Author: shamyr

Balak (בָלָק), Numbers, from 22:2-25:9 and Micah 5:6-6:85

This Parasha is named after the king of Moab and Midian¹, Balak. He hires Bilaam, a prophet from Mesopotamia², to curse Israel. Despite his efforts, Bilaam fails and ends up blessing Israel, prophesying about the end of times³.

Numbers 25:5
מַה-טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ, יַעֲקֹב; מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶיךָ, יִשְׂרָאֵל.
How good are your tents, O Ya’aqov! Your dwellings, O Israel!

The Ohel Jakob Synagogue (Tent of Jacob) in Munich, the work of Rena Wandel-Hoefer and Wolfgang Lorch, is a modern building made of concrete and travertine, topped with a glass cube. Its interior, paneled with cedar and adorned with psalms written in golden letters, was inaugurated on November 9, 2006, the 68th anniversary of Kristallnacht⁴, testifying to the resilience of the Jewish people.

¹ Moav and Midian are regions that today correspond to Jordan and the Arabian Peninsula.
² Mesopotamia encompasses parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait.
³ Numbers 24:15-25: In their commentaries, Rashi, Rambam, Sforno, Malbim, the Talmud, Midrashim, and the Zohar explain that Bilam prophesies about future kingdoms and the Messiah.
⁴ Pogroms perpetrated by the Nazis on November 9 and 10, 1938.

BaMidbar (במדבר – in the desert), Numbers 1:1-4:20 and Hosea 2:1-22

In the desert, Gd asked Moses to conduct a new census of the children of Israel. He also detailed the arrangement of the camps around the sanctuary and their marching order, like an army ready for battle.

Numbers 2:32:
אֵלֶּה פְּקוּדֵי בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם: כָּל-פְּקוּדֵי הַמַּחֲנֹת, לְצִבְאֹתָם–שֵׁשׁ-מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים, וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים.
These are the counts of the children of Israel according to their ancestral houses; the total of the counts of the camps, according to their armies, was 603,550.

In the Negev desert, near Horvat Maon and the martyr kibbutzim of Nirim and Nir Oz, south of Gaza, lies the Maon Synagogue, an archaeological relic renovated in the 6th century, although the original building is much older. Its notable feature is the semi-circular apse designed to house a Torah ark.
The mosaics feature various symbolic representations, including a vine, palm trees, a shofar, a lulav, an etrog, a menorah, two lions, symbolizing the tribe of Judah. An Aramaic inscription mentions the names of the three donors of the mosaic and blesses the entire community.

Be’houqotaï (בחוקותי – according to My rules),
Leviticus 26:3–27:34 and Jeremiah 16:19–17:14.

Following the blessings and curses, the end of the Sidra is dedicated to the tithe offerings.

Leviticus 27:30
וְכָל-מַעְשַׂר הָאָרֶץ מִזֶּרַע הָאָרֶץ, מִפְּרִי הָעֵץ–לַיי, הוּא: קֹדֶשׁ, לַיי
All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s: it is holy to the Lord.

The Synagogue on Rue de la Dîme (tithe street) in Benfeld was erected in 1846. In 1876, it underwent expansion on the sides by architect Gustave Adolphe Beyer. In 1895, the Wetzel organ ⁽¹⁾ was installed. In 1922, orientalist frescoes inspired by those in the Florence synagogue were painted by Benfeld artist Achille Metzger. Recognized for its historical value, the synagogue has been listed as a historical monument since 1984. Currently, it is undergoing restoration as part of the Mission Patrimoine ⁽²⁾.

During World War II, Eugène Guthapfel courageously faced the German authorities and saved the synagogue from destruction ⁽³⁾. Today, a commemorative plaque thanking him is placed outside the synagogue.

⁽¹⁾ It is signed “Ch. Wetzel & Fils, Strasbourg,” meaning by Charles Wetzel and his son Edgard. It is the only remaining synagogue organ in Alsace.
⁽²⁾ The Mission Patrimoine, entrusted to Stéphane Bern, is a project implemented by the Fondation du Patrimoine and supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Française des Jeux to safeguard French heritage.
⁽³⁾ As the town hall secretary at the time, he showed remarkable presence of mind. While some nuns hid the religious objects that revealed the building’s religious identity, Eugène Guthapfel claimed to need the synagogue for supposed meetings. Thanks to this ruse, the entire building was preserved.

Behar Sinai (בהר סיני – on Mount Sinai), Leviticus 25:1-26:2 and Jeremiah 32:6-27

The Lord commands the observance of the Sabbath of the land (שְׁמִטָּה – shmita) and the Jubilee (יוֹבֵל – yovel).

Leviticus 25:2
דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם
כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם–וְשָׁבְתָה הָאָרֶץ, שַׁבָּת לַיהוָה
Speak to the children of Israel and say to them:
When you come into the land that I give you,
the land shall observe a rest for the Lord.

The eco-educational farm Chava ve-Adam, founded in 2003 by Isaac Gaziel, is located in a valley adjacent to the Modi’in Technology Park. On this farm, biblical commandments related to the land, such as Shmita, Yovel, as well as the Sabbath and festivals, are meticulously observed.

