I Belong To A NationI belong to a nationThe oldest in the archivesI Belong to a nationThat no historian understoodI belong to a nationAs well as the nature from beneath itI belong to a nationFrom before whom a great sea…
Tribute to Muscle Tov
Back in 2001, Deborah Schoenman wrote a memorable piece for the New York Post called “Muscle Tov” featuring a Hasidic workout video. I remember clipping the piece, only for someone later on to steal it. Since then I’ve been unable…
Techeiles Bombshell – 14th Century manuscript
We want to have some piece of Chazal that says murex trunculus is the Chilazon for Techeiles – purfura. The Raavya is known about, as was discovered by Bezalel Naor 30 years ago, that Techeiles is purfurin.People didn’t know what…
Did Julius Streicher Yell Out PurimFest 1946? What About the Megilla Secret?
Years ago I saw videos of the eery parallel between the ten sons of Haman and ten Nazi war criminals at the 1946 Nuremberg Trials. In 1946, ten convicted Nazi war criminals were hanged in Nuremberg on October 16th, the…
The Execution of Nazi War Criminals
by Kingsbury Smith Nuremberg Gaol, Germany16 October 1946International News Service On 1 October 1946, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg delivered its verdicts, after 216 court sessions. Of the original twenty-four defendants, twelve (including Martin Bormann, tried in absentia) were…
What Is the Breslov View on Tekhelet Strings?
After the destruction of the 2nd temple, it was less certain which fish/squid was used and the process to make the dye. Still the mitzva of Tzitzis exists, albeit in a less than perfect manner. R’ Gershon Henoch Leiner in…
The Color Purple
By: Reuven Chaim Klein Let’s clarify this from the get-go: There is no word in Classical Hebrew for the color “purple.” I repeat: There is no word in Classical Hebrew for the color “purple.” In fact, the English word purple itself does…
Response to DinOnline’s Negative Attitude on Techeiles vis a vis the Gedolim
I submitted this response in the comments. The status was “This comment is awaiting moderation.” Not surprisingly, it wasn’t approved on their site. From Rabbi Akiva Dershowitz and the “Beis Horaah” (https://dinonline.org/2018/08/22/the-reason-why-not-wearing-techeles/): Question: Some people wear “Techeles” Tztitzis. I…
Chabad Talleisim – A Tale of Two Kesher Elyons and Techeiles
A while ago a Chabadnik asked me to tie Techeiles on a Chabad Tallis Gadol for him. The problem was that while tying it on a Chassidic Tallis Kattan is relatively straightforward, a Tallis Gadol isn’t. That’s because the second…
Maricultural Advances to Potentially Growing Murex Trunculus Snails in Israel
Techeiles is a Mitzva explicitely stated in the Torah to integrate with Tzitzis. Strangely, this faded out of practice for 1,300 years, as the precise identity of the Chilazon and method of dyeing was lost. Over the span of the…
Holy Goluboy! The Blue Color, Techeilet and Cultural References
Techeilet traditionally has been associated with the color “blue” yet there are references to it being shades of green or purple. Rambam (Maimonides) calls it Shachor, which is debated to be either black or simply any dark color (Kesef Mishna).…
How Indigo was made
See (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigo_dye): “In Mesopotamia, a neo-Babylonian cuneiform tablet of the seventh century BC gives a recipe for the dyeing of wool, where lapis-colored wool (uqnatu) is produced by repeated immersion and airing of the cloth.[ St. Clair, Kassia (2016). The…
Rabbi Abba Bronspiegel – My Memories of the Rav
My Memories of the Rav Abba Bronspigel During my ten years studying under our revered teacher, Rav Yasha Be’er Soloveitchik, I developed a close relationship with him. Through his pure and intense attitude toward Torah study, he became my rebbe…
Letters to the Editor — By Rabbi Abba Bronspigel, Rabbi Yosef Blau, Yoni Graber, and Ira Kukin
Original Site: YU Commentator Published: Tuesday, February 3, 2004 The Church Visits YU In a study hall filled with the hubbub of Talmudic debate, the men wearing scarlet sashes and large crosses made their way between tables, sometimes sitting to chat…
Techeiles Case Study: Kala Ilan Chemical Test with Urine
In Levush HaAron (pages 89-92) the question is brought up: “How can the chemical test of Chazal differentiate between תכלת and קלא אילן?” It answers: “… The indirubin that is present in plant indigo is known to make vat dyes…
Chilazon – Ksav Yad (Manuscript) on Bechoros 38a
H/T Rabbi Mordechai Honig for finding this 15th century Ksav Yad on Rashi for Bechoros 38a. Our modern editions have “Chilazon” as “Limon” (almost like a lemon). Apparently this was a misprint, aaaaaand….. it’s yet another reference to Limetz/Limace (snail)!…
Techeiles Dying Experiment – Anti-Murex Modern Chemicals Myth Debunked
A few weeks ago I ran some dyeing experiments to test: a) if dyeing murex trunculus wool at night will produce blue, b) if it’s purple, if heat will turn it blue without UV rays from sunlight (as Ptil Tekhelet…
Raavya and Techeiles Karti – Purfirin Prisinan
In case one was wondering if a Rishon was explicit in what Techeiles and the source is, to me the most blatant one is the Raavya (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliezer_ben_Joel_HaLevi) to explain Brachos 1 Halacha 2 in the Talmud Yerushalmi . While more…