Chief Kes Berko Tegegne reads from the Orit, written in the Ge’ez language. (photo credit: Michael Zekri and the Jerusalem Post)

 

Dr. Dalit Rom-Shiloni, a past fellow of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies and a member of the research group "Convergence and Divergence in Pentateuchal Theory: Bridging the Academic Cultures of Israel, North America, and Europe," has been closely involved in a project that will make ancient manuscripts from the Ethiopian Jewish community, Beta Israel, accessible to the public.

The National Library of Israel announced that these rare texts, preserved by the Beta Israel community's clergy (Kesim), will soon be digitized. Among the manuscripts included in this initiative is the Orit, the Beta Israel version of the Torah, written in the ancient Ge'ez language. This text contains the five books of the Torah, as well as the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. Additional manuscripts, such as apocryphal texts like Enoch and Jubilees and traditional prayer books for Shmita (the biblical commandment to cease agricultural work in Israel) and Yom Kippur, will also be part of this project.

Dr. Rom-Shiloni highlighted the importance of this collaboration, noting that these "cultural treasures" are essential components of the Beta Israel heritage. Through this digitization, she emphasized, the texts will be available to a wider audience while continuing to be maintained in the Beta Israel community’s places of worship.

Seventeen manuscripts have already been scanned, with the original artifacts remaining in the hands of the Kesim and the Beta Israel community, preserving the continuity of their heritage. 

 

The full Article is available here: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-824608