Shani

The Hebrew word Shani (שָׁנִי) means "scarlet" or "crimson."

In the symbolic language of the ancient world, few colors carry the weight of scarlet. It is the color of lifeblood and of violent death, of royalty and of shame. A paradox, Shani is at once the very stain of sin and the sacred instrument of its purification. It is one of the most potent and symbolically charged terms in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition. Scarlet is not just a color but the very essence of transgression, a mark so deep it seems impossible to cleanse. Metaphorically, its intensity represents the depth of sin that requires divine intervention to purify. And yet, it is this same Shani that is woven into the holiest rites of atonement. From the scarlet thread tied to the horns of the Yom Kippur scapegoat, to its use in the purifying rituals for the healed leper, and even extending into messianic symbolism through the allegory of the crimson worm(JESUS CHRAAAST), Shani is the essential element that bridges the gap between sacrilege and sanctification.

The Book of Revelation endows scarlet with apocalyptic weight - the "scarlet woman," Babylon, is both allure and abomination. She is "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus," a symbolic figure who represents a corrupt, idolatrous power. The color presents itself in the 'A' worn by Hester Prynne of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, a direct meditation on public guilt and the hope for redemption. In modern occultism, figures like Aleister Crowley harnessed scarlet’s provocative power, especially in the persona of the "Scarlet Woman" as both a magical archetype and a subversive symbol of liberated desire and spiritual metamorphosis. While these later interpretations diverge from the original Jewish context, they all draw their energy from the same primal source which has echoed for centuries: a public mark of sin that yearns for transformation, a single scarlet thread.

Many of the most famous events in the Bible, and in our history, take place at the Tabernacle and Jerusalem Temples. They were the most important structures in ancient Israel, and have received more attention than most architecture of antiquity. The Tabernacle was an elaborate, portable tent-like structure that served as a mobile temple for the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after Exodus from Egypt. It was built as a result of Moses leading the Israelites through the Red Sea and receiving the ten commandments upon Mt Sinai.
 
 Moses came down from Mount Sinai and announced to the people, "I just got done speaking with God."
 "No way!" the townspeople shouted.
 "Yahweh."
 
So that Yahweh might dwell amongst the Israelites, he gave to Moses instructions for erecting a sanctuary. The entire Tabernacle was designed and constructed for this purpose. It housed the Ark of the Covenant, which according to the Book of Exodus, God instructed Moses to build after his 40-day stay upon the mountain. It was here that he was shown the pattern for the Tabernacle, along with the furnishings of the Ark, all of which preceded what came to eventually evolve into the Jewish Temple(s).

The Tabernacle had a tiered structure of holiness, with three main areas

• The Outer Court: A large open-air courtyard enclosed by linen hangings. It contained the Altar of Burnt Offering (where animal sacrifices were made on a bronze altar), as-well as the bronze laver (used by priests for the ritual washing of hands and feet before performing their duties), and was open to all Israelites.
• The Holy Place: An enclosed chamber separated from the Outer Court by a curtain, and only accessible to priests. It contained the Menorah, a seven-branched lampstand made of pure gold (similar to what you see come out around Hanukkah time). It also held the Table of Showbread, 12 loaves of "the bread of presence" representing the 12 tribes of Israel, as-well as the altar of incense - a golden altar where priests would burn a special blend of incense daily.
• The Holy of Holies (or Most Holy Place): The innermost sanctuary, separated from the Holy Place by a thick veil. This chamber contained the Ark of the Covenant, a sanctified chest which held the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod(a staff belonging to Moses’ brother which blossomed almonds magically), and a pot of manna (flakey bread-like substance that would appear in the morning and was collected like dew drops by the Hebrews). The Holy of Holies served as an earthly throne where the Shekhinah (God's presence) existed bridging the heavens and the Earth. Only the high priest could enter this thoroughly revered and sacred chamber, and only once a year, taking place on....

