A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue ">Decalogue.html" ;"title="Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue">Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg">Torah cases at Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India ">India.html" ;"title="Mumbai, India">Mumbai, India A Torah scroll (, , lit. "Book of Torah"; plural: ) is a handwritten copy of the Torah">manuscript">handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses">Torah.html" ;"title="manuscript">handwritten copy of the Torah">manuscript">handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses (the first books of the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Torah reading during Jewish prayers. At other times, it is stored in the holiest spot within a synagogue, the Torah ark, which is usually an ornate curtained-off cabinet or section of the synagogue built along the wall that most closely faces

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, the direction Jews face when praying. The text of the Torah is also commonly printed and bound in book form for non-ritual functions, called a (plural ; "five-part", for the five books of Moses), and is often accompanied by commentaries or translations.

History

Findings from

Qumran Qumran (; ; ') is an archaeological site in the West Bank managed by Israel's Qumran National Park. It is located on a dry marl plateau about from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, about south of the historic city of Jericho, and adjac ...

, Masada, and the Bar Kokhba refuge caves indicate that biblical scrolls were abundant and widely circulated in late Second Temple Judaea.

Single-scroll Pentateuch

The researchers working on the En-Gedi Scroll have concluded that by the fourth century CE, there was no halakhic rule yet prescribing that scrolls used for liturgical purposes must contain the entire Pentateuch. As of 2018, no other statements regarding when this rule came into being could be made with any degree of certainty. It must be noted that, while the physically determined date for the scroll points to the 3rd or 4th centuries, its text has been palaeographically dated by Ada Yardeni to the first century CE or the early second at the latest, a discrepancy not uncommon in this field, which could push back in time the entire discussion. Yardeni, Ada. "Appendix: Palaeographic Description". In Michael Segal,

Emanuel Tov Emanuel Tov (; born Menno Toff, 15 September 1941) is a Dutch–Israeli biblical scholar and linguist, emeritus J. L. Magnes Professor of Bible Studies in the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has been intimately invo ...

, William Brent Seales, Clifford Seth Parker, Pnina Shor, Yosef Porath
"An Early Leviticus Scroll from En Gedi: Preliminary Publication"
(PDF). ''Textus'' 26 (2016). Accessed 10 March 2024

En-Gedi Scroll

The En-Gedi Scroll is a Hebrew parchment radiocarbon-dated to the 3rd or 4th century CE (88.9% certainty for 210–390 CE), although paleographical considerations suggest that it may date back to the 1st or early 2nd century CE. The charred scroll, found ''in situ'' in the synagogue's Torah niche, was discovered to contain a portion of Leviticus, making it the earliest copy of a Pentateuchal book ever found in a Holy Ark. The deciphered text fragment is identical to what was to become during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

the standard text of the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Masoretic Text, which it precedes by several centuries; it thus constitutes the earliest evidence of this authoritative text version. The scroll is badly charred and fragmented and required noninvasive scientific techniques to virtually unwrap and read.

Usage

Torah reading from a Torah scroll or ''Sefer Torah'' is traditionally reserved for Monday and Thursday mornings, as well as for

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

, fast days, and Jewish holidays. The presence of a quorum of ten Jewish adults ('' minyan'') is required for the reading of the Torah to be held in public during the course of the worship services. As the Torah is sung, following the often dense text is aided by a '' yad'' ("hand"), a metal or wooden hand-shaped pointer that protects the scrolls by avoiding unnecessary contact of the skin with the parchment. All Jewish prayers start with a blessing ('' berakhah''), thanking God for revealing the Law to the Jews ('' Matan Torah''), before Torah reading and all days during the first blessings of the morning prayer (''

Shacharit ''Shacharit'' ( ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning '' tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers. Different traditions identify different primary components of ''Shacharit''. E ...

'').

Production

Yemenite_Sefer_Torah_on_Givil_200_years_old

According to

halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...

(Jewish law), a Torah scroll is a copy of the Hebrew text of the Torah handwritten on special types of

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...

by using a quill or another permitted writing utensil, dipped in ink. Producing a Torah scroll fulfills one of the 613 commandments."The k'laf/parchment on which the Torah scroll is written, the hair or sinew with which the panels of parchment are sewn together, and the quill pen with which the text is written all must come from ritually clean —that is, kosher— animals."''Essential Torah: A Complete Guide to the Five Books of Moses'' by George Robinson. (Schocken, 2006) . pp.10–11 Written entirely in

Biblical Hebrew Biblical Hebrew ( or ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite languages, Canaanitic branch of the Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Isra ...

