In 1968 the song by Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra - Love Is Blue - topped the pop charts for weeks. What do the lyrics mean? "Blue, blue, my world is blue. Blue is my world since I'm without you..." Blue to us in our culture is a marker of sadness.
Not so in ancient Israel. Blue there was a marker of sanctity and royalty.
Hat tip to Bernice for bringing this wonderful Times article to our attention about the new discoveries and debates over the true blue color that the Torah says we must use in the fringes of our clothing. Bernice cares about colors -- she is an artist.
Memo From Ramat Gan -
Rediscovered, Ancient Color Is Reclaiming Israeli Interest
By DINA KRAFT
RAMAT GAN, Israel — One of the mysteries that scholars have puzzled over for centuries is the exact shade of blue represented by “tekhelet,” which the Bible mentions as the color of ceremonial robes donned by high priests and ritual prayer tassels worn by the common Israelite...more...
While visiting Israel you must be aware of Hebrew language because this is a common language found there. Most of the boards and signals are in print with Hebrew. But don’t worry if you don’t know about Hebrew, you can also go with English as well as Russian.
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