What are facts about Torah scrolls?

Answer 1

According to Jewish law, a sefer Torah (plural: Sifrei Torah) is a copy of the formal Hebrew text of the Five Books of Moses hand-written on gevil or qlaf (forms of parchment) by using a quill (or other permitted writing utensil) dipped in ink. Producing a sefer Torah fulfills one of the 613 mitzvot (Judaism's 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."

Written entirely in Hebrew, a sefer Torah contains 304,805 letters, all of which must be duplicated precisely by a trained sofer ("scribe"), an effort which may take as long as approximately one and a half years. An error during transcription may render the sefer Torah pasul ("invalid"). According to the Talmud (the oral law of the Jewish People), all scrolls must also be written on gevil parchment that is treated with salt, flour and m'afatsim (a residual of wasp enzyme and tree bark) in order to be valid. Scrolls not processed in this way are considered invalid (Hilkoth Tefillin 1:8 & 1:14, Maimonides). In addition, the Talmud (in tractate Bava Batra 14b & Gitten 54b) states that Moses used gevil for the Torah scroll he placed into the Holy Ark.

Most modern Sifrei Torah are written with forty-two lines of text per column (Yemenite Jews use fifty). Very strict rules about the position and appearance of the Hebrew letters are observed. See for example the Mishna Berura on the subject. 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, and the Torah in particular, is considered paramount, down to the last letter: translations or transcriptions are frowned upon for formal service use, and transcribing is done with painstaking care.

Naturally, one wonders how a document with so many letters can be produced with no errors; of course, some errors are inevitable in the course of production. If the error involves a word other than the name of God, 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 otherwise destroyed or discarded.

Answer 2

1. Torah-scrolls must be written by a specially trained pious and knowledgeable scribe called a sofer.
2. The scroll is written on parchment by hand, in Hebrew calligraphy with precise shapes for the letters. This takes about six months to a year.
3. The ink is prepared in a traditional manner; and inexactly-written letters must be rewritten before the scroll may be read from.
4. The scroll is kept wrapped in an embroidered cloth cover in a special ark in the synagogue.
5. The Torah is read from as part of the public prayers several times a week, in a cycle over the course of each year.
6. During the Torah-reading, a traditional chant (cantillation) is used to sing the words, and the place in the text is pointed to with a yad (a silver pointer).

Tradition states that God taught the early portions of the Torah to Moses orally, on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:12), without writing it. Later, at God's command and precise dictation (Deuteronomy 1:3), Moses penned the entire Torah (Deuteronomy 31:24) immediately before his death, so that it included events that had happened in the preceding months (such as Numbers ch.20).

That is how our Torah came to be.

Answer 3

The Torah is the Five Books of Moses and the Holy Book in Judaism. The most famous biblical stories come from the Torah. The stories of Jonah and the Big Fish, Noah and the Flood, Adam and Eve, Moses Freeing the Israelite Slaves.

Answer 4

1. Torah-scrolls must be written by a specially trained pious and knowledgeable scribe called a sofer.
2. The scroll is written on parchment by hand, in Hebrew calligraphy with precise shapes for the letters. This takes about six months to a year.
3. The ink is prepared in a traditional manner; and inexactly-written letters must be rewritten before the scroll may be read from.
4. The scroll is kept wrapped in an embroidered cloth cover in a special ark in the synagogue.
5. The Torah is read from as part of the public prayers several times a week, in a cycle over the course of each year.
6. During the Torah-reading, a traditional chant (cantillation) is used to sing the words, and the place in the text is pointed to with a yad (a silver pointer).

Answer 5

The Torah scroll contains the text of the five books of the Torah, written in Hebrew

with no pictures, drawings, decorations, vowels, musical notations, titles, puntuation,

book, chapter, or verse markings. Nothing but the text. You can read a rough

translation of it in the first five books of the "old testament".

Answer 6

The Torah scroll represents and contains the covenant between the Israelites and God (Exodus 34:27). The rest of its verses relate the origins of the Israelites and the laws which they are to obey.

Answer 7

1. The Torah-scroll is the holiest book in Judaism. It contains the five books of Moses.
   
2. According to our tradition, the first Torah-scroll was written by Moses (Deuteronomy 31:24) at the dictation of God (Exodus 24:12), in 1272 BCE.
   
3. There are 304,805 Hebrew letters in a Torah-scroll, contained in 5,845 verses.
   
4. The Torah-scroll must be written by a specially trained pious and knowledgeable scribe called a sofer.
   
5. The scroll is written on parchment by hand, in Hebrew calligraphy with precise shapes for the letters. This takes about six months to a year.
   
6. The ink is prepared in a traditional manner; and inexactly-written letters must be rewritten before the scroll may be read from.
   
