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by Shabse Werther (Author)
On a beautiful fall afternoon during the holiday of Succos, seventeen year old Sholom B'nayahu Werther shared with his family a passage of Talmud with unusual passion. He spoke about the ultimate destiny of the Jewish people and the symbol of their endurance - Zayis Raanan, the fresh olive. His family did not know that this would be the last Torah thought he would ever share with them. Thirty hours later, Sholom returned his soul to his Maker after a tragic hit and run accident.
In the months that followed, Sholom's father began noticing the gimatriya (numerical value) of Zayis Raanan (787) appearing together with the gimatriya of Sholom B'nayahu's name (449) in Torah passages. These texts seemed to illuminate Sholom's life: his birth and passing, his spiritual mission, and his enduring love for his family. The messages were so numerous and so profound that they became the foundation of a book Zayis Raanan: The Gift of the Fresh Olive.
But the messages did not end there. After the book's publication, new signs emerged, urging Sholom's father to make Aliyah. Once in Israel, he began sending weekly letters to family and friends, sharing the experiences he and his wife encountered in the Holy Land - along with continued communications from Sholom.
This volume, a sequel to Zayis Raanan, tells their story with a mixture of gravity and humor, sharing spiritual insights amid the vagaries of daily life in Israel. For anyone who has made Aliyah or is contemplating it, these letters reveal how life in Israel elevates the soul because of its challenges, not despite them.
You are invited to join Sholom's family on this journey - heartfelt, uplifting, and profoundly connected to the land and spirit of the Jewish people and its Torah.