The farm’s activities focus on organic agriculture and ecological self-sufficiency. These include the use of solar energy, waste treatment, rainwater harvesting, and the reuse of wastewater. In addition, the farm implements innovative ecological construction techniques.

Hava ve-Adam also offers educational programs (seminars, workshops, guided tours) aimed at teaching agricultural methods in harmony with ecological principles and biblical traditions.

Emor (אמור – say), Leviticus (21:1–24:23), Ezekiel 44:15-31

Olive oil plays a crucial role in the rituals of the Temple. It is used to prepare the anointing oil, used to consecrate the priests and sanctuary objects, and to fuel the Menorah, a powerful symbol of divine presence.

Leviticus 24:2
צַו אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית–לַמָּאוֹר: לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר, תָּמִיד.
Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.

Renowned Olive Oil:
The region of Chania in Crete is renowned for its production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil. The Cretan Olive Mill, located in Chania, has won several gold medals in international competitions⁽¹⁾.

Etz Haïm Synagogue (Tree of Life):
After the Ottoman conquest of Crete in 1669, the Jewish community acquired a Venetian Catholic church dating back to the 14th century and transformed it into a synagogue, serving as a spiritual and cultural center for over three centuries. Damaged during World War II, it was left abandoned. Following the earthquake in 1995, Nikos Stavroulakis⁽²⁾ took the initiative to restore the entire complex.

⁽¹⁾ Particularly with their Cretan Agrelia Koroneiki oil, produced from Koroneiki olives, the most common variety in Crete.
⁽²⁾ Nicholas Peter Stavroulakis (1932 – 2017), also known as Peter Stavis, was a scholar, American-Greek artist, director, and founder of the Jewish Museum of Greece. He played a crucial role in preserving Jewish heritage in Greece.

Parasha Kedoshim (קדושים – Holy), Leviticus 19:1-20:27 and Ezekiel 22:1-19. Pirkei Avot Chapter 2. Yom HaShoah. Yom HaZikaron. Yom HaAtzmaut.

In Pirkei Avot 2:1:
 רבי⁽¹⁾ אוֹמֵר: אֵיזוֹ הִיא דֶֽרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה שֶׁיָּבוֹר לוֹ הָאָדָם, כָּל שֶׁהִיא תִּפְאֶֽרֶת לְעֹשֶֽׂיהָ וְתִפְאֶֽרֶת לוֹ מִן הָאָדָ.
Rabbi⁽¹⁾ says, ‘What is the straight path that a person should follow? It is the one that honors him in his own eyes and also honors him in the eyes of others.

Located atop Jerusalem, Mount Herzl, also known as the Mount of Remembrance (Har HaZikaron), is a place of memory, where heroes are honored. It houses the National Cemetery of Israel, various memorials^(2), and the Herzl Museum.
Every year, during national commemoration days such as Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom Ha’Atzmaut^(3), Mount Herzl becomes the focal point of official ceremonies, embodying the spirit of memory, resilience, unity, solidarity, and determination of the Israeli people.

⁽¹⁾ Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi, Rabbi Yehuda the Prince, better known by the titles Rabbi, My Master, or Rabbeinu HaQadosh, Our Holy Master, was a Tanna (Mishnaic sage) of the fifth generation (135 – circa 220 CE).
⁽²⁾ At the top of Mount Herzl, the place where the tomb of Theodor Herzl is located hosts the opening ceremony of Israel’s Independence Day. Around the square, the National Cemetery houses the graves of numerous personalities, as well as those of soldiers and civilians who sacrificed their lives for Israel. Near the summit on the western slope lies Yad Vashem, the world’s largest Holocaust memorial, honoring Jewish victims of the Holocaust, as well as heroes and Righteous Among the Nations.
⁽³⁾ Yom HaShoah: Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaZikaron: Israeli Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, and Yom Ha’Atzmaut: Independence Day.

A’harei Mot (אחרי מות – After Death), Leviticus 16:1-18:30. Ezekiel 22:1-16.

The Parsha A’harei-Mot meticulously describes the Yom Kippur ritual, emphasizes the role of the Mikveh for purification and drawing closer to God, stresses the necessity of maintaining sanctity in daily life, and addresses the crucial aspect of morality and ethics in sexual relations.

Leviticus 16 :4
וְרָחַץ בַּמַּיִם אֶת-בְּשָׂרוֹ
Leviticus 16:24, 26 et 28
וְרָחַץ אֶת-בְּשָׂרוֹ בַמַּיִם
And he shall bathe his body in water.

After its renovation in 1957, the Judenbad⁽¹⁾ of Friedberg⁽²⁾ was opened to the public. This building is located in the former Jewish quarter of the old town, in the Judengasse⁽³⁾. Dating back to 1260, it is a remarkable example of medieval German-Jewish architecture. The seventy-two steps⁽⁴⁾ carved into the basalt lead to a spring-fed pool situated 25 meters deep. An octagonal opening in the Gothic dome allows for an appreciation of the symbolism, complexity, and beauty of the structure.