7. The scroll is kept wrapped in an embroidered cloth cover in a special ark in the synagogue.
   
8. When the scroll is carried in the synagogue, many of the congregants accompany the person carrying it, as a sign of respect, and kiss the covered scroll.
   
9. Because of the holiness of the scroll, we don't touch the parchment itself (Talmud, Megillah 32a).
   
10. The Torah is read from as part of the public prayers several times a week, in a cycle over the course of each year.
    
11. During the Torah-reading, a traditional chant (cantillation) is used to sing the words, and the place in the text is pointed to with a yad (a silver pointer).
    
12. When the cycle of reading the Torah ends and starts anew on the festival of Simchat Torah, it is taken out of the ark and the congregants dance with it.
    
13. The earliest complete Torah scroll in existence today is close to nine centuries old.
    
14. No Hebrew copy of the Torah has ever been found to be different than the text we possess today, called the Masoretic (traditional) text.
    
15. The Torah increases our reverence towards God; crystallizes, strengthens and codifies our beliefs; insures our awareness and knowledge of our history; and provides powerful impetus to be ethical. It makes us stand in awe of God, while also providing optimism and comfort through the prophecies of redemption. It inspires us to strive for holiness and informs us how to pray and to approach God's presence. It gives us a great deal of general information, guidance and advice; and it sets detailed laws, practices and traditions for us.
    
16. The Torah-scroll serves as a testimony to the Israelite covenant with God.
    

See also the Related Links.
Link: Facts about the Hebrew Bible

Link: Refuting the Bible-critics

Link: How was the Torah written?

Answer 8

Torah-scrolls must be written by a specially trained pious andknowledgeable scribe called a sofer.The scroll is written on parchment by hand, in Hebrewcalligraphy with precise shapes for the letters. This takes aboutsix months to a year.The ink is prepared in a traditional manner; andinexactly-written letters must be rewritten before the scroll maybe read from.The scroll is kept wrapped in an embroidered cloth cover in aspecial ark in the synagogue.The Torah is read from as part of the public prayers severaltimes a week, in a cycle over the course of each year.During the Torah-reading, a traditional chant (cantillation) isused to sing the words, and the place in the text is pointed towith a yad (a silver pointer).Tradition states that God taught the early portions of the Torah toMoses orally, on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:12), without writing it.Later, at God's command and precise dictation (Deuteronomy 1:3),Moses penned the entire Torah (Deuteronomy 31:24) immediatelybefore his death, so that it included events that had happened inthe preceding months (such as Numbers ch.20).That is how our Torah came to be.

Answer 9

The Torah scroll is the 5 books of Moses, which are the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. It is handwritten in Hebrew on parchment, and read inside the synagogue every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, and on various other Jewish occasions.

Answer 10

1. The Torah-scroll is the holiest book in Judaism. It contains the five books of Moses.
   
2. According to our tradition, the first Torah-scroll was written by Moses (Deuteronomy 31:24) at the dictation of God (Exodus 24:12), in 1272 BCE.
   
3. There are 304,805 Hebrew letters in a Torah-scroll, contained in 5,845 verses.
   
4. The Torah-scroll must be written by a specially trained pious and knowledgeable scribe called a sofer.
   
5. The scroll is written on parchment by hand, in Hebrew calligraphy with precise shapes for the letters. This takes about six months to a year.
   
6. The ink is prepared in a traditional manner; and inexactly-written letters must be rewritten before the scroll may be read from.
   
7. The scroll is kept wrapped in an embroidered cloth cover in a special ark in the synagogue.
   
8. When the scroll is carried in the synagogue, many of the congregants accompany the person carrying it, as a sign of respect, and kiss the scroll.
   
9. The Torah is read from as part of the public prayers several times a week, in a cycle over the course of each year.
   
10. During the Torah-reading, a traditional chant (cantillation) is used to sing the words, and the place in the text is pointed to with a yad (a silver pointer).
    
11. When the cycle of reading the Torah ends and starts anew on the festival of Simchat Torah, it is taken out of the ark and the congregants dance with it.
    
12. The earliest complete Torah scroll in existence today is close to nine centuries old.
    
13. No Hebrew copy of the Torah has ever been found to be different than the text we possess today, called the Masoretic (traditional) text.
    
14. The Torah increases our reverence towards God; crystallizes, strengthens and codifies our beliefs; insures our awareness and knowledge of our history; and provides powerful impetus to be ethical. It makes us stand in awe of God, while also providing optimism and comfort through the prophecies of redemption. It inspires us to strive for holiness and informs us how to pray and to approach God's presence. It gives us a great deal of general information, guidance and advice; and it sets detailed laws, practices and traditions for us.
    
15. The Torah-scroll serves as a testimony to the Israelite covenant with God.
    

See also the Related Links.
Link: Facts about the Hebrew Bible

Link: Refuting the Bible-critics

Link: How was the Torah written?