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The Big Picture: A Robot writing the Torah in longhand
A robot arm in the Berlin Jewish Museum is hard at work, carefully inking thousands of Hebrew letters on an 80-meter (260-foot) scroll. In about three months, it will have transcribed the entire Torah "by hand," a process that normally takes Jewish scribes about a year. The robot's penmanship is delicate and exact, but its work is merely an exhibit: the completed work won't be considered holy. "In order for the Torah to be holy, it has to be written with a goose feather on parchment," explains Rabbi Reuven Yaacobov. "The process has to be filled with meaning, and I'm saying prayers while I'm writing it." Yaacobov and the Robot are part of "The Creation of the World," a new exhibit at the museum that highlights the significance of Hebrew handwriting. Yaacobov is on hand to show patrons how the Torah is written traditionally, and to explain the religious significance of the process. The human element will only be on site until August 3rd, but his robotic companion will be writing Hebrew scriptures until January of next year. [Image credit: Adam Berry, Getty Images]
iBless Torah provides a mobile trainer for Bar/Bat Mitzvah students
On the eve of the most important holiday in the Jewish calendar -- Yom Kippur, the day of atonement -- it's traditional for observant Jews to seek forgiveness for the wrongs they have done to friends and family over the past year. For me, it's far too late to atone for my slack study habits back when I was preparing for my Bar Mitzvah, but perhaps I can help out some struggling Hebrew school students out there with a quick pointer to the $1.99 iBless Torah app, a learning assistant specifically for the rite of passage for 13-year-olds. iBless Torah includes the traditional blessings that kids learn & chant during their ceremonies, with audio assistance and word-by-word indications. I checked with the nearest available rabbinic authority -- my wife, whose ordination as a rabbi is scheduled for May -- and she gave it a thumbs-up. I'll let her feedback take it from here: The Hebrew chanting is clear and slow, with each word highlighting as it's chanted, so it's easy to follow. I like that in the Settings you can choose to see just Hebrew, just transliteration, or both. The 'About the Blessings' section gives good, concise information and there's a translation of the Torah blessings, which is nice. I'd like to see a translation of the Haftarah blessings added to the app. All the English explanations and translations refer to God as He, Him, and Lord; I would prefer gender-neutral language for God, but of course using masculine terminology when referring to God is very common. The Reform Jewish tradition uses a blessing after the Haftarah that is significantly different from the one in this app. For the other three blessings, however, I would recommend this app to my students who are learning the Torah and Haftarah blessings. Davka's other apps are worth checking out, as well. Good luck, kids, and remember: just imagine that the congregation is sitting there in their underwear. If that helps at all.