The Day of Atonement, also known as Yom Kippur(or Yom HaKippurim), is an important holiday that takes place just a few days after the Jewish new year. It originated during the time of the Tabernacle in ancient Israel. It was a yearly day of solemnity where the head of the Israelite priesthood (kohen gadol) would enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the nation. Anyone entering here outside the ritual or doing so improperly would be struck dead. The holiest day of the year (in Judaism), where the holiest man enters holiest of holy places. You would think they were making Swiss cheese, but this event was primarily centered around repayment, absolution, and repentance - atonement - at one moment - a setting right of all that needs to be set right. God’s remedy to make whole again, this was a collective moment for individuals to atone for their sins of the past year.

For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to purify you; from all your sins before the Lord you shall be purified.
Leviticus 16:30

This ritualistic cleansing of the nation seems to have evolved in its procedural manners as time progressed - from the tabernacle, to the first temple, and eventually the second temple period. The earliest account of the Day of Atonement ritual is found in Leviticus 16, which details the service to be performed in the Tabernacle. It outlines the core components of the ceremony - the High Priest's personal atonement, the selection of two goats, and the purification of the sanctuary. While the foundational elements were established here, the Second Temple period is where we see an elaboration and apparent innovation of these rites, with the crimson thread becoming a central and prevalent feature. The crimson thread may have existed in some form during the First Temple period, but there is no clear documentation of it from that time, and our earliest detailed accounts appear only in Second Temple–era sources.

The Second Temple era is a period in Jewish history referring to the roughly 600 years (516 BCE – 70 CE) during which the Second Temple in Jerusalem still stood. It was destroyed 70 CE in the midst of the First Jewish-Roman War when Roman soldiers, under the command of Titus, broke through and took siege of Jerusalem. In order to fracture the Jewish will to fight, the Temple, the central place of worship for the ancient Israelites, was thoroughly demolished. Its predecessor, the First Jewish Temple, also known as Solomon's Temple, was constructed in the 10th century BCE and stood for nearly 400 years. Eventually it was destroyed in 586 BCE by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II following his own siege of Jerusalem. The Second Temple was built between 520 and 516 BCE on the very foundations of the First Temple, a place called the Temple Mount, also known as Mount Moriah - the holiest site in Jerusalem. This was authorized by Cyrus the Great of Persia after he conquered the Babylonians and allowed Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem. The initial reconstruction was relatively modest, but improved upon as years passed. With efforts from The Hasmonean Dynasty, and especially Herod the Great, the structure was eventually crafted into an architecturally impressive and spiritually powerful spectacle.

When the Temple in Jerusalem still stood, Yom Kippur was an occasion of elaborate sacrificial service. It was quite literally the only way that unholy sinners could continue living in proximity to the holy God(YHVH) and his dwelling place(the Holy of Holies). The service within this Jerusalem temple was at the center of much of Israelite life, and is one of the most well documented rituals of the ancient world. We still don’t have much of an idea as to what occurred in Babylon, Rome, the pyramids of Egypt, or in Greece. These traditions were largely oral and conducted from priest to priest without having been written down, often carefully guarded secrets for the elect and initiated. The temple ritual, however, is peculiarly well documented. Why? Because the Jews were facing a cultural genocide. After a series of rebellions, the temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed - and religious authorities of the time felt Judaism was facing an existential threat. On an account of these reasons, Rabbis decided to commit to writing what was previously only transmitted from mouth to mouth. This collection of oral transmissions and debates is what became known as the Mishnah(written around 200 CE). After the Mishnah was compiled, rabbis from both Babylonia and Israel studied it extensively. Their discussions were eventually documented into a series of books, what would become known as the Gemara, what in Aramaic means "to study and to know." These sets of Mishnah + Gemara commentary, when combined, forms what is known as the Talmud, or the two versions of the Talmud (Jerusalem and Babylonian editions). The Jerusalem Talmud was compiled earlier, is less thorough, and is generally considered less authoritative than the Babylonian Talmud, which is more comprehensive and widely studied(but they both have their own set of strengths and weaknesses).

