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There
are 304,805 letters
in a Sefer Torah
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27,057
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א
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7,187
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ח
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10,623
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ם
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2,925
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צ
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17,344
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ב
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1,802
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ט
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9,854
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נ
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1,057
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ץ
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2,109
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ג
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31,530
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י
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4,287
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ן
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4,694
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ק
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7,032
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ד
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8,610
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כ
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1,833
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ס
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18,125
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ר
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28,052
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ה
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3,330
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ך
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11,247
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ע
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15,596
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ש
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30,513
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ו
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21,570
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ל
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3,975
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פ
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17,949
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ת
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2,198
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ז
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14,472
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מ
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834
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ף
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304,805
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TOTAL
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Bereshis
(Genesis)
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78,064
letters
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Shmos
(Exodus)
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63,529
letters
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Vayikra
(Leviticus)
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44,790
letters
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Bamidbar
(Numbers)
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63,530
letters
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Devarim
(Deuteronomy)
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54,892
letters
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Each book is divided into pesukim/sentences: |
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Bereshis
- 1,534
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Shmos
- 1,209
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Vayikra
- 858
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Bamidbar
- 1,288
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Devarim
- 955
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The
Torah is divided into 245 columns.
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Bereshis
- 60
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Shmos
- 50
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Vayikra
- 38
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Bamidbar
- 52
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Devarim
- 45
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The official massoretic text lists 16 large letters in the Torah but there was never full agreement on these as many may have just been the initiative of a single scribe. Many printed texts don't make reference to the full 16 and I have seen seen a number of scrolls with additional letters (particularly kabbalistic ones). Listed here are all the large letters I have come across, together with explanations of why they are to be writ large where one can be found. (Those shown in italics are not generally accepted): |
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1. The bet in Bereshit (Gen 1:1) 'in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The very first letter of the Torah is made large and carries 4 taggin as opposed to its normal one. Indeed, it is noted in Masechet Sofrim that originally all the letters of Bereshit were a bit larger not just the bet - as shown in this excerpt from a Moroccan scroll below: |
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Kol Hatorah explains that this emphasises that the creation of the Universe is only secondary and instead man's prime concern should be with the first factor - i.e. God, the creator of everything. However a practical reason given by Rabbi Dr Eric Ray is that when the torah was actually 5 separate scrolls the large bet told people this was the start! |
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2. The final fey in u'vha'atif (Gen 30:42) 'but when the cattle were feeble he did not put them in’ is large. However this is in dispute. Mikra’ot G’dolot (Pardes 1951) does include this in its list of large letters. |
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3. The zayin in hak'zona (Gen 34:31) 'and they said, should we deal with our sister as a 'harlot' In dispute, but again listed in Mikra’ot G’dolot. |
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4. The chet in chachlili (Gen 49:12) ‘his (Judah’s) eyes will be red with wine and his teeth white with milk’ may be large. Seen in a kabbalistic scroll in sefardi form with two taggin and right in an Hungarian scroll decorated very oddly indeed. |
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5. The final mem in sh'leshim (Gen:50:23) referring to Joseph living to see Ephraim’s children to the third generation. In dispute. |
