My Stamp Bible

 In 1996, a friend introduced me to a book that researched and attempted to prove that the etymological root of many words in English is from Hebrew. I don't recall most of them, but my absolute favourite was  –  Abracadabra! Which, according to the author, meant "I will create" EVRA "with my words" K'DA'BER. Occasionally, I come up with my own ideas (or maybe these words were in the book - not at all sure...) like my thought/theory that: "don't eat the meat NA (raw/fresh)" (Exodus 12:9)  –  is the source for the word 'now' in English; also the word 'nose' is from the Hebrew NEZEM (Proverbs 11:22 "nose-ring"). I believe that the Ten times the word "sack" is mentioned in the last few chapters of Genesis (42:25-44:12) is from the Hebrew language, and spelled the same way: SAK. Sackcloth is mentioned many times in the Bible, in the context of blemishes (like on cloth, wool or leather Leviticus 13:47-59), bu...

Today is a Snow Day in Fredericton, and a good friend from the Board of Education wished me a happy & safe one. This gave me the idea to write about a snow day in the Bible. The very first Postage Stamp that depicts snow was issued in 1931 by Newfoundland, which was not yet part of Canada, so they had their very own stamps. As far as I know, there is only One incident/instance that the Bible mentions the phrase Snow Day. To clarify, the reason I didn't say "time", is because the same exact wording appears in Two verses: II Samuel 23:20 and I Chronicles 11:22: "On this snow(y) day – Benaiah son of Jehoiada (AKA Yehoyada, as there is no letter J in Biblical Hebrew) killed a lion"! Our Sages have different explanations for: why it is significant that it was snowing that day? The simplest explanation is that it has nothing to do with the lion, but it was such a storm that it was remembered by many people for many years and maybe even decades. Any senior citizen ...

Over the past (more than) 550 years, since the printing type-set (AKA Movable Type) method was used to produce and print books, most notably the Guttenberg Bible – printing books in Hebrew was a great desire of Jewish Authors! Until 447 years ago – there was no such ability in the Holy Land. However, on the 25th of Cheshvan 1577 (Yesterday's Hebrew Date)  – a book named Koheleth Ya'akov (commentary & exposition) on the Book of Ecclesiastics, was printed in Safed (AKA TZFAT). The State of Israel decided to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of this event on a stamp in 1977. There are Two reasons I am mentioning this special event in connection to my Stamp Bible (besides the fact that it happened yesterday, 447 years ago). First: it is a commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastics, written by Rabbi Moshe ben Mordechai Galanti, who is not commemorated on any other stamp in my "Rabbi" themed collection! And, Second, the press (or the Author, we will never know) continued a...

 It is very important, in my humble opinion, to recognize and appreciate the people & organizations who "have our back"! Acknowledging these people is something the Jewish People have been doing, ever since the times of our Forefather Abraham. When he was commanded to circumcise himself and the men in his household, the Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 42:8) teaches us, based on the words "the members of the Covenant (or "allies") of Abraham" (Genesis 14:13) – that they advised him to follow through with it and to circumcise. Even though they, themselves, were uncircumcised – they supported him in this extremely difficult decision! So, the stamp and the verse that I am showing here – was issued by the State of Israel in 2022 to acknowledge "Christians who stand for Israel". At the bottom of the stamp, called a SHOVAL in Hebrew, and a "collectible tab" in English, the quote is from G-d's very first (scriptural) conversation with Abraham: ...

 In a few verses in Exodus, Moses tells us what the husband's requirements & obligations are, when taking a second wife. Of  course, this is bigamy, and, therefore, forbidden by civil and Jewish Law; however, the Talmud takes these instructions very seriously - as it teaches us what the woman's rights are! The Scripture (Exodus 21:10) reads as follows: "if he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marriage rights". The Oral Law adds the following detailed list, based on the husband's occupation: "Men of leisure, who do not work, (or have an easy 9-5 office job), must engage in marital relations every day; labourers must do so twice a week; donkey drivers - once a week; camel drivers - once every thirty days; and sailors once every six months" (Babylonian Talmud Tractate Ketuboth 61b). My conclusion, and you should really advise with your local Rabbi, since this was written nearly 1,800 years ago, is that the wife h...

 In Genesis (27:1-4), Isaac asks his son to go out to the field and hunt "game" and bring to him so he may bless him, before he dies. We do not know if Isaac intended to give Esau the "Abrahamic blessing", basically he appreciated his son's qualities as a hunter, and asked him to prepare a delicious meal "as he likes it". In this Souvenir Sheet from Tajikistan, we see a hunter pursuing Two Goats, which is very unlikely, as goats are domesticated animals! In fact, this is what Rebekah prepares for her beloved husband, sending the younger son, Jacob, with the delicacies she made from goats to serve him, and receive the blessings, instead of Esau, her older son! 

One of the more difficult commandments in the Torah for me to fully understand, is the Law of an Israelite soldier who falls in love? with a girl he finds among those taken captive in war. As a former soldier in the IDF, it was made very clear to us that we are to have no interaction whatsoever with the civilian population in Lebanon & Syria when I was there on guard, protecting the Northern border of Israel. In fact, one of the more well-known protest movies at the time: SHTAY ETZBA'OT MITZIDON (literally, 2 fingers on the map from Sidon)  – showed one of the soldiers falling in love with a Lebanese girl, and how detrimental it was to his unit from an ethical & security points of view!  So, G-d commands us in Deuteronomy 21:11-14 that if we fall in love with a girl after we (most likely) killed her father & brothers   –  she must become unpretty for a month, in which she will mourn for her family. Of the following stamps, all of mourning women, it is har...

 One of my many friends sent me a box full of stamps, most still on paper, so I am enjoying removing the paper by soaking them, drying them and adding them to my different collections.  The Hawk is mentioned many times in the Bible, but the one that touches me the most is Job 39:26, as it is an important part of G-d's response to Job. Basically, G-d tells Job that he doesn't know anything about how the Creator runs the world, and is given many proofs of this sad fact. One of these is the flight of the Hawk: "does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the South?" In this passage, G-d is speaking to Job and challenging his understanding of the natural world. By using the hawk as an example, G-d emphasizes the significance of Creation, and reminds Job that it is beyond human comprehension. The hawk taking flight is a metaphor for Divine wisdom & guidance, illustrating that it is G-d ho directs & empowers His creatures! On a totally ...