Leviticus 16, coming out of the Old Testament and included in the Torah, seems to be one of the earliest accounts of this procedure. Even so, it only provides the foundational scriptural blueprint for the Day of Atonement, and is quite light. It outlines the core theological and ritualistic structure, focusing on the "what" and the "why" of the ceremony, but fails to act as a step-by-step procedural manual and leaves many practical questions unanswered, such as the precise timing of events, the exact prayers to be recited, etc. The Mishnah - and by extension the Talmud - provide a far more detailed and exhaustive description of this procedure. It is within Tractate Yoma("The Day"), which offers the most extensive and in-depth descriptions of the Day of Atonement service, that we see the crimson thread and a new dramatic fate for the scapegoat become prominent features of the Yom Kippur ritual. Some of this text seems to have been composed by individuals that still held a living memory of serving in the temple before it was destroyed. Even then, the text isn't perfect, and there are debates around how many of these things within are actually meant to be performed. Some of the most important parts of the ritual surrounding the order of certain sacrifices aren't fully agreed upon. Ultimately, Yom Kippur has a complex origin.... and is likely 3 different religious rituals combined.

1. The Purification Ritual - for the high priest entering into the holy of holies and communing with the Israelite god. This may have been done in a shamanic like trance or some state of altered consciousness.
2. A general day of atonement - for the sins of the collective community of Israel.
3. A ritual where these sins are transferred to an animal, the scapegoat.

Around half-way through the whole gauntlet, the High Priest would stand between two goats, as identical as they could get them, and draw two lots from a golden box. Pulling with each hand, one was labelled “For the Lord” (Adonai), and the other “For Azazel.” Both goats are both marked and set aside for later. One goat will be sacrificed in the temple on this day, the one "for Adonai," whose blood will be sprinkled in the Holy of Holies(with a scarlet thread tied around its neck). The one for Azazel will have this same red/scarlet/crimson thread tied around its horns, awaiting a different fate. During the Leviticus period, it is simply stated that this goat will be sent into the wilderness. The Mishnah elaborates, and we learn that this goat will be led a dozen or so miles into the Judean wilderness, that is.... before it's hurled down a mountain(in reverse). Jabel Munttar, sometimes referred to as Mt. Azazel, the highest mountain in the Judean Desert, is traditionally believed to be the location where this ritual took place.

Towards the end of the day, after much of the religious ceremony had already commenced, the goats which had been marked and set aside are brought back out. The one for Adonai is executed, it's blood spilling as certain rites are begun. After this is finished, the goat for Azazel has the entirety of the sins of all of Israel placed upon it. The High Priest would place both hands upon its head(most rituals only ever use one), and he would "confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins (Leviticus 16:21).” After doing so, the high priest would utter the 4 letter name of God - the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), also known as the Ineffable Name of God. This was something which only he(the holiest man of Israel) was allowed to speak out-loud, and only once a year on this specific day. This audible expression of divine nomenclature was only ever uttered 3 times throughout the entirety of the ritual - once during the High Priest’s confession for himself, once for his household, and once for the people of Israel(as part of the scapegoat confession). Whenever the people of the city would hear this - "they answered after him: “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever!”(Mishnah Yoma 3.8). And the crowd goes wild... everyone would immediately drop to their knees in sacred prostration, beginning to pray in deep reverence. It was a collective moment of national and spiritual intensity unmatched elsewhere in the Jewish calendar.

At this point, the goat for Azazel is then led away, beginning a long journey towards its demise. Faced with about a dozen or so miles, it was in for a long trek. The heat of day could weaken the goat, or it's chaperone, and so there were way stations set up for them with food and water. Simply escorting the goat, something rarely performed by an Israelite(made certain by some high priests), would render one so ritually impure that even their clothes would have to be discarded. That's how down and energetically dirty this whole ordeal was. After they were done, the escort was even forced to remain in the waystation outside the city until the end of the Yom Kippur ceremonies. While the goat was making its journey, the limbs of other sacrificial animals were prepared in the city. They were to be burned, but only once the scapegoat's business had been handled. Eventually that little four legged creature would reach its destination....

