BS"D

COLLEAGUES?

Tuesday, August 10th
The big adventure I planned today was a visit to A & Y Sofrei Stam on the lower east side. I found them in the yellow pages. I can't wait to go! I've missed being able to browse sofer supply stores, even though it's always stressful due to the "don't-ask-don't-tell" situation I pray for. But seriously, I'm SO excited! I'm already having fantasies of pre-cut, pre-scored mezuzah blanks...I'm such a sofrut nerd!

Later in the day I continued researching this mysterious - & perhaps NOT so mysterious woman in Na"KH: HaSoferet.
Ezra 2:55 states: "The children of Solomon's slaves: The children of Sotai, the children of HaSoferet, the children of Peruda."
("B'nei avdi Shelomoh b'nei-Sotai b'nei-HaSoferet b'nei-Peruda:")
Apparently, these descendants of Solomon's slaves lived among the Jews, but never converted (see RAMBAM, Melachim 6:1)
Nechemyah 7:57 records: "The children of Solomon's slaves: the children of Sotai, the children of Soferet, the children of Perida." ("B'nei avdi Shlomoh b'nei-Sotai b'nei-Soferet b'nei-Perida.")
The oldest physical scrolls we have found yet of either of these book? Ezra 14:23-48 *only* was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran.

Insane...hop on a plane...

I hung out at West Side Judaica that night & tried to find the Drisha's commentaries on the Tur in an affordable format - no dice. It's really hard to do all this research on my own, having *no* money & living in Vancouver. I can't afford to buy the books I need & the people who own them in my town won't lend them to me.
So I returned to the flat & read about the Essenes & Qumran & the scrolls online outside in the city-glow.