Sefer Torah

The Sefer Torah (in Hebrew: ספרתורה - " deliver Torah " or more exactly roller of Torah (plural: Sifrei Torah ) is a handwritten copy of the Torah (or Pentateuque), the holiest and révéré book of the Judaïsme. The conditions standards under which it is carried out extremely strict and are only delivered to professional scribes ( Sofrim ). Once realized, it is stored in the holiest place of the Synagog, the Aron Kodesh (" Sainte" arch; , in reference to the Ark of the Covenant), a generally decorated embroidered hanging cupboard, or a section directed towards Jerusalem, which is the direction towards which request the Juifs.

The text of the Torah is also frequently printed (at not-ritual ends) in the form of book (" classique" , not roller), called Houmash (" cinquième" , by allusion to Hamisha Houmshei Torah, five books of Brace), with often a translation or comments printed in margin of the text.
Although treated with reverence, the holiness of Houmashim does not reach that of Sefer Torah, true treasure for the community which has one of them.

Production of Sefer Torah

According to the Jewish Law, a sefer Torah (plur.: Sifrei Torah ) is a copy of the Hebrew text of the Five Books of Brace (Pentateuque), carried out with the hand, the feather to be more precise, on a gvil or a qlaf (forms of Parchemin, cf will infra). To write a sefer Torah is one of the commands prescribed in the Judaïsme. As well the gvil as the qlaf must be prepared according to the procedure described low.

Entirely written in Hebrew, a sefer Torah contains 304.805 letters, each one having to be scrupulously reproduced by a Sofer (scribe) achieved, the process which can last 18 months. the least error at the time of the inscription, as well qualitative as quantitative, the entirety of the sefer Torah passoul (" returns; invalide") .
Le Talmud (work compiling the whole of the Oral Law of the Judaism) learns to us:

that the soferim were called thus because they counted (lispor) the letters, with the assistance their alphanumeric value. It is besides this practice which gave rise to the Guematria.
that any roller must be written on a gvil treated with salt, flour and me afatsim (a residue of enzymes of wasps and tree trunks) in order to be valid. Any roller untreated of the kind is considered invalid (Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Tefillin 1:8 & 1:14). However, the qlaf is currently preferred (cf will infra).

Sifrei Torah modern are written with 42 lines of text by column. Very strict rules govern the position and the appearance of the letters. Several Hebraic scripts can be used, but one often grants a preference to penmanships, elegant as much as complexes.
Le Hebraic text of the Tanakh, and the Torah in particular, being regarded as saint, to the last letter, of the translations or the printed transcriptions is very little considered for the ritual use, and the manual transcription is, cf supra, the object of a particularly meticulous care. A simple letter, a simple ornament or symbol distorted among the 304.805 letters, and it book are displaced!

The Qlaf : a material worthy of Sefer Torah

Qlaf (also Klaf or K' laf , " parchemin" in Hebrew, is the word devoted to indicate a roller cachère of a Mezouzah or a sefer Torah.

Preparation of Qlaf

The parchment can be made on the especially prepared skin of any animal cachère - Chèvre, Taureau/Vache (but not Bœuf), or stag. The skin is made of three layers ( G' cheap , K' laf and doksostus ) but only the fleshy portion of the deep layer (g' cheap) or the external portion of the hairy layer (qlaf) are cachères (clean with use) for the use at holy ends. The doksostus is not it.

The method of cleaning and the preparation of the skin changed during the centuries:

at ic times Talmud, of salt water and the Orge was épandues on the skins, which were then soaked in juice d'" afatsa " (Coloquinte). Of " the engrais" of dog could also be used for this use.
nowadays, the skins are plunged in clear water during two days, after which they are soaked in calcareous water ( to check ) during nine days in order to remove the hairs. When surface became glabrous, the sofer extends it on a framework of drying out of wood and scrapes it until it is dry, and which the folds passed by again with presses. The skins are then sanded until becoming smooth and plane, ready with employment.

Cerains parchments (often of bad quality) are smeared with log , a bleaching chalky substance (sometimes, on only one side). This practice is little appreciated scribes, which point out that the log forms a barrier between ink and the parchment.

Owing to the fact that the modern methods of preparation of the parchment are prepared according to the rule of the qlaf, and are used this manner, i.e. in order to write on the fleshy side (i.e the subcutaneous fabric), and not the hairy side, any writing on the hairy side is regarded as invalid, but it always was not thus.

Prepared " for the cieux"

The parchment must be prepared " for the cieux" , i.e. with the intention to carry out a divine act) and the preparer must make state in a declaration of it, because one cannot use a qlaf intended for a use of less holiness ( kedousha kala ) as the parchments of a Mezouzah, to write the parchments of the Tefillin but Sefer Torah, which are of a more important holiness ( kedousha 'will hamoura ).
S' it must do it, the sofer must say that it prepares a parchment for Sefer Torah, but that can change if it wishes it.