, a Torah scroll contains 304,805 letters, all of which must be duplicated precisely by a trained scribe, or '' sofer'', an effort which may take as long as approximately one and a half years. An error during transcription may render the Torah scroll ''pasul'' ("invalid").

Parchment and ink

According to the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

, all scrolls must be written on '' gevil'' parchment that is treated with salt, flour and ''m'afatsim'' (a residue of wasp enzyme and tree bark) in order to be valid. Scrolls not processed in this way are considered invalid. There are only two types of kosher

allowed for a Torah scroll: '' gevil'' and '' klaf''. Scroll ink materials

The ink used is subject to specific rules.Mishnat Soferim The forms of the letters
translated by Jen Taylor Friedman (geniza.net) The ink needs to adhere to a surface that flexes and bends as the scroll is rolled and unrolled, so special inks were developed. Even so, ink slowly flakes off with time and use; if ink from too many letters wears away, a Torah scroll is rendered ''pasul'' ("invalid") and can no longer be used.

Scribal work

After the preparation of the parchment sheet, the scribe must mark out the parchment using the ''sargel'' ("ruler") ensuring the guidelines are straight. Only the top guide is done and the letters suspended from it. Most modern Torah scrolls are written with forty-two (42) lines of text per column (

Yemenite Jews Yemenite Jews, also known as Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ; ), are a Jewish diaspora group who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. After several waves of antisemitism, persecution, the vast majority ...

use fifty-one (51)). Very strict rules about the position and appearance of the

Hebrew alphabet The Hebrew alphabet (, ), known variously by scholars as the Ktav Ashuri, Jewish script, square script and block script, is a unicase, unicameral abjad script used in the writing of the Hebrew language and other Jewish languages, most notably ...

are observed. Any of several Hebrew scripts may be used, most of which are fairly ornate and exacting. The fidelity of the Hebrew text of the

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. ''

names of God There are various names of God, many of which enumerate the various Quality (philosophy), qualities of a Supreme Being. The English word ''God (word), god'' (and its equivalent in other languages) is used by multiple religions as a noun to ref ...

the mistaken letter may be obliterated from the scroll by scraping the letter off the scroll with a sharp object. If the name of God is written in error, the entire page must be cut from the scroll and a new page added, and the page written anew from the beginning. The new page is sewn into the scroll to maintain continuity of the document. The old page is treated with appropriate respect, and is buried with respect rather than being otherwise destroyed or discarded. The completion of the Torah scroll is a cause for great celebration, and honoured guests of the individual who commissioned the Torah are invited to a celebration wherein each of the honored guests is given the opportunity to write one of the final letters. It is a great honour to be chosen for this.

Commandment to write a scroll

It is a religious duty or ''

mitzvah In its primary meaning, the Hebrew language, Hebrew word (; , ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment Divine law, from God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of disc ...

'' for every Jewish male to either write or have written for him a Torah scroll. Of the 613 commandments, one – the 82nd as enumerated by

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...

, and the final as it occurs in the text the

Book of Deuteronomy Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...

() – is that every Jewish male should write a Torah scroll in his lifetime. This is law number 613 of 613 in the list of Laws of the Torah as recorded by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin in his book "Biblical Literacy", 1st edition, New York: Morrow 1997, p. 592: "The commandment that each Jew should write a Torah scroll during his lifetime." It is considered a tremendous merit to write (or commission the writing of) a Torah scroll, and a significant honour to have a Torah scroll written in one's honour or memory.

Professional scribes (''soferim'')

In modern times, it is usual for some scholars to become '' soferim'' and to be paid to complete a Torah scroll under contract on behalf of a community or by individuals to mark a special occasion or commemoration. Because of the work involved, these can cost tens of thousands of US dollars to produce to ritually proper standards.

Printed Torah (''Chumash'')

A printed version of the Torah is known colloquially as a Chumash (plural ''Chumashim''). Although strictly speaking it is known as Chamishah Chumshei Torah (Five "Fifths" of Torah). They are treated as respected texts, but not anywhere near the level of sacredness accorded a Torah scroll, which is often a major possession of a Jewish community. A ''chumash'' contains the Torah and other writings, usually organised for liturgical use, and sometimes accompanied by some of the main classic commentaries.