"What did the one designated to dispatch the goat do there? He divided a strip of crimson into two parts, half of the strip tied to the rock, and half of it tied between the two horns of the goat. And he pushed the goat backward, and it rolls and descends. And it would not reach halfway down the mountain until it was torn limb from limb."
Mishnah Yoma 6.6

Ouch. (more on this rock in a moment)

Once all of the sins of Israel had been thrown down('round) the mountain(when she comes), a series of relay flags(scarves) would be thrown up to let the priests back at the temple know to light a fire and incinerate the remains of the other sacrificial animals. At this point the high priest would read a little bit from the Torah, everyone would feel the blessings from on high, a release from their sins, and they were done with things!

At some later period, the following lines were added to this Mishnah, explaining the use of a second string as opposed to the relay of scarves being waved in the distance...

"Rabbi Ishmael said: but did they not have another sign! A thread of crimson thread was tied to the opening of the Sanctuary, and when the goat reached the wilderness the thread turned white".
Mishnah, Yoma 6:8

This quote lets us in on the fact that Yom Kippur had historically been viewed as a somewhat magical event. God would quite literally transform the color of the string which resided on the temple door to pure white. More about this is explained in the Talmud, where it is stated

"At first they would tie a strip of crimson wool to the opening of the Entrance Hall of the Temple on the outside. If, after the sacrificing of the offerings and the sending of the scapegoat, the strip turned white, the people would rejoice, as this indicated that their sins had been atoned for. If it did not turn white they would be sad. When the Sages saw that people were overly distressed on Yom Kippur, they instituted that they should tie the strip of crimson wool to the opening of the Entrance Hall on the inside, where only a few could enter to see it. [Talmud, Rosh Hashannah, 31b.13]

Imagine the let down as everyone was huddled together, waiting for the big reveal, and then God "denies" their repentance. I hope they considered the fact that YHVH maybe just ran out of etheric-bleach that year, they may have been all sold out of Astral-OxiClean at the God store. Could something have potentially, actually, been occurring here? It may just be some sort of metaphorical allegory of course, but I mean, they seem to be quite literal in the espousing of this very visible color change. Science would say this is impossible, but we must consider, the spiritual systems they had in place could have acted as a form of metaphysical science which played on objective reality in ways the modern world wouldn't be able to understand. They may have been interacting with Entities. More on the rock which was mentioned earlier...

"But people would still peek and see it, and once again, if it turned white they would rejoice, and if it did not turn white they would be sad. Therefore, the Sages instituted that they should tie half of the strip to a rock near the place where the one who sent the scapegoat stood and half of it between the horns of the scapegoat, so that the people would not know what happened to the strip until after the conclusion of Yom Kippur." (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah, 31b.14

The uncontrollable inclination to sneak a peek at God's judgement, ahhh that's refreshingly human. This solution doesn't fully eliminate man's desire to know God's verdict - but it does delay it. The people still desperately want to peer into divine decisions, but now they must wait. This creates a kind of theological suspense that mirrors the deeper spiritual reality: we perform acts of repentance without immediate confirmation of their efficacy. The rock becomes a kind of sacred boundary marker, a fixed point that anchors the mystery of divine decree beyond human observation. The wilderness location also echoes the original Sinai experience, where theurgic communication happened away from civilization's immediate reach.

During the forty years Simon the Just was High Priest (born in the late 4th century BC), when he would draw lots, the one "for Adonai" would reliably be reached for with his right hand, while the one designated "for Azazel" would come up in his left. The crimson thread would reliably turned white each year on Yom Kippur, signifying God's acceptance of the atonement. However, it reportedly stopped turning white consistently after his Priesthood, being hit or miss. For the 40 years before the Temple's destruction (around 30 CE), it stopped turning white altogether. Christians say that this is because Jesus's sacrifice was the final and ultimate atonement, relieving the need of these archaic sacrificial rites, however, perhaps this story is flawed if we consider the idea that Jesus was the man who spearheaded the Jewish revolt which resulted in the destruction of the temple in the first place 🤔.

