Author: shamyr

Ki Tavo (כִּי-תָבוֹא – “When You Enter”)
^{Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8 • Isaiah 60:1–22}

The parashah opens with the law of the first fruits (bikkurim), which every farmer is to bring to the place chosen by God, accompanied by a declaration of gratitude. It then presents the law of the tithe (ma‘asser), designated for the Levites, orphans, widows, and foreigners.

The Torah is inscribed on stones at Mount Ebal, marking the covenant with God, and sacrifices are offered there. The Levites proclaim a series of warnings, to which the people respond “Amen.” Blessings for obedience are pronounced on Mount Gerizim, while curses for transgression are declared on Mount Ebal.

In the haftarah, the prophet Isaiah envisions a restored Jerusalem, radiant with divine light, drawing the nations toward her in a spirit of peace, gratitude, and spiritual awakening.

Isaiah 60:1
קוּמִי אוֹרִי כִּי בָא אוֹרֵךְ
Arise, shine, for your light has come.

In 1947, in the Judean Desert near Qumran, a young shepherd accidentally discovers a cave hidden among the cliffs. Inside, ancient jars contain manuscripts over two thousand years old. These texts shed new light on our understanding of that era.

Among the treasures unearthed is a complete scroll of the Book of Isaiah (1QIsaᵃ), meticulously written on sewn sheets of leather. Measuring 7.34 meters in length, it contains all 66 chapters of the book, in a remarkably well-preserved state.

Dated to the 2nd century BCE, the manuscript has been restored with exceptional care, preserving both its structure and legibility. Today, it is housed in the Israel Museum, in the wing known as the Shrine of the Book, where it continues to enlighten scholars and visitors with its unique testimony.

Ki-Tetsé (כִּי-תֵצֵא – When you go out)
^{Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19 & Isaiah 54:1–10}

Ki-Tetsé contains 74 commandments, making it one of the most densely packed portions of the Torah in terms of legal instruction. These laws govern various aspects of Israel’s social, familial, and moral life. The parasha concludes with the commandment to remember what Amalek did—a call to vigilant memory in the face of hostility.
The haftarah, drawn from the book of Isaiah, offers a consoling vision: Jerusalem, likened to a barren woman, is called to give birth to a multitude. The prophet reaffirms the eternal covenant between God and His people, and the unwavering divine compassion that endures beyond exile.

Deuteronomy 21:10
כִּי-תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל-אֹיְבֶךָ
When you go out to war against your enemies…

The Cantonist^[1] Synagogue of Tomsk was built in 1906. It was confiscated by Soviet authorities in 1930 and converted into municipal housing. In 2013, it was finally returned to the local Jewish community.
Inside, the original wooden paneling remains visible beneath a light whitewash. The restored Holy Ark is adorned with a curtain embroidered with the initials of Tzvi Hertz Yankelowitz, one of the founding cantonists of the synagogue.
This solid wooden structure, a rare surviving example of Siberian Jewish religious architecture, underwent full restoration to become a museum of Judaism in Siberia. Today, it stands as one of the last preserved examples of this unique architectural style.

^[1] The cantonists were Jewish boys forcibly conscripted into military schools of the Russian Empire beginning in 1827, under Tsar Nicholas I. An imperial decree required Jewish communities to provide a quota of children, often between the ages of 8 and 12, for military training. At age 18, these boys were drafted into the army for a term of 25 years. The system was abolished in 1857 under Tsar Alexander II.

Choftim (שופטים – Judges)
^{Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9 and Isaiah 51:12–52:12}

The parasha outlines the foundations of a society governed by justice: fair courts, prohibition of corruption, limits on royal power, the role of the prophet, laws of war, and collective responsibility. In the haftarah, read during the seven weeks of consolation following Tisha BeAv, the prophet Isaiah announces the end of exile, the awakening of Jerusalem, and the path toward redemption. The people are called to rise, purify themselves, and prepare for deliverance.

Deuteronomy 16:20
צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִּרְדֹּף
Justice, justice shall you pursue

Founded in 1863, Ohav Zedek (אהב צדק – One Who Loves Justice) is one of the oldest Jewish institutions in Wilkes-Barre, a working-class city in northeastern Pennsylvania. It was established by immigrants from Central Europe, particularly Austria and Hungary. In 1892, the community was officially registered under the name Congregation Ohav Zedek Anshe Ungarn^[1].

The current building^[2], constructed in 1932 according to the plans of architect Austin Reilly^[3], adopts a Moorish style, with a façade adorned with colorful tiles. The interior features a rare architectural detail: the women’s gallery is suspended from the upper structure, avoiding columns that would obstruct the view — a notable innovation. The construction was overseen by contractor William Schmalzriedt^[4].

^[1] Congregation One Who Loves Justice – The Men of Hungary: “Congregation” is a common term in American synagogue names; Ohav Zedek (אהב צדק) is Hebrew for “One Who Loves Justice”; Anshe Ungarn (אַנשֵי אוּנְגַארְן) is Yiddish for “The Men of Hungary.”
^[2] Ohav Zedek synagogue can be explored online through the Synagogues360 project, which visually documents Jewish houses of worship around the world. Direct link
^[3] Austin Reilly: An architect active in northeastern Pennsylvania during the 1920s–1930s, Reilly designed several public and religious buildings in Luzerne County. His style blends Moorish influences with modern functionality. He is listed as the principal architect of the 1932 building in Wilkes-Barre municipal archives.
^[4] William Karl Schmalzriedt (1911–2001): A building contractor based in Wilkes-Barre, Schmalzriedt oversaw the construction of Ohav Zedek in 1932. He is cited in project records and community archives as the lead builder. He also participated in the restoration of the building after the 1972 flood caused by the Susquehanna River.

Re’eh (רְאֵה – See)
^{Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17 and Isaiah 54:11–55:5}

Moses calls upon the people to see and choose: blessing or curse, depending on their faithfulness to the commandments. The text elaborates on laws regarding centralized worship, kosher dietary laws, charity (tzedakah), and pilgrimage festivals. Isaiah’s haftara speaks of the consolation of a rebuilt Jerusalem and the eternal covenant between God and His people.

Deuteronomy 11:29
וְנָתַתָּה אֶת-הַבְּרָכָה עַל-הַר גְּרִזִים
You shall place the blessing upon Mount Gerizim

It was in Samaria, on the slopes of Mount Gerizim, that the Jewish community of Har Bracha (“Mountain of Blessing”) was founded in 1983. The choice of location is no coincidence: it directly corresponds to the verse in Re’eh, which designates Mount Gerizim as the site of blessing upon entering the Promised Land.

Har Bracha was established as part of the post-1977 settlement movement, during a time when Samaria was regaining Jewish presence after nearly two millennia. Initially founded as a Nahal military outpost, it was demilitarized and converted into a civilian community on Yom Ha’atzmaut 1983.

The yeshiva led by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, author of the halakhic series Peninei Halakha, has become a center of study and spiritual influence. Each year, it attracts dozens of students, many of whom choose to settle permanently after their studies.

The main synagogue of Har Bracha, built in the 1990s, features a modest and functional style typical of mountain settlements: local stone, a low dome, and stained glass inspired by biblical blessings.

Today, Har Brakha has over 3,000 residents, spread across several neighborhoods. The population is mostly composed of young religious families, with high birth rates and a vibrant communal life. The town includes schools, kindergartens, shops, and a Judaic library.

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.