Bible contest winner (center) with PM, Piron
Bible contest winner (center) with PM, PironMukie Shwartz

The winner of this year’s Bible quiz for adults spoke to Arutz Sheva after his victory.

“I’m very excited, this is a big honor for me,” winner Menachem Shamshi said.

Shamshi said his connection to the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) began “from the moment I was born. This is how I grew up, how I was educated.” When this year’s entry contests began “I saw it as a challenge, with a lot of effort,” he said.

Shamshi lives in the town of Elon Moreh in Samaria (Shomron), and works as a Bible teacher.

“For me, the Bible is a way of life. It is with me every moment, every day, in every situation, for all my life,” he related.

Shamshi encouraged others to study Tanakh as well. “I have a message for everyone in the nation of Israel. The Tanakh is our guide to life, on an individual level and a communal level. Let each person try to touch some small part of Tanakh, try to connect and live the Tanakh,” he suggested.

He told Arutz Sheva that his favorite part of the Hebrew Bible are the books of Ezra and Nehemia. “Many verses speak to, and are connected to, our generation, to the return to Zion,” he explained.

When asked how he teaches the Tanakh to today’s youth, he said, “It’s true that today it’s harder… But we need to realize that there are no shortcuts. We need to bring youth up to the level of the Bible, to try everything, even to use tricks, to get youth closer to the Bible.”

As this year’s winner, next year Shamshi will be Israel’s representative at the International Bible Quiz for adults. “I’ll try to keep learning, and to represent the state of Israel honorably,” he said.