The famous historian Flavius Josephus (born 37 A.D.) noted that the Shani symbolized fire. This could be seen to represent the "inner fire" of spirit (which is often compared to a flickering flame), and its transformative power to burn away sin and impurity.
"and the scarlet will be the symbol of fire."
Antiquities of the Jews, Book 3, Chapter 7, Section 7 (Paragraph 183)

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool."
Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)

Another layer to the significance of shani (scarlet) involves understanding the source of the dye itself. In the Hebrew Bible, the term often appears combined as tola'at shani (תּוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי), literally translating to "worm of scarlet" or "scarlet worm." This refers to the coccus ilicis, or Kermes ilicis, or simply kermes, a genus of gall-like scale insects from the Kermesidae family (belonging to the superfamily Coccoidea), that feeds on Quercus coccifera, the similarly named kermes oak, primarily in the Mediterranean region.
The Old Testament Hebrew uses two different words for “worm.” One word is rimmah (רִמָּה), which can point to any worm, but more or less often refers to a maggot - symbolically referencing decay. The other term, tola'ah, can also refer to any worm, but in most contexts, particularly poetic ones(which there is no lack of within the bible), it was a very specific reference to the scarlet worm.
The English word "crimson" traces back through Spanish, Latin, and Arabic (qirmiz) to Persian roots related to kirm ("worm"), The ultimate source may be Sanskrit कृमिज kṛmi-jā meaning "worm-made".

Historically, cochineal was used in the production of textiles. The dried female insects, and what was inside of them, carminic acid, became an important international commodity. There was a research study conducted by Professors at Bar Ilan University of Israel in 2005. This was done in efforts to prove that the source of Shani, crimson dye, was local to Israel, that the local tola worm was in-fact the source of this colorful pigment, not being imported from elsewhere. The last research done on the species, prior to this one, was an article released by M. Sternlicht in 1969. In his dissertation he developed a new method for classifying coccoids, and he illustrated three kermes species that were found in Israel: Kermes biblicus = Kermes palestinensis, K. echinatus, and Kermes spatulatus.

Unfortunately, it seems that "Attempts to produce a dye from the K. biblicus coccoid, considered the most likely source for a dye, were unsuccessful," despite its gematria(damn it!).

However, they "discovered that K. echinatus contains a significant amount of bright red pigment and is a parasite of the local evergreen kermes oak."

Later going on to solidfy their position, "These results confirm the presence of Ka in K. echinatus extracts. The fact that this scale is found in Israel suggests that the origin of the shani color mentioned in the Bible could have been local and not an import from abroad, as most scholars have assumed. Our hypothesis is supported by the color quality of Ka, the relative concentration of the pigment in K. echinatus, and the abundance of the K. echinatus scale in Israel."
(Ka=Kermesic Acid, in Ancient Egypt Ka the was a vital essence or life force that existed independently of the physical body.)
The Study

Early in her life cycle, the female Kermes insect undertakes an important journey as a small 'crawler'. Her mission during this mobile phase is to explore and select a suitable location on an oak twig where she will attach herself permanently to mature and eventually reproduce. This is a permanent decision, there is finality here, and she does it all without any eyes. Male insects have wings and are always forced to meet with the females at their own place of residency.

Once the deed has been done, eggs are laid and develop in the space directly underneath the mother's body, enclosed by her hardened outer scale covering. Her internal tissues are in direct contact with the eggs. The mother then dies, and these insides naturally begin to decompose, breaking down cells and liquifying over time. The crimson pigment (kermesic acid) is located within these tissues. As the cells break down, the pigment would be released and become part of the fluid mix resulting from decomposition. Since the eggs are packed tightly within this space, the decomposing pigmented fluid from the mother's tissues would inevitably come into contact with the outer surface of the eggs. It is primarily after the young have departed that the remaining, now empty, structure undergoes its final stages of decay and weathering, eventually breaking down and flaking off the tree it has been hosted upon.

