HebdoSyna

Parsha Nasso ((נשא – raises), Numbers v. 4, 21 to 7, 89) lists the tasks of the Levites, then explains how to purify the camp. The text then speaks of the laws of the sotah and the Nazirite. Finally, he describes the offerings of the princes.

The synagogue in Gaza was arguably one of the most important in the region during the early Byzantine period, before being destroyed during the Muslim invasions of the 7^th century. Unfortunately, few traces of this building remain, but the mosaics² found (in 1965) bear witness to the richness and quality of Jewish art of the time. The motif of David playing the harp and soothing the animals is particularly noteworthy.

² The mosaics have been moved to the Good Samaritan Mosaic Museum near Ma’ale Adumim.

Bemidbar (במדבר — in a desert), Numbers, verses 1, 1 to 4, 20.

This chapter lays the foundations for the organization of the people of Israel in the desert, highlighting the centrality of the sanctuary and the importance of the Levites in its upkeep. The count also makes it possible to measure the greatness of the people and their ability to defend themselves against potential enemies.

The synagogue on the campus of the Mitzpe Ramon Military Academy, located in Israel’s Negev desert, is an example of the importance of religion and tradition to the Jewish people. In this arid desert, the presence of this concrete fortress testifies to the determination of the Jewish people to survive and prosper despite the obstacles. The unique form of the synagogue also reflects the importance of spirituality by providing a place of prayer and contemplation amidst the austerity of the desert.

1906

Behar-Bechuqotai (בהר “on the mount” and בחוקותי “according to my rules”), Leviticus, verses 25, 1-27, 34.
The Parsha Behar-Bechhuqotai contains in particular the laws relating to the sabbatical year and the jubilee. It recalls God’s covenant with his people and the promise of their return to their land.

Leviticus 25, 13
בִּשְׁנַת הַיּוֹבֵל, הַזֹּאת, תָּשֻׁבוּ, אִישׁ אֶל-אֲחֻזָּתוֹ.
In this jubilee year, you will each return to your possession.

The Jubilee Synagogue¹ is a remarkable building which was built in response to the destruction of many places of worship during the redevelopment of the city at the end of the 19th century. Architects Wilhelm Stiassny and František Fröhlich created a synthesis of different architectural currents, combining elements of Art Nouveau, Hispano-Moorish and Viennese Secession. Opened for worship in 1906 on the occasion of the Simchat Torah holiday. The Jubilee Synagogue is a unique place of worship, which delights visitors with its decorative elements and exceptional design.

¹ The synagogue owes its name to the celebration of the jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1898, marking the fiftieth anniversary of his reign. It is also known as the Jerusalem Synagogue, in reference to the street where it is located.

1953

Emor (אמֹר – said), Leviticus 21:1 to 24:23

The passage begins with specific laws for priests and rules regarding service in the Temple. The second part gives the liturgical calendar: Shabbat (23.3), Passover (23.5), Omer (23.10), Shavuot (23.16), Rosh Hashanah (23.24), Yom Kippur (23.27), Sukkot (23.34), Shmini Atzeret (23.36) And an allusion to Hanukkah (24.2 – pure oil of crushed olives, for a light) and an allusion to Purim (24.14 – with the part of the blasphemer who, like the manna, ended up hanging¹)

The building designed by Irish architect Wilfred Cantwell was inaugurated in 1953. The stained glass windows refer to Sabbaths and holidays.

¹ We stone the blasphemer and then hang him (Sanhedrin Chapter 6, Subsection 4)

Acharei (אחרי – after) Qedoshim (קדושים – saints), Leviticus from verse 16, 1 to 20, 27.
After the Yom Kippur ceremony, the text lists sexual prohibitions and proclaims: Be holy to Me, for I am Holy – וִהְיִיתֶם לִי קְדֹשִׁים, כִּי קָדוֹשׁ (Leviticus 20, 24)

Leviticus 16, 24
ורחץ את‑בשרו במים
he will bathe his body in water…

After saints:
The Mikvah, a purifying bath allowing a rebirth.