⁽¹⁾ Judenbad: This is the German term for Mikveh (מִקְוָה), a ritual bath used for purification rites. The word “Judenbad” translates literally to “Jewish bath.”
⁽²⁾ Friedberg: This German name means “Hill of Peace.” “Frieden” means “peace” and “Berg” means “hill.” The once significant community was decimated during the Holocaust.
⁽³⁾ Judengasse: This German term literally means “alley of the Jew.”
⁽⁴⁾ 72 steps: The number 72 holds special significance in Kabbalah, where it is linked to the Shem Hamphorasch (שֵׁם הַמְּפֹרָשׁ), the secret name of God. This name is derived from verses 19, 20, and 21 of chapter 14 of the Book of Exodus, each containing 72 letters. By rearranging these letters, 72 groups of three letters, or trigrams, are obtained, each considered as an angelic name. When these names are combined, they form the divine name.

Sabbath ‘Hol HaMoed Pesach (Exodus 33:12-34:26), Maftir (Numbers 28:19-25), Haftarah (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

Reading the Torah during ‘Hol HaMoed Pesach reveals that The Lord, in His great mercy, forgives Israel for its transgressions and renews its covenant. The Maftir provides the ritual directives for the Feast of Matzot.

Ezekiel 37:1-12
.הִנֵּה אֲנִי פֹתֵחַ אֶת-קִבְרוֹתֵיכֶם וְהַעֲלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם מִקִּבְרוֹתֵיכֶם, עַמִּי; וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם, אֶל-אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל […]
[…] Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel.”

In the Haftarah, Ezekiel, a prophet exiled to Babylon, has the vision of the valley of dry bones. In tractate Sanhedrin 72b of the Talmud, the sages interpret this vision as announcing the resurrection of the dead at the advent of the messianic era. This prophecy proclaims the return of the entire Jewish people to the land of Israel.

The Hurva Synagogue (חורבה – ruin), located in the Jewish quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, has a tumultuous history. A tradition traces its existence back to the time of Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi in the 2nd century. Over the centuries, it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Its last destruction dates back to 1948, during Israel’s War of Independence, when the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Jordanians. Its destruction was carried out by soldiers of the Hashemite kingdom, who dynamited the building, reducing it to dust. It was rebuilt between 2005 and 2010, in its original 19th-century style. Today, it stands in a square at the center of the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem.

Metzora (מְּצֹרָע – one afflicted with tzaraat), Leviticus 14:1–15:33.

The parashah deals with the purification rituals of a person afflicted with tzara’at⁽¹⁾, also reaffirming the promise of entering the Land of Israel.

Leviticus 14:34
:כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל-אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן, אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם לַאֲחֻזָּה
When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession,

Chabbath HaGadol
Chabbath HaGadol commemorates a great miracle before the Exodus from Egypt. For several days, the Hebrews tied a lamb, one of the idols of the Egyptian pantheon, without being disturbed. This act marks the beginning of their liberation.

Haggadah with Bird Heads
Chabbath HaGadol heralds the festival of Passover, during which we recount the Exodus from Egypt. To fully experience the story of our liberation, what better than an illustrated book? The Haggadah with Bird Heads, executed in Hebrew by the Sofer Menahem in the early 14th century, is currently housed in the Israel Museum⁽²⁾; its exact origin remains unknown. However, it could originate from the region of Wurtzburg in Bavaria, southern Germany.

(1) Tzara’at: Affliction resulting from transgression that can affect the flesh, clothing, and walls of a person, rendering them impure. The person affected by tzaraat is called a metzora.
(2) The Haggadah with Bird Heads was formerly owned by Ludwig Marum, a German lawyer and politician murdered by the Nazis at Kislau camp. After the war, the manuscript was sold to the Israel Museum by Herman Kahn, a refugee in Israel. In 1984, Elisabeth Marum-Lunau, Ludwig Marum’s daughter, claimed that the manuscript had been acquired without the permission of the rightful owner, but she consented to its remaining in the museum for the public good.

Tazria, (תזריע – she will conceive) Leviticus 12:1–13:59.

Leviticus 12:6
וּבִמְלֹאת יְמֵי טָהֳרָהּ, לְבֵן אוֹ לְבַת …
When the days of her purification are completed,
whether for a son or for a daughter…

This verse refers to the ritual of purification after childbirth, implicitly involving the mikveh.

Mikveh
The Jewish archaeological site of Besalú, declared a Bien Cultural de Interés Nacional¹ in 2013, houses a synagogue, a courtyard, and a mikveh. With a water capacity of 331 liters, the mikveh stands out for its depth allowing direct filling from the groundwater, without the need for pipelines. It consists of an underground rectangular room topped with a barrel vault, accessible by a flight of thirty-six steps.

The Besalú Community
The presence of a Jewish community in Besalú dates back to 1229, confirmed by a document from King James I of Aragon reserving the profession of moneylender for Jews. In 1342, a quarter of the population was Jewish, but by 1435, the community disappeared and migrated to Castelló d’Empúries and Granollers.

¹ BCIN, Cultural Heritage of National Interest in the “archaeological zone” category by the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia