Sefer Torah

According to Jewish law (halakha), a Sefer Torah is a copy of the formal Hebrew text of the Torah hand-written on special types of parchment (see below) 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."[3]

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 ("invalid"). According to the Talmud, all scrolls must also be written on gevil parchment that is treated with salt, flour and m'afatsim (a residue of wasp enzyme and tree bark)[4] in order to be valid. Scrolls not processed in this way are considered invalid (Hilkoth Tefillin 1:8 & 1:14, Maimonides).

A 200-year-old Yemenite Torah scroll, on gevil, from the Rambam Synagogue in Nahalat Ahim, Jerusalem. The sofer (scribe) was from the Sharabi family.

There are only two types of kosher parchment allowed for a Torah scroll: gevil and klaf (see also above under "Rules").[3] The three types of specially processed animal skin or parchment that can be used are: gevil (a full, un-split animal hide), klaf (also qlaf or k'laf), and duchsustos, the latter two being one half of a split animal hide; arguably either the inner layer (adjacent to the flesh), or the outer layer (on which the hair grows). 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 (religious text affixed to the doorpost), megillah (one of five texts from biblical "Writings"), tefillin (phylacteries), and/or a Torah scroll (sefer Torah). 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 (l'chatchila).

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.

Ingredients used in making ink for Hebrew scrolls today.

The ink used is subject to specific rules (see also above under "Rules") The 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.

After the preparation of the parchment sheet, the scribe must mark out the parchment using the sargel ("ruler") 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 (Yemenite Jews use fifty one). Very strict rules about the position and appearance of the Hebrew alphabet are observed. See for example the Mishnah Berurah on the subject.[5]

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.

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.

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.

While not in use it is housed in the Torah ark (Aron Kodesh or Hekhal), which in its turn is usually veiled by an embroidered parochet, "curtain", as it should be according to Exodus 26:31–34.

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 (sacred vessels), and somewhat resemble the ornaments of the High Priest of Israel (Kohen gadol).

The scroll itself will often be girded with a strip of silk (see wimpel) 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 (‘etz ḥayyim), 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 (cf. rimmonim).

Traditional Oriental Torah cases

In the Mizrachi and Romaniote traditions, the Torah scroll is generally not robed in a mantle, but rather housed in an ornamental wooden case which protects the scroll, called a "tik", plural tikim. On the other hand, most Sephardic communities — those communities associated with the Spanish diaspora, such as Moroccan Jews, the Spanish and Portuguese Jews (with the exception of the Hamburg tradition[6]), and the Judaeo-Spanish communities of the Ottoman Empire — do not use tikim, but rather vestidos (mantles).

The housing has two rollers, each of which has two handles used for scrolling the text, four handles in all. Between the handles and the rollers are round plates or disks which are carved with images of holy places, engraved with dedications to the donor's parents or other loved ones, and decorated with gold or silver.

A yad, or pointer, may also be hung from the scroll, since the Torah itself should never be touched with the bare finger.

This practice has its source in the escorting of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, led by King David. As described in the Books of Samuel, this event was marked by dancing and the playing of musical instruments (II Samuel 6:14–15). Both the priests or kohanim and David himself "danced before the Ark" or "danced before the Lord".[7][8]