Torah welcoming in Shavei Shomron
Torah welcoming in Shavei ShomronYossi Dagan

 

Hundreds of residents of northern Samaria and guests from all over Israel participated in a Torah-welcoming ceremony at the Yemenite synagogue Edot Yisrael in Shavei Shomron Thursday evening. The ceremony was held in honor of an ornate Torah scroll prepared by Raziel Ben Ozeri, who lives in Shavei Shomron.
 
Participants in the ceremony included the rabbi of Rosh Ha'Ayin, Rabbi Azariah Basis, Samaria local authority head Gershon Mesika, Rabbi Yehoshua Schmidt of Shavei Shomron and Rabbi Moshe Armoni of the Nachalat Rachel organization.  
 
"Shavei Shomron is the heart of the country,” Mesika told the gathered celebrants. “If you look at the map you will see it is situated precisely in the center. With G-d's help, Shavei Shomron, which is the heart of the country – thanks to the Torah which is the heart of the Nation of Israel – will grow and flourish with more Jews and more Torah.”   
 
Rabbi Schmidt spoke of the chain of generations of the Nation of Israel. Quoting the Malbim, a 19th century biblical commentator, he noted that the last commandment in the Bible is "Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.” (Deut. 31:19). The Torah, he explained, “is the Jews' national song. It must be placed in the mouths of all of Israel until it becomes like a song for them.”