^[1]. Inhabited since the Bronze Age (3300 BCE – 1200 BCE), the village flourished during the Roman (1st–3rd century) and Byzantine (4th–7th century) periods.

Since 2011, excavations led by Jodi Magness^[2] have uncovered a monumental 5th-century synagogue built of basalt, a rock typical of the region’s geological landscape.

Its mosaic floor is exceptional for its artistic richness and diversity of scenes. The depiction of Jonah is particularly remarkable. Rare in ancient Jewish art, it shows Jonah at the critical moment of being swallowed by the fish. Other mosaics are also extraordinary: Samson in Gaza carrying the city gates after tearing them out, the crossing of the Red Sea, the spies, Noah’s ark, and a non-biblical scene interpreted as a meeting between Alexander the Great and a Jewish priest.

The walls were painted in red, pink, and white, and the columns bore traces of colored plaster.

Coins, rock-cut tombs, and ancillary structures testify to a thriving community.

^[1] In the description of the border of the territory of Naftali (Joshua 19:32–39), verse 34 mentions Huqoq. Naftali means “my struggle.” Jacob blessed him saying: “Naftali is a doe let loose; he utters beautiful words” (Genesis 49:21).
^[2] Jodi Magness is a professor of archaeology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has led the Houqoq excavations since 2011 with an international team. The discoveries have been published in several scientific journals and featured in media outlets such as National Geographic.