The motherly worms act of fixing herself to the wood is seen as a direct parallel to Christ being nailed to the wooden cross, where he was fixed until death. Her passing is intrinsically linked to the sheltering and future hatching of her offspring, interpreted as mirroring Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. She gives her life so her offspring might live.

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."
Peter 2:24 (ESV)

As the mother dies, the crimson substance (kermesic acid) becomes apparent, being strongly associated with Christ's shed blood. The interpretation is that just as the crimson covers the eggs, Christ's blood was shed for the atonement of sins, cleansing believers. The dead mother's hardened body remains on the branch, physically sheltering the vulnerable eggs beneath her through harsh conditions (like winter). This is seen as symbolizing the protection believers receive from judgment or spiritual harm through the covering provided by Christ's sacrifice. In the spring, the young crawlers hatch and emerge from under the protective covering of the dead mother. This is often likened to the new life believers receive through Christ – a spiritual resurrection or new birth made possible by his death. Some versions of the interpretation also focus on the fact that the decaying shell of the mother insect can eventually bleach and turn white or whitish, symbolizing the complete purification from sin - even touting that it shares a similar 3 day timeline(from the departure of the young), similar to Jesus's resurrection(bloody death to white rebirth). Scientifically, the timeline for this decay is highly variable, dependent on environmental factors like weather, and is not fixed at three days, though a coincidental timing in some instances isn't completely impossible. While the biological process isn't one of active bleeding, the reality of her pigmented bodily fluids bathing the eggs during decomposition provides a tangible basis for this symbolic interpretation - albeit a bit un-necessary, as they are already bursting with color from the Kermesic acid flowing through their little bodies. One final parallel is that the kermes insect has to die in order to be of any use to humans. The crimson color cannot be extracted without the death of the worm, the powder of their dead bodies being crushed and ground is what produces the material for the hue. These facts directly parallel the Messiah, who had to die in order to see a harvest of God's kingdom.

"Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand."
Isaiah 53:10

The color of the robe placed on Jesus during his crucifixion has long been debated, not that he cared much about making fashion statement(with a crown of thorns to match - where was GQ at?). Matthew describes it as "scarlet" (Matthew 27:28), contrasting with Mark and John’s "purple" (Mark 15:17; John 19:2). While purple symbolized royalty in the ancient world, acting as a cruel parody of Jesus’ budding reputation, those around him claiming "King of the Jews," Matthew’s specific use of "scarlet" (Using the Greek term kokkinos) seems to align with a deeper underlying theme. While scarlet also was a symbol of wealth and luxury, it's dye being expensive to produce, kokkinos(κοκκίνος) stems directly from the word kokkos(κόκκος), meaning "kernel" or "grain". Its use in relation to the color scarlet stems directly from the appearance and harvesting of the kermes insect, which form a kernel shaped pods, clusters of the eggs from the female insect.

"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."
John 12:24

In Mark, after being humiliated throughout the town and then nailed to the cross,
"Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Mark 15:34

This line has significance, as it is the opener to Psalms, which is dated by scholars to be hundreds of years prior to Jesus's arrival on the scene. Many Christians view Psalms as being prophetic, that Jesus's mission was written in years before his birth, he is the true messiah and has been in the plan all along this entire time. Him saying this at the time of crucifixion was a fulfillment of the prophecy. This hypothesis, however, is not able to find the full confirmation evangelists seek when we consider the historical background which went into the writing of Mark. The authors very well could have gone in afterwards placing these famous words from Psalms in Jesus's mouth to fit their own narrative, himself never uttering such a phrase. It is also a possibility that, as a studied Rabbi, Jesus was in-fact educated on the Psalms and did in-fact say it. Part of this confusion stems from Psalm 22:16, and whether the original Hebrew word was כָּאֲרִי (ka'ari), meaning "like a lion", or a variant like כארו (ka'aru), interpreted as "they pierced" or "they dug through". This translation difference is significant because the "pierced my hands and feet" reading is seen by Christians as a direct prophecy of Jesus's crucifixion, while the "Like a lion, they are at my hands and my feet" reading offers a different image, one which seems to enhance the metaphor already being described through the Psalm.