Rebirth:
Luxembourg’s third synagogue and its mikvah on Avenue Monterey, designed by Victor Engels and René Mailliet, were inaugurated in 1953 by Chief Rabbi Charles Lehrmann. The stained glass windows are by Frantz Kinnen.

Tazria, (תזריע – she will conceive) and Metzor’a (מצורע – person afflicted with tzara’at (kind of leprosy) Leviticus from verse 12, 1 to verse 15,33

The text enumerates the laws of ritual impurity and sets out the purification rites to be performed once the evil has disappeared.

The presence of Jews in Sicily has been attested since the 1st century. In the Middle Ages in Syracuse, the community was mainly devoted to trade. In 1492, the Jews were expelled from Sicily, because the island depended on the Spanish crown¹.

The Mikveh of Syracuse² dates from the 6th century and is located under the Hotel Alla Giudecca³, in the heart of what was once the Jewish quarter of Syracuse

1 Spanish territory in 1492, The Canary Islands, the Kingdom of Naples, Sicily, Sardinia and Malta.
2 See the article in french on the Lamed.fr website
3 Hotel Judaica.

Shemini (שמיני – eighth), Leviticus verses 9, 1 to 11, 47

Leviticus verse 10, 16
ִִִִִִִִִִֵ וְאֵת שְׂעִיר הַחַטָּאת
About the expiatory goat

A little over 20 years ago, a young community settled in Bouc (Goat). This town of 15,000 people, located at 8 km from the internment camp and of French deportation, opened in September 1939, in a disused tile factory, in the hamlet of Milles.

Parshat Tsav (צו – prescribe), Leviticus 6, 1 – 8, 36.
G‑d details the function of each offering, then asks Moses to teach the cohanim the rules for eating the offerings and the rules for serving the sanctuary.

For Shabbat Ha-Gadol the Haftarah is read in Malachi (3, 3 to 24).

Malachi 3, 22
זִכְרוּ תּוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה עַבְדִּי אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי אוֹתוֹ בְחֹרֵב עַל-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל חֻקִּים וּמִשְׁפָּטִים 
Remember the Law of Moses my servant, to whom I served at Horeb statutes and ordinances for all Israel.

The Maran¹, is one of the greatest Jewish halakhic decision makers. Between 1523 and 1536, he lived in Nikopol in Bulgaria, where he established the synagogue and the yeshiva “Beith Yosseph”². It was there that he wrote most of his work Beith Yossef³ (1522-1562).

¹ Rabbi Yosef ben Ephraim Karo Zatsa”l was born in 1488 in Toledo and died on the eve of Passover, April 3, 1575 (13 Nissan 5335) in Tfsat. נסמך (Matayim Rabanim Nismakh = recognized by 200 imminent rabbis).
² Destroyed by the Germans in 1941.
³ The Beit Yossef (בית יוסף – House of Joseph) is a code of law that deals with the practical aspects of Jewish life. At the end of his life, he will make a more accessible summary of it in the שולחן ערוך (Shouhan Arukh – laid table).

Vayaqhel (ויקהל – and he gathered) – Peqoudei (פקודי – inventories)
Exodus from 35.1 to 40.38.

Moshe in front of the assembled people again states the commandment to observe Shabbos. Recalls the obligation to build the Tabernacle, to make the objects of worship and to make the priestly vestments. The book of Exodus closes with the inauguration of the said Tabernacle and the manifestation of divine glory in the completed sanctuary.

Exodus 40, 1
בְּיוֹם-cam הָרִאשׁוֹן, בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ, תָּקִים, אֶת-מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד
The first day of the month, the first month,
you will erect the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

The portable shrine built by the Children of Israel in the Sinai desert is inaugurated on the first day of the month of Nissan in the year of creation 2449 (1312 BCE). Timna Park, about 30 km north of Eilat, has a life-size replica of the Tabernacle and its furniture.