Sefer Torah
The Sefer Torah (in Hebrew : - "Book Production of a Sefer Torah
According to Jewish law, a Sefer Torah (plural: Sifrei Torah) is a copy of the Hebrew text of the Five Books of Moses ( Pentateuch ), hand made, that is to say to the pen, or a gvil a qlaf (forms of parchment , cf. below). Write a Sefer Torah is one of the commandments prescribed in Judaism. Both the gvil qlaf must be prepared using the procedure described below.
Written entirely in Hebrew , a Sefer Torah contains 304,805 letters, each to be scrupulously reproduced by a sofer (scribe completed), the process could take 18 months. The slightest error during registration, both qualitative and quantitative, making the entire Sefer Torah passoul (invalid).
The Talmud , a book compiling all of the Oral Law of Judaism, tells us:
- soferim that were so named because they "had" (lispor) letters with their numeric value. It is this practice that gave rise to the gematria
- that any roll must be written on a gvil treated with salt, flour and m'afatsim (a residue of wasp enzymes and trunks of trees) to be valid. Any roll untreated so is considered invalid ( Mishneh Torah , Tefillin Hilkhot 1:8 & 1:14). Yet qlaf is currently preferred.
The modern Sifrei Torah are written with 42 lines of text per column. Strict rules governing the position and appearance of letters. Several Hebrew script can be used but are often given preference in calligraphy, as elegant and complex.
The text of the Hebrew Tanakh and the Torah in particular, is considered holy to the last letter, translations or printed transcripts are hardly considered for ritual use, and manual transcription is the subject of a particularly careful scrutiny. A single letter, "a mere ornament or symbol" distorted among the 304,805 letters, and the book is decommissioned.
The Qlaf: an equipment worthy of a Sefer Torah
Qlaf (also Klafs K'laf or "parchment" in Hebrew), the word is devoted to describe a roll kosher for a mezuzah or a Sefer Torah.
Preparation Qlaf
The parchment can be done on specially prepared skin of any animal Kosher - goat , bull / cow (but not beef ), or deer. The skin is made of three layers (g'vil, and k'laf doksostus) but only the fleshy portion of the deep layer (g'vil) or the outer portion of the hairy layer (qlaf) are kosher (fit for use) for use in holy. The doksostus is not.
The method of cleaning and preparing the skin have changed over the centuries:
- time to Talmudic , salt water and the barley were applied to the skins, which were then soaked in juice afatsa ( gourd ). Of "fertilizer" dog could also serve this purpose.
- Today, the skins are soaked in water for two days, after which they are soaked in lime water (check) for nine days to remove hairs. When the surface became smooth, the sofer's extends over a drying frame and wooden scraper until it is dry, and wrinkles are ironed with presses. The skins are then sanded until it becomes smooth and flat, ready for use.
Cerain parchments (often of poor quality) are smeared with the log, a chalky substance whitening (sometimes on one side). This practice is not popular with the scribes, who point out that the log forms a barrier between the ink and parchment.
Because modern methods of preparation of the parchment are prepared according to the rule of qlaf and used in this way, that is to say to write on the fleshy side (the subcutaneous tissue), not the hairy side, any writing on the hairy side is considered invalid, but it has not always been so.
Prepared "for heaven"
The parchment must be prepared "to heaven", that is to say with the intention of making a divine act , the preparer and shall be disclosed in a statement, because you can not use a qlaf for use of lesser holiness (kedousha kala) as the scrolls of a mezuzah , the parchment to write tefillin or a Sefer Torah, which are of greater holiness (kedousha 'hamour).
Whether to do so, the sofer must say he is preparing a parchment to a Sefer Torah, but that may change if desired.
If we can find no Jew can prepare the skins, a non-Jew can be prepared, but these are exceptional circumstances, and the non-Jew must be supervised by a Jew, who must also declare that this preparation is " to heaven. "
After preparation, the sofer must mark the parchment with a sargul (R), ensuring that the guide-lines are straight. Only the top guide is drawn. The letters are aligned against him.
