This is a clarification of the Law concerning the existence of the “Hillazon” even in our time. If we are able to obtain and to dye with it the “Techelet” in order to fulfill the “Mitzvah” of “Tzitzith” completely; so that we may learn to be in awe of G-d through the medium of sight,…
read moreBy Baruch Sterman –November 12, 2020 “The Worst Jobs in History,” a lesser-known but very entertaining BBC series, ran sporadically from 2004 to 2006. Just as it sounds, it was an engaging presentation of some of the truly repulsive career choices made throughout the ages. One of the most highly rated episodes―which suggests that this…
read moreJan. 17, 2014 by Diana Bacharach Nir A snail is pictured from the Ptil Tekhelet, a small factory at the entrance to the Kfar Adumim settlement in the Judean hills, Israel. Photo by tekhelet.com. After a thousand-year mystery, raging passions, countless research and one snail who will supposedly help the Jews finally fulfill the commandment…
read moreAmong the more unlikely “marriages” arranged by human ingenuity is the one between the Chinese domesticated silk moth, Bombyx mori, and the Mediterranean sea snails of the Muricidae, or murex, family. The sea snails produce a pigment that, when brought together with silk, led to the world’s longest-lasting fashion statement. Written by Philippa Scott G.…
read moreQ: 1) Is Techeiles Chabura (chabureh?) Techeiles supposed to be lighter in shade than Ptil Tekhelet? I have a set which I bought last year and I noticed that the the color is much closer to sky blue, as opposed to my Tallis Gadol strings (Ptil Tekhelet) which are much closer to indigo colored. If…
read moreThe Rarest Blue is an example of a book that is worthy of attention both for its literary merit and for its Jewish interest…A story of science and religion, of craft and history. The Rarest Blue is spellbinding, each page a revelation. In lovely, engaging prose, the Stermans reveal the rediscovery of snail indigo—a detective…
read morehttps://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/111794/Judy Taubes Sterman and Baruch StermanThe making of a memorable book requires the skills of an alchemist. Every author starts with the raw material of his or her own experience and expertise, but it can take a certain secret ingredient — passion, vision, inspiration — to transform the dross into gold. That is a fair…
read moreBy Dina Kraft Feb. 27, 2011 RAMAT GAN, Israel — One of the mysteries that scholars have puzzled over for centuries is the exact shade of blue represented by “tekhelet,” which the Bible mentions as the color of ceremonial robes donned by high priests and ritual prayer tassels worn by the common Israelite. What was…
read more