But... even if this does defuse things a bit, we can still look at Psalm 22:18, which states

"they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots."

The scarlet robe which was placed upon Jesus, having been taken off after his humiliation, then being divided among Roman soldiers, fulfills this part of the "prophecy." Again, however, could this detail have been added in after the fact, by the authors, so as to further their own image of the event which unfolded - aligning it with Psalm 22?

If we were to dismiss these details, still, given the specific context we have just developed, there may still be another hidden prophetic element to be observed. When we consider that just a few lines earlier, in Psalms 22:6, it states...

"But I am a (tola)worm and not a man,
    scorned by mankind and despised by the people."
    Psalm 22:6
    
The script used for writing Hebrew during the First Temple period was Paleo-Hebrew.
Often called “Early Hebrew” or “Old Negev,” the letter Tav had been depicted looking almost exactly like what becomes the Christian cross.

While precise dating is difficult, many scholars believe Psalm 22 originates from the First Temple period. It is highly plausible, and even probable, that when Psalm 22:6 was originally composed and first written down, it would have been written using the Paleo-Hebrew script

When exchange the Tav from the word
Therefore, the word as it appears in the passage could be said to be encoded with the idea of a sacrificial worm connected to the cross. This is a bit of a stretch, admittedly, but I found it to be a neat addition to the theme which has been built.

One final usage of the worm within the Bible comes from a quote by Jesus,

“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Isaiah 66:24

This phrasing could be seen as placing a value judgement upon the worms of our world. If a worm were to not die, it would continue to consume endlessly until its death, much like that nature of man. The death of the Tola worm, its sacrificial nature for its young, as opposed to other worms, demonstrates that its essence is ultimately selfless service - paralleling Jesus. To have your worm die would be a release into the realm of the spirit, what Jesus attempts to demonstrate as the path for man.

"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
John 12:25–26 (ESV)

The story of Tamar is another which includes this scarlet thread.

Judah, one of Jacob's twelve sons, separates from his brothers, and marries a Canaanite woman named Shua. They have three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. Judah finds a wife for his firstborn son, Er, a woman named Tamar. Unfortunately for her, there was one small detail, impossible to prepare for, which ended up ruining her newly appointed, seemingly secure position

"But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death."

According to the Jewish custom of Yibbum, later inheriting the term levirate marriage, when a man died childless, his brother was obligated to marry the widow. The first son born from this union would be considered the heir of the deceased brother, carrying on his name and lineage. Onan, Judah's second son was set to fulfill this duty towards Tamar.

"But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother."
Genesis 38:9

God decided that he was not a fan of this,

"What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well."
Genesis 38:10

Thankfully Tamar, left childless once again, now being twice widowed, is still obligated the fulfillment of Yibbum. The duty would fall to the third son, Shelah. However, Judah is hesitant, instructing her to

"“Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house."
Genesis 38:11

Shelah grows up, but Judah still doesn't arrange the marriage, leaving Tamar in a state of limbo – unable to remarry elsewhere but denied the chance to have children within Judah's family line as intended. Judah's own wife also dies during this period. Tamar does some thinking as she is forced to continue awaiting for her redemption, and realizes Judah will never give Shelah to her. She sees her future is barren and her rights within the family are being denied, and is forced to get creative.

"When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah."
Gensis 38:13-14

Judah, not recognizing his daughter-in-law, instead taking her to be a prostitute, approaches and propositions her.

“What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired.
“I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered.
Genesis 38:16-17

Tamar then asks for a pledge or guarantee until he can send the goat. She specifically requests his signet (a personal seal used for identification and authority), his cord (that the signet hung on), and his staff.

He obliges.
They sleep together.

She returns home,
puts on her widows attire,
and rests.

Judah sends someone back to get his things,
with the goat which was promised,
but the lady of the night had disappeared.
Nobody knew of a temple prostitute.