If one cannot find any Jew able to prepare the skins, a not-Jew can prepare it, but these circumstances are exceptional, and the not-Jew must be supervised by a Jew, which must as declare as this preparation is " for the cieux".

After the preparation, the sofer must mark the parchment with a sarguèl (rule), by making sure that the line-guide are right. Only the higher guide is traced. The letters are aligned compared to him.

It is a Mitzvah for each Jew to write or make write Sefer Torah for him (Deut. 31:19)

History

According to the Jewish texts oldest and having the greatest authority (Mishna Sofrim (200 - 500 a. JC, gaonic work entitled Halakhot Gdolot (743 ap.JC) and the Mishneh Torah of Maïmonide), the qlaf is the major portion (nearest to the flesh) of the cut up animal skin (the gvil ). The Sofer im used in the beginning the bottom of this portion to write the phylactères. Sifrei Torah were also written on this support, in last recourse. It was the gvil which was the first choice.

The Gvil

A cheap G' (often marked " g' wil") is an animal skin which was prepared (like support of writing) to be used to write Sefer Torah or a mezouza.
Selon regulations enacted in the Judaism, old Judéens (as well as the Jews " modernes" , moreover) prepared the skins with salt water, flour and me afasim (rédisus of Guêpe). All the process followed to the letter the regulations of the Talmud, the Gueonim and the Rishonim.
Des fragments found in the vicinity and inside the caves of Qumrân close to the Dead Sea in Israel confirms the brownish use of g' cheap since at least 200 av.JC.
Maïmonide writes that the law transmitted to Moïse on the Mont the Sinai concerning the drafting of Sefer Torah, is that Sefer Torah is written on cheap g', and that rollers which would not be prepared according to the method exposed supra are not valid for the use. (Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Tefillin 1:14).

According to Talmud (Treated Baba Batra 14b), the cheap g' existed time of Brace (estimated at 1280 av.JC), since Sefer Torah which Moïse placed in the Ark of the Covenant would be written on cheap g'. In Guittin 54b, a Master reports a tradition according to which the rollers of the Torah were written on cheap g'. However, it is used currently more only by one handle of Soferim, although, according to the center of cheap G' based with Jerusalem, only the cheap g' makes it possible not to maintain any doubt about the use of the parchments.

The cheap use of g', as well as certain types of parchment, allowed some sifrei Torah to remain intact during more than 800 years.

External ornamentations

Sefer Torah supplemented will be often " revêtu" decorative plates richly as much as finely engraved, of and, occasionally of this, a protective velvet forged silver a crown in order to mark Sefer Torah like saint, alive word of alive God.

Use of Sefer Torah

The Lecture of the Torah starting from a sefer Torah is usually reserved for the Shabbat, like with shorter readings Monday and Thursday morning and in others festive occasions.

During the Cantillation, the reading of the text is facilitated by a Yad (" main"), a pointer digitiforme out of metal or wood, which protects the roller by avoiding any contact nonnecessary from the parchment with the skin (which, as clean as it is, is often filled of grease and sweat).

The gift of new a sefer Torah with the synagog is often the occasion of a merry festival with songs, dances and prayers. This use goes up with the First Temple, towards 1000 av.JC. : the Bible tells that the priests, and even kings like David " danced in front of Arche" or " in front of Seigneur" , which means that they danced, celebrated and requested (often in Exstase) in front of the Ark of the Covenant where the word of God was.

It is currently not rare that advanced students or Wise (in the Hebrew one, even the largest scientist of the Juif world is never " que" the pupil of Wise, Brace having been the first of them, itself raises of God) becomes soferim , and receives wages to write Sefer Torah under contract, at the request of the community or of private individuals in order to mark a special occasion or a commemoration. This work is heavy, and is often gratifié of generous wages.

Sources

Fragments found in the neighborhoods and in the caves of Qumrân (200 av. JC.)
Halakhot Gdolot : a work gaonic written towards 743.
Talmud (of Babylon) Sofrim (Qatan), Baba Batra 14b, Guittin 54b (200 a. JC.)
Mishneh Torah leha Rambam (1100-1200): Hilkhot Tefilin (Laws on Tefillin), 1st chapter.

See too

Mezouzah
Reading of the Torah
Parasha (sections of the Torah read according to a weekly rate/rhythm)
five Meguilot
Tikkoun (delivers): deliver used in order to prepare the reading of the Torah in Sefer Torah (not cantilé, not vocalized, nonpunctuated) with the synagog.

External bonds

Gevil Torah Institute off Jerusalem
Sefer Torah Center

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