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6. The enlarged tet in tov (Ex. 2:2) refers to the infant Moses 'When she (Yochaved) saw that he was a goodly child...' leading commentators to remark that Moses was even then perceived as special with a more than natural 'goodness' and Rabbi Meir said that Tov was Moses' real hebrew name. In dispute. |
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7. The tsadi in tseh (Ex 11:8) from Pharoah’s exclamation ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you’ is large according to some sources. |
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8: A possible large tsadi sofit in tsits Ex. 28:36. And you shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, "Holiness to the Lord" - seen in a kabbalistic torah. |
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9. Part of the 13 attributes of God the larger nun in notser (Ex. 34:7) keeping mercy for thousands’. |
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10. A possible enlarged shin in shamor (Ex 34:11) ‘Observe what I command you this day’. |
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11. The enlarged resh in acher (Ex:34:14 'for you will worship no other god' is the exact counterpart to the large dalet in the Shema (see below) to ensure that it is read as acher and not |
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accidentally as echad which would, heaven forbid, give the meaning to the sentence of 'and you will not worship the one God' |
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12. Masechet Sofrim notes that the whole word vayishchat should be writ large, because it is half the verses of the Torah. However it is unclear whether this |
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refers to Lev 8:15 ‘and he (Moses) slew it (the bull)’ or Lev 8:23 ‘and he (Moses) slew it (the ram)’ for both verses begin with the same word. Others say that only the chet is enlarged, the initial letter of chetsi meaning half, but nowadays nothing is enlarged perhaps because of the confusion. |
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13. Vehaleta'ah (Lev. 11:30) 'and the ferret and the chameleon and the lizard and the snail and the mole' has a large lamed though this is in dispute. |
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14. The simple explanation given to the large vav in gachon (Lev 11:42) 'whatsoever goes upon its belly' is that it is the exact centre of the Sefer Torah in letters, and thus is in the belly |
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of the Torah. However this is difficult to calculate as the exact number of letters in a Torah has changed over time and even the Talmud reports dicrepancies between the Temple Sifrey Torah which had to be reconciled by agreement. Kashrut is discussed in this section - i.e. matters which concern our bellies! |
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15. The middle word of the Torah is said to bev'hitgaleach (Lev 13:33) 'and he will be shaven' and thus the gimel is enlarged. |
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18. The yud in yigdal (Num 14:17) ‘let the power of my Lord be great’ is the largest yud in scripture. |
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22. The sin in eres (Deut 3:11) ‘his (King Og’s) bed was a bed of iron’ may be enlarged. |
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23. and 24. Definitely large are the ayin and dalet of shema and echad respectively in Deut 6:4 ‘Hear O Israel the Lord is our God, the Lord is one’. |
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25. Deut 18:13 may have a large tav in tamim 'you shall be perfect with the Lord your God' |
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28. The enlarged lamed in vayashlichem Deut 29:27 ‘and he cast them into another land’. By this the rabbis in Masechet Sofrim argue that this should be read as lachem (to you) implying that God will be a God to you even after casting you out. Rabbi Ray |
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explains that lamed in Egyptian hieroglyphics is the symbol for an ox-goad. Thus this is a very relevant image when God is driving Israel out and perhaps the form reverts to its original usage in ancient Egyptian. |
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29. The tsadi in hatsur (Deut 32:4) ‘he (God) is the rock‘ may be large. |
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30. The heh of haladonai is enlarged as it is almost to be treated as a separate word and not just the prefix of the definite article and should also be spaced (Yerushalmi Megillah 1) |
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31. Also seen in the last amud of a number of kabbalistic scrolls is the letter aleph of ashrecha (Deut 34:29) ‘Happy are you, O Israel’ enlarged. |
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32. The last word in the Torah is yisrael and must be spaced to end in the centre of the column. Now not a large letter the final lamed was written so in antiquity but is nowadays made higher than any other lamed written in the Torah. |
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PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
more pictures to come |
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There is considerably more agreement about the small letters in the Torah than the large ones, with only one in dispute and rest universally accepted. The masorah refers to these letters as z'i'ra. |
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Most commentator do not comment on these letters, the exception being the Baal Haturim.
1. The first occurs in Gen 2:4 as the heh of b'hibar'am (when they [the heavens and the earth] were created). The explanation for this is that God created the world with the use of the letter heh and that we should read it as b'heh bar'am (with a [letter] heh he created them) As to why it is small, the Rabbis add that it is diminished as God took the letter from here to give to Abram to make his name change to Abraham (ref) as according to the Baal Haturim the world was created for Abraham’s merit and b'hibar'am is an anagram of Abraham.
2. There is a small chaf in Gen 23:2 in the word v'livchota (and to weep for her [i.e. Sarah]) Baal Haturim explains that he (Abraham) cried only a little because she was old (and thus it was the way of the world).
3 and 4. There are two small kufs. One is accepted the other is in dispute. The first is katsti (I [Rebecca] am weary) in Gen: 27:46 but the second is in b'kameyhem (among their enemies) in Ex:32:25 , however other sources claim that this is not small rather it is odd in that the leg of the kuf is joined to the roof of the letter. Baal Haturim explains katsti as having a small kuf because Rivka foresaw that in the future the temple would be destroyed, the temple being kuf (100) cubits high, hence her assertion that she was weary in her life from the sadness of this vision. The Baal Haturim doesn't comment on the other small kuf so we can assume did not accept it.
