Day 605 - Ancient Bibles receive new homes for Torah holiday

Jun 2, 2025

Rossella Tercatin, a dedicated religions reporter for The Times of Israel, discusses the inauguration of the ancient Codex Sassoon at the Anu Museum amidst the backdrop of recent events. Tercatin highlights the deep cultural significance of this Bible linked to resilience and identity. She also delves into the complexities of conversion in Israel, revealing the challenges faced by many in their journey to Judaism, coupled with a look at Shavuot traditions and the emotional weight of the ceremony during these turbulent times.

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ANECDOTE

Bittersweet Codex Sassoon Ceremony

The Codex Sassoon, a nearly 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible, was permanently inaugurated at the Anu Museum in Tel Aviv after a delay caused by the October 7 Hamas attack.
Former hostage Agam Berger and families affected by the attack attended, blending celebration with remembrance.

INSIGHT

Conversion in Israel Faces Bureaucratic Hurdles

Roughly half of the people starting conversion for Jewish recognition in Israel do not complete the process, impacting legal status and life possibilities.
Bureaucratic disputes and lack of a Conversion Authority director currently block the signing of official conversion certificates.

ANECDOTE

Kibbutz Celebrates Shavuot Traditions

The kibbutz Ramat Yohanan marked 80 years since the creation of Shavuot agricultural ceremonies by early members Leah Bergstein and Matityahu Shalem.
The holiday is celebrated with folk dances, wreaths, and harvest rituals still influential today across kibbutzim.

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Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Religions reporter Rossella Tercatin joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Nearly two years after the ancient, nearly complete Codex Sassoon bible was first introduced at the Anu Museum, days before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, the book of Torah is inaugurated at the museum, in the presence of released hostage Agam Berger, in a moving, bittersweet ceremony, tells Tercatin. Another ancient bible, the Shem Tov bible, this one only 700 years old, was also inaugurated permanently at the National Library of Israel, both in time for the Shavuot holiday.

Tercatin also looks at the ongoing issues of conversion in Israel, following a meeting last week of the Knesset Aliyah Committee devoted to the topic of conversions on Tuesday, ahead of the Shavuot festival. Only about half of those who start the process to convert manage to complete the journey, and the Conversion Authority is currently formally without a director, leaving nobody can sign the official conversion certificates, complex matters that Tercatin discusses.

Steinberg talks about an art exhibit currently at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan, marking the 80th anniversary of the kibbutz's Shavuot ceremony, created by two pioneering kibbutz members in the 1940s to mark the agricultural and harvest aspects of the festival.

Finally, Tercatin discusses the Messianic community in Israel, and its connection to Yaron Lischinsky, the Israel Embassy staffer who was killed alongside his soon-to-be-fiance, Sarah Milgrim, on May 21 in an antisemitic attack at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Codex Sassoon, oldest near-complete Hebrew Bible, displayed in Israel after Oct. 7 delay

Ahead of Shavuot, thousands of converts remain unrecognized by state, stuck in limbo

Kibbutz marks 80 years of Shavuot song and dance with pioneering artworks

For Messianic Jews in Jerusalem, Yaron Lischinsky’s murder was a personal loss

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and video edited by Thomas Girsch.

IMAGE: The 'Codex Sassoon' bible is displayed at Sotheby's in New York on February 15, 2023. (Ed Jones/AFP)

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