Talmudic cryptozoology

Last Sunday morning, 70 of us gathered for our annual congregational meeting which was full of small group discussions and yummy treats. I want to share one highlight which came from a conversation about the design of the stained glass that would be in the sanctuary and above the entrance doors. Carly Freedman, a very talented and generous KT member and artist, generated a series of designs that integrated the geometric motifs of sephardic synagogues with the floral motifs of ashkenazi design. The group was tasked with discussing the spectrum of colors in the design. There was relative consensus that people preferred oranges and turquoises, and other mediterranean colors. But everyone also ended their comment with a general shout out for rainbows. At one point someone said, “But also, yay rainbows” and the group actually cheered and clapped. It was a joyful and spontaneous moment, which contained more consensus than the average KT process. 

The instinct to adorn our sanctuary in rainbows is timely given June is Pride month. But it is also ancient. We learn in this week’s parsha, Naso, that as the Levites cared for and deconstructed the traveling mishkan, they covered it in the skin of a tachash (Numbers 4:6).

We don’t quite know what animal the Torah is describing. Most often its translated as dolphin skins, but that seems incredibly unlikely given the desert. Some suggest it was a special type of weasel called an ermine. Others think maybe a wild ram or even a zebra. Since we know it has a single horn, maybe it was a narwhal or a unicorn. But those animals aren’t kosher and the tachash was. I think the most likely species is the dugong, which in Arabic is tukhush, a large aquatic mammal which has been seen swimming up the Red Sea. (Thank you Zeev and Naim for teaching me about dugong). 

But the thing that stumps all of these possibilities is the fact that its skin was multi-colored. Such a magical being perhaps created for just this purpose. Imagine the beauty of an iridescent rainbow skin covering the tent. Turns our we share the queer biblical instinct to want rainbows in our sanctuary!

In Aramaic the tachash was referred to as sasgavna / ססגונה, meaning “rejoicing in its many colors” or “joyful (שָׂשׂ) and proud (גונא) .” (Shabbat 28; Midrash Tanchuma, Terumah 6). I hope the many colors of our stained glass windows will reflect what we strive for as a community, to be joyful and proud. 

In addition to dugong skins, this week’s parsha contains the Priestly Blessing, an ancient tripart amulet for protection which concludes, וישם לך שלום // place within you shalom. 

About this final phrase, The Ba‘al Shem Tov reads an old rabbinic tradition to say that "shalom is the vessel we need to place within each of us which can contain God’s blessing. It is not enough to pray for blessing; divine blessing is pouring forth upon us in every moment that we exist. But without a proper vessel in which to hold it, that blessing just washes over us and vanishes."


Here shalom means “wholeness” as well as “peace. It means being whole with ourselves…This is not an easy challenge, but without it our vessel is not whole and cannot contain blessing.” Our ability to carve out wholeness within ourselves, makes it possible for wholeness to exist in our world. 

May we find our way into this shabbat, joyful and proud. 
And may the magic of Shabbat enable us to emerge more whole.
May it be so.