5. The most famous small letter is the aleph of vayikra (Lev 1:1) The explanation given, again by the Baal Haturim is that Moses was a very humble man and to he wrote vayaker without the aleph which has the sense of a chance meeting but God insisted that this was deliberate - vayikra (and he called) to Moses. The compromise is the little aleph. However since the nest word el begins with an aleph and in ancient times there were no gaps between words the most likely explanation is that the early scribes did not duplicate the aleph and when the words were split they were unsure of whether to include the second aleph or not.
6. The mem in mokdah (burning) in Lev.6:2 is small.
7. The yud in pinchas (Num 25:11) is also small, however yud being the smallest letter anyway this one can be difficult to detect.
8. Deut 9:24 sees a small mem at the start of mamrim (rebellious) however this is also in dispute. This isn't shown as a small letter in most books but the Baal Haturim explains that this pasuk begins with a mem and ends with a mem to emphise that the whole mem fourty years they were in the desert the Israelites were rebellious.
9. and finally teshi (unmindful) in Deut 32:18 provides another smaller than usual letter yud. |
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In the meantime click to the right to see a possible explanation for why so many letters other than those in the formal masorah are considered. |
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There is considerably more agreement about the small letters in the Torah than the large ones, with only one in dispute and rest universally accepted. The masorah refers to these letters as z'i'ra.
Most commentator do not comment on these letters, the exception being the Baal Haturim.
1. The first occurs in Gen 2:4 as the heh of b'hibar'am (when they [the heavens and the earth] were created). The explanation for this is that God created the world with the use of the letter heh and that we should read it as b'heh bar'am (with a [letter] heh he created them) As to why it is small, the Rabbis add that it is diminished as God took the letter from here to give to Abram to make his name change to Abraham (ref) as according to the Baal Haturim the world was created for Abraham’s merit and b'hibar'am is an anagram of Abraham.
2. There is a small chaf in Gen 23:2 in the word v'livchota (and to weep for her [i.e. Sarah]) Baal Haturim explains that he (Abraham) cried only a little because she was old (and thus it was the way of the world).
3 and 4. There are two small kufs. One is accepted the other is in dispute. The first is katsti (I [Rebecca] am weary) in Gen: 27:46 but the second is in b'kameyhem (among their enemies) in Ex:32:25 , however other sources claim that this is not small rather it is odd in that the leg of the kuf is joined to the roof of the letter. Baal Haturim explains katsti as having a small kuf because Rivka foresaw that in the future the temple would be destroyed, the temple being kuf (100) cubits high, hence her assertion that she was weary in her life from the sadness of this vision. The Baal Haturim doesn't comment on the other small kuf so we can assume did not accept it.
5. The most famous small letter is the aleph of vayikra (Lev 1:1) The explanation given, again by the Baal Haturim is that Moses was a very humble man and to he wrote vayaker without the aleph which has the sense of a chance meeting but God insisted that this was deliberate - vayikra (and he called) to Moses. The compromise is the little aleph. However since the nest word el begins with an aleph and in ancient times there were no gaps between words the most likely explanation is that the early scribes did not duplicate the aleph and when the words were split they were unsure of whether to include the second aleph or not.
6. The mem in mokdah (burning) in Lev.6:2 is small.
7. The yud in pinchas (Num 25:11) is also small, however yud being the smallest letter anyway this one can be difficult to detect.
8. Deut 9:24 sees a small mem at the start of mamrim (rebellious) however this is also in dispute. This isn't shown as a small letter in most books but the Baal Haturim explains that this pasuk begins with a mem and ends with a mem to emphise that the whole mem fourty years they were in the desert the Israelites were rebellious.
9. and finally teshi (unmindful) in Deut 32:18 provides another smaller than usual letter yud.
There are some 15 words in the Tanach which are nakud (dotted). The most probable explanation is that they were inserted to call attention to some important homiletical teaching in connection with the words, but possibly they indicate that the words or letters were doubtful and are to be deleted, presumably when Elijah comes and resolves the various scribal disagreements that have sprung up. Ezra is hedging his bets saying that if Elijah says ‘why have you written these words’ he will reply ‘I have placed dots over them’ and if he says ‘you have written them correctly’ then he will remove the dots! (Avot d’Rabbi Natan 30b).
