Sefer Torah
A Torah scroll, in Hebrew Sefer Torah, is a handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning: of the Pentateuch, or the five books of Moses. It must meet extremely strict standards of production. The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of 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, the direction Jews face when praying.
The text of the Torah is also commonly printed and bound in book form for non-ritual functions. It is then known as a Chumash , and is often accompanied by commentaries or translations.
History
The charred remains of a scroll found in the Torah niche of the ancient Ein Gedi synagogue, have been dated to ca. 300 CE. The scroll was deciphered and the result shows that it contained one, two, or at the most three of the five books of Moses. The researchers 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. No other statements regarding when this rule came to be observed, can be made with any degree of certainty.Usage
from a Sefer Torah or Torah scroll is traditionally reserved for Monday and Thursday mornings, as well as for Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The presence of a quorum of ten Jewish adults 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, 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, thanking God for Him revealing the Law to the Jews, before Torah reading and all days during the first blessings of the morning prayer.
Production
Rules
According to Jewish law, a Sefer Torah is a copy of the formal Hebrew text of the Torah hand-written on special types of parchment 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."Written entirely in Hebrew, 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. According to the Talmud, all scrolls must also be written on gevil parchment that is treated with salt, flour and m'afatsim in order to be valid. Scrolls not processed in this way are considered invalid.
Parchment
There are only two types of kosher parchment allowed for a Torah scroll: gevil and klaf. The three types of specially processed animal skin or parchment that can be used are: gevil, klaf, and duchsustos, the latter two being one half of a split animal hide; arguably either the inner layer, or the outer layer. However, a Torah scroll written on duchsustos is not kosher. These are Hebrew words to describe different types of parchment, although the term duchsustos is Greek. These are used for the production of a mezuzah, megillah, tefillin, and/or a Torah scroll. A kosher Torah scroll should be written on gevil. If klaf is used in place of gevil, the Torah scroll is still kosher, but this should not be done at the outset.The use of gevil and certain types of parchment has allowed some Torah scrolls of antiquity to survive intact for over 800 years.
The calfskin or parchment on which the sacred Hebrew text is written is mounted into a wooden housing called עץ חיים etz khayim, "Tree of Life" in Hebrew.
Ink
The ink used is subject to specific rulesThe ink used in writing scrolls had to adhere to a surface that was rolled and unrolled, so special inks were developed. Even so, ink would slowly flake off of scrolls. If the ink from too many letters is lost, a Torah scroll is no longer used.
Lines and columns
After the preparation of the parchment sheet, the scribe must mark out the parchment using the sargel 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 lines of text per column. Very strict rules about the position and appearance of the Hebrew alphabet are observed. See for example the Mishnah Berurah on the subject.
Script
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.Scribal errors
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 being otherwise destroyed or discarded.Completion
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 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, and the final as it occurs in the text the Book of Deuteronomy – is that every Jewish male should write a Torah scroll in his lifetime.It is considered a tremendous merit to write 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 United States dollars to produce to ritually proper standards.''Chumash'' vis-à-vis Torah scroll
A printed version of the Torah is known colloquially as a Chumash. Although strictly speaking it is known as Chamishah Chumshei 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, rollers, casing and decorations
A completed Torah scroll is treated with great honor and respect.Torah ark
While not in use it is housed in the Torah ark, which in its turn is usually veiled by an embroidered parochet, "curtain", as it should be according to.External decorations
This ornamentation does not constitute worship of the Torah scroll, but is intended to distinguish it as sacred and holy, as the living word of God.The gold and silver ornaments belonging to the scroll are collectively known as kele kodesh, and somewhat resemble the ornaments of the High Priest of Israel.
The scroll itself will often be girded with a strip of silk 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, 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.