Commentary on Parashat Shoftim, Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9
Every week, Julie Seltzer, artist and Torah scribe, bakes a challah depicting an aspect of the week’s Torah portion.
If a dead body is found…your elders and judges will go out and measure the distance from the body to the nearest cities. (Deuteronomy 21:1,2)
כִּי-יִמָּצֵא חָלָל
…וְיָצְאוּ זְקֵנֶיךָ, וְשׁפְטֶיךָ; וּמָדְדוּ, אֶל-הֶעָרִים, אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבת הֶחָלָל
Here we see a John Doe challah. He is surrounded by tape, just like in television shows. At his side is a challah measuring tape, which will be used to measure the distance from the body to the nearest city, as the Torah commands.
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challah
Pronounced: KHAH-luh, Origin: Hebrew, ceremonial bread eaten on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
Torah
Pronunced: TORE-uh, Origin: Hebrew, the Five Books of Moses.
