The Torah Scroll

How is the Torah scroll made? How is the Torah revered?

Torah means “teachings” and refers to the five books of Moses- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

·         The Torah scroll is made from sheets of parchment, which is made from the skin of a Kosher animal.

·         It is written by hand in Hebrew by a professional scribe, called a sofer.  Hebrew is read right to left

·         The sofer takes at least one year to write out Torah

·         He is not allowed to write from memory. He must copy from a book of Torah, and keep cheeking for mistakes. Letters must not be smudged or touching another letter.

·         If the sofer makes a mistake, he scrapes off the letters using a glass tool.

·         The most sacred word that he writes is the Hebrew word of God. He cannot correct this – he must start the whole sheet of parchment again. The sheet with the error on it is buried in a Jewish cemetery.

·         Each sheet is sewn together and wound around the wooden rollers.

·         It has a velvet cover called a mantle

·         A silver breastplate is hung on the front of it, like the one worn by the high Priests in Biblical times. This is decorated with Jewish symbols.

·         Bells are attached so people hear it being carried around the synagogue.

·         There is also a silver pointer called a yad.

·         The yad is used to preserve the scrolls.

·         When the Torah is not being used, it is kept in a special cupboard at the front of the synagogue, called an Ark.

·         This reminds Jews of the Ark of the Covenant in which Moses and his people carried the ten Commandments.