Torah ark

While not in use, a Torah scroll (''Sefer Torah'') is housed in the Torah ark (''Aron Kodesh'' or ''Hekhal''), which in its turn is usually veiled by an embroidered parochet (curtain), as it should be according to .

Torah decorations

The gold and silver ornaments belonging to the scroll are collectively known as ''kele kodesh'' (sacred vessels). The scroll itself will often be girded with a strip of silk (see

wimpel A wimpel (, from German language, German, "cloth," derived from Old German, ''bewimfen,'' meaning "to cover up" or "conceal") is a long, linen sash used as a binding for the Sefer Torah by Jews of Ashkenazi Jews, Germanic origin. It is made f ...

) and "robed" with a piece of protective fine fabric, called the "Mantle of the Law". It is decorated with an ornamental priestly breastplate, scroll-handles (''‘etz ḥayyim''), and the principal ornament—the "Crown of the Law", which is made to fit over the upper ends of the rollers when the scroll is closed. Some scrolls have two crowns, one for each upper end. The metalwork is often made of beaten silver, sometimes gilded. The scroll-handles, breastplate and crown often have little bells attached to them. The housing has two rollers, each of which has two handles used for scrolling the text, four handles in all. Between the handles and the rollers are round plates or disks which are carved with images of holy places, engraved with dedications to the donor's parents or other loved ones, and decorated with gold or silver.

Mizrachi and Romaniote traditions

In the Mizrachi and Romaniote traditions, the Torah scroll is generally not robed in a mantle, but rather housed in an ornamental wooden case which protects the scroll, called a "tik", plural ''tikim''. Some Sephardic communities — those communities associated with the Spanish diaspora, such as Moroccan Jews, the

Spanish and Portuguese Jews Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardic Jews who are largely descended from Jews who lived as New Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the fe ...

(with the exception of the Hamburg tradition), and the Judaeo-Spanish communities of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

— also use ''tikim,'' though this is not always the case.

Inauguration

PikiWiki Israel 10909 Architecture of Israel

The installation of a new Torah scroll into a synagogue, or into the sanctuary or study hall ('' beth midrash'') of a religious school (''

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

''), rabbinical college, university campus, nursing home, military base, or other institution, is done in a ceremony known as ''hachnosas sefer Torah'', or "ushering in a Torah scroll"; this is accompanied by celebratory dancing, singing, and a festive meal.

Biblical roots

This practice has its source in the escorting of the

Ark of the Covenant The Ark of the Covenant, also known as the Ark of the Testimony or the Ark of God, was a religious storage chest and relic held to be the most sacred object by the Israelites. Religious tradition describes it as a wooden storage chest decorat ...

, led by King

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

. As described in the

Books of Samuel The Book of Samuel () is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Book of Joshua, Joshua, Book of Judges, Judges, Samuel, and Books of ...

, this event was marked by dancing and the playing of musical instruments (). Both the priests or '' kohanim'' and David himself "danced before the Ark" or "danced before the Lord".

Handling the scroll

Special prayers are recited when the Torah scroll is removed from the ark and the text is chanted, rather than spoken, in a special melodic manner (see Cantillation and Nigun). Whenever the scroll is opened to be read it is laid on a piece of cloth called the ''mappah''. When the Torah scroll is carried through the synagogue, the members of the congregation may touch the edge of their prayer shawl ('' tallit'') to the Torah scroll and then kiss the shawl as a sign of respect. As it is important to guard the sanctity of a Torah, dropping it, or allowing it to fall, is regarded as a desecration.

References

External links

Three complete kosher Torah scrolls for study online (Congregation Beth Emeth of Northern Virginia)

Computer-generated Torah scroll for study online with translation, transliteration and chanting (WordORT)

Scroll of the Law
article from the '' Jewish Encyclopedia''
Examples of ancient Torah Scrolls

≈800-year-old Torah(pictures)

Examples of Torah Covers Torah Mantles
{{Authority control Hebrew calligraphy Hebrew Bible words and phrases Hebrew words and phrases Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law Jewish prayer and ritual texts Jewish ritual objects Leather in Judaism