The judge of the Yemenite community, Rabbi Yitzchak Ratzabi, issued a special holy recitation to renew the custom of hanging an ostrich’s egg in the center of the synagogue’s ceiling; “Our generation needs a great strengthening in matters of prayer and the sanctity of the synagogue, more than the generations before us.
A unique book is currently being published under the name “Eggs of Naomi in Synagogues”, by Rabbi Yitzchak Ratzabi – Judge of the Yemenite Community. The book contains 156 pages, including colorful pictures in which the rabbi brings 66 flavors to the custom of hanging an ostrich egg in a synagogue.
In the book it is mentioned in which countries they used to hang an ostrich egg and in which cities in our holy land, where the ostrich egg is hung in the synagogue.
The book also states that in Yemen ostrich eggs were also hung in the house of the groom or midwife, and the need for such eggs led to the existence of egg yolks.
The book is distributed free of charge to synagogue collectors and in a special holy reading, Hagar Ratzabi explains:
“In many synagogues in Yemen, as well as in the Land of Israel and in many countries in the East and West, the former used to hang on the synagogue’s ceiling, near or above the ark, one or several ostrich eggs, which is Naomi, after emptying it by punching one hole. Or two. And some hung them in the center of the synagogue ceiling next to the lamps, and so on.
Rabbi Ratzabi explains, “How good and pleasant it is to re-establish this custom. In particular, our generation needs great strengthening in matters of prayer and the sanctity of the synagogue, more than the generations before us. The ostrich and its egg, as explained in this book, have sixty-six wonderful flavors for the matter, with their origins and roots at length. “
“And today it belongs not only to the Yemenis and the Sephardim but also to the Ashkenazim, because then in European countries the Naomi eggs were not within reach, because they did not grow there, and yet the Yavatz and other great Ashkenazis admired and praised this custom.”
Rabbi Ratzabi concludes with the reading of the Holy Scriptures: We are doing. And the whole earth was filled with the knowledge of the sea, as the waters cover the sea. “