The plan ultimately worked.
Tamar becomes very pregnant, housing twins.
This eventually becomes evident to the town.

Wait a second, she is supposed to be waiting for Shelah! (an endless task)
Tamar has been immoral, and this is clearly out of wedlock. Something must be done.
"And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”

However, Tamar was prepared for this incoming hunt of the harlet.

"As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff."

Caught with his foot in his mouth, the king immediately backtracks

"Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again."

When it came time to give birth, one of the little jewish law-ordained bastards shot an arm out, tasting daylight for the first time. The mid-wife took this moment to tie a scarlet thread around their wrist so as to be able to identify which of the babies it was that came first. But then, a plot twist. The babies arm retreats back into their mothers womb(perhaps realizing what it has gotten itself into, hitting the alarm clock to ensure a few more moments of slumber). Their sibling takes this moment of hesitation to their advantage. Deciding to, at the last moment of the marathon, pass their cohabitant, they make it across the checkered flag unbothered by the attempt to preemptively place victory upon another. It is at this moment that the midwife exclaimed

“What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez."

The name Perez (פֶּרֶץ) is directly derived from the Hebrew root verb "parats" (פָּרַץ). While the verb "parats" means "to break through" or "to burst forth," the noun Perez itself signifies "a breach," "a bursting forth," or "a breakthrough," essentially naming the action or result of that root verb.

Tamar was, ultimately, being scapegoated by Judah in this story. She did not have horns and a goatee, but instead, the thread is tied around one of her babies' wrists, demonstrating the theme underneath. A literal goat was sent out, not to the wilderness, but to Timnah, what was promised in exchange for her sexual services. She is viewed as the source of the death for his sons, but ultimately, it was in God's eyes, and through their actions, that they were deemed wicked enough to be struck down. Separating and dissociating from taking on the accountability that his own family lineage may be proliferating its own smiting, Judah exemplifies the psychological tendency within man to scapegoat by placing the blame onto an innocent victim, Tamar. In the end, the tale of Tamar, receiving what was rightfully owed to her, demonstrates justice - that even if a scapegoat is in-fact undergoing ostracization from the powers of its community, there is in-fact divine redemption in the end. Perez ends up being an ancestor of the ultimate scapegoat, the popular Jesus. Through his bloodline descends, not only the husband of Rahab, one of the other few tales of the scarlet thread, but King David, and eventually Jesus himself.

Who was Rahab? She was a Canaanite prostitute living in Jericho who hid two spies from the Israelite army when they came to scout the city. She did this because she had heard of the mighty God of Israel and believed in His power. As a promise of protection for her and her family, the spies told Rahab to tie a scarlet thread to her window. This would serve as a visible sign to the Israelites that her house was to be spared when they attacked Jericho. So... she listens and hangs a scarlet cord from her window. This act saves her and her family when Jericho is destroyed, prefiguring salvation through faith in the blood of Christ, the atonement of Shani.

Rahab, saved by the scarlet symbol, later married into the tribe of Judah and became an ancestor of the 'Messiah.' A foreign woman of questionable reputation, a prostitute, was saved and even became part of the lineage, supposedly, of Jesus Christ.

Wearing a thin scarlet or a crimson string has become a type of talisman amongst Kabbalistic practitioners. Tying one around your wrist may help to ward off misfortune which is brought about by the "evil eye," known as ayin hara in Hebrew. It plays off the belief that a person's gaze, often fueled by envy or ill will, can cause harm or misfortune to another. Often times when you hear people talking about the evil eye, they are the "heebie jeebie" overly fearful type, and very superstitious(you work at Old Navy sister who is coming after you). They bought into the ploys of some snake-oil charlatan at a local crystal shop of some sort and walk around all paranoid, but protected, because of some little thing they bought for $20. Discovering that there was a genuine historical grounding to the concept, especially through a somewhat sophisticated system such as the Kabbala, has helped me to take this idea a little bit more seriously.

Shani (שני)

𓋹 The End 𓆙