"It's a mitzvah for every Jew to write or to write a Sefer Torah to him. "(Deut. 31:19).
History
According to the oldest Jewish texts and having the greatest authority ( Mishna Sofrim ( 200 - 500 AD., the work gaonique entitled Halachot Gdolot ( 743 AD.) and the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides ), the qlaf is the deep portion (closest to the flesh) of the butchered animal skin (the gvil). The Soferim originally used the bottom of this portion to write the scrolls. Sifrei The Torah was also written on that medium, as a last resort. gvil was the was the first choice.
The Gvil
A G'vil (often pronounced "g'wil") is an animal skin that has been prepared (as writing material) to be used to write a Sefer Torah or mezuzah.
According to the conditions set forth in Judaism, the ancient Judeans (as well as the Jews 'modern') prepared the skins with salt water, flour and m'afasim (rdisus of wasp ). The entire process followed to the letter the requirements of the Talmud , the Geonim and Rishonim.
Fragments found near and inside the caves of Qumran near the Dead Sea in Israel confirms use of brownish g'vil since at least 200 BC. AD
Maimonides wrote that the law passed to Moses on Mount Sinai for writing a Sefer Torah, is that the Sefer Torah is written on g'vil, and scrolls that are not prepared by the method described above are not valid for use. ( Mishneh Torah , Tefillin Hilkhot 1:14).
According to the Talmud (Treaties Baba Batra 14b), the g'vil was the time of Moses (estimated at 1280 BC.), as the Sefer Torah that Moses placed in the Ark of the Covenant would be written on of g'vil. In Gittin 54b, a teacher reports a tradition that the Torah scrolls were written on g'vil. However, it is currently used by more than a handful of Soferim, although according to the center of G'vil based in Jerusalem , only allows g'vil beyond a reasonable doubt on the use of scrolls.
The use of g'vil, and certain types of parchment, has allowed some Sifrei Torah to remain intact for over 800 years.
External Ornamentation
A Sefer Torah is completed often "clothed" richly ornamental plates and finely chopped, a velvet protector, and occasionally a silver crown wrought in order to mark the Sefer Torah as holy, living word of living God.
Using a Sefer Torah
The Torah reading from a Sefer Torah is usually reserved for the Sabbath , as well as shorter readings on Mondays and Thursday mornings and at other festive occasions.
During the cantillation , reading the text is facilitated by a yad (hand), a finger-pointer, metal or wood, which protects the roll by avoiding unnecessary contact with the skin of parchment (which, as clean as it is , is often filled with grease and sweat).
The gift of a new Sefer Torah to the synagogue is often the occasion for a joyous celebration with songs, dances and prayers. The practice dates back to the First Temple , circa 1000 BC. AD: The Bible says that the priests, and even kings like David "danced before the Ark" or "before the Lord," which means they danced, celebrated and prayed (often exstase ) before the Ark of the Covenant which was the word of God.
It is currently not uncommon for advanced students or the Wise (in Hebrew , even the greatest scientist of the Jewish world is never "just" a student of Wise, Moses was the first of them, it a student of God) become soferim, and receive a salary to write a Sefer Torah under contract, at the request of the community or individuals to mark a special occasion or celebration. This work is heavy, and is often rewarded with a generous salary.
Sources
- Fragments found in and around the caves of Qumran (200 BC.)
- Halachot Gdolot: gaonique a book written around 743.
- Talmud (Babylonian) Sofrim (Qatan), Baba Batra 14b, Gittin 54b (200 AD.)
- Leha Mishneh Torah Rambam (1100-1200): Hilkhot Tefilin (Acts Tefillin), 1 st chapter.
See also
- Mezuzah
- Torah
- Parasha (sections of the Torah read on a weekly basis)
- The five Megillot
- Tikkun (book) : book used to prepare the reading of the Torah in Sefer Torah (not Cantil not vocalized, not punctuated) to the synagogue.
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