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The Torah

In my Hebrew class a few weeks ago we had the good fortune to experience a guest lecture from a visiting rabbi. He brought with him a Torah scroll. The Torah is the Hebrew word for the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or the Christian Old Testament. It literally means "instruction," as it contains all of the Mosaic law. This particular scroll was nearly 100 years old and had somehow managed to survive the Holocaust. You can't tell from the picture below, but the scroll comprises hundreds of individual sheets of calf skin joined together. Each sheet contains meticulously copied, handwritten scripture. Once a single letter fades and is no longer legible, the entire scroll, not just the particular sheet, is removed from the synagogue and buried.

The highlight of the lecture was when the rabbi unfurled the scroll, slowly unwinding it around the entire circumference of the classroom. The length of the scroll was such that he had to continually enlist students to hold it. If you look closely, you'll note that no one is touching the scroll with their skin. That's not simply to prevent the oil from our skin from staining the calf skin, but in reverence for the sacredness of the text.


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