10 of these appear in the Torah mostly in Genesis or Numbers, though the last being in Deuteronomy being the most extravagant with no less than 11 dots over three consecutive words.
1. Gen. 16:5 - u’veynecha (let God judge between me [Sarah] and between you [Abraham]) has one dot above the yud. teaching that this issue was restricted to Sarah reproaching Abraham only on the matter of Hagar and not others. Alternatively Sarah does intend her words against any who stir up strife between her and her husband as words between them should be of no concern to others. (ARN 30b)
2. Gen. 18:9 - eylav (and they said to him, where is Sarah your wife) has three dots over the aleph, yud and vav. This is because these heavenly creatures actually knew very well where she was they asked a rhetorical question specifically to him (i.e. Abraham) out of courtesy. (ARN 30b)
3. Gen. 19:33 - uv’kumah (and he [Lot] was not aware of her lying down and of her gettingup) has one dot over the second vav. The Ba’al Haturim says this is to teach us that Lot’s daughter lay with her father before vav i.e. six hours of the night had passed and thus he was sleeping soundly when she got up. And he was not aware of when his youngest daughter arose but he was when his eldest did. (ARN 34:4), but the Talmud (Nazir 23a) and Bereshit Rabbah 51:8 say that the dotted vav indicates that he was unaware of her lying down but was aware in reality of her getting up, but acted as if he did not. With this in mind he should have not have let his daughters ply him with drink a second night, but he did.
4. Gen. 33:4 - vayishakehu (Esau ran towards him [Jacob], embaced him, fell upon his neck, and kissed him and they wept) has six dots, one over each letter. This is perhaps the most famous of the dotted letters as it is explained by the Rabbis that it intimates that Esau did not kiss his brother Jacob, rather he bit or at least intended to (Ba’al Haturim) bite him the same Hebrew word but a completely different meaning showing that Esau remained insincere in his reconciliation with Jacob and the dots indicate in some sense that the word is not fully there, as Esau’s intention contradicted his action. Alternatively he did not kiss him with sincerity (ARN 30b) or according to R. Simeon b. Eleazar this was the only time it was sincere and all other times it was insincere.
5. Gen 37:12 - et (Now his [Joseph’s] brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem) has two dots, one over each letter, teaching that they did not go to feed the flocks but to eat drink and indulge in pleasures, the et suggesting more on the list of actions. (ARN 30b)
6. Num. 3:39 - v’aharon (All that were numbered of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron numbered) has five dots, one over each letter, teaching that Aaron was not included in that census even though he was a Levite.
7. Num. 9:10 - r’chokah (or be in a journey far off) has one dot over the heh. The explanation to this is given by R. Jose in Pesachim 9:2 that far off doesn’t actually mean far away, but only [as far off as] beyond the threshold of the temple court.
8. Num. 21:30 - asher (and we have laid waste even to Nophah, which reaches to Medeba) has one dot over the resh. This teaches that they destroyed the only the people [who were idolators] and not the lands. Others say they destroyed the lands and not the people.
9. Num. 29:15 - v’isaron (and a separate tenth part) has one dot over the second vav, teaching that there was only to be one tenth-measure, even on occasions when three tenths had to be used.
10. Deut. 29:28 - lanu u’l’vaneynu ad (unto us and unto our children until) has eleven dots one over each letter of the three words except the last letter dalet. This teaches that God did not punish them for any sin until they had crossed the Jordan.
The most interesting use of dots, however, is to be found in the Psalms 27:13 where the word luleh (if I had not believed to look upon the goodness of the Lord) has dots both above (three) and below the word (two).
Sources: Avot d’rabi Natan 30b, parallels in Sifre to Numbers 9:10, Midrash Rabbah Numbers 3:13, and Soferim 6.
The Torah - the
holiest, most meaningful and divine object known to
mankind. It is the soul of the Jewish people. The
last commandment perpetuates this holiness by
commanding every Jew to write their own Sefer Torah.
It is customary for congregations to have a new
scroll written and involve the community in this
mitzvah by participating in its writing. This is a
Torah Project.
It has also become a growing practice to restore and
rededicate an existing Sefer Torah back to the
congregation. In recent times, we have buried far
too many Torahs. Since the Torah is the soul of the
Jewish people, it is vital to renew that which our
enemies seek to destroy.
A well planned and executed Torah Project benefits
from the best of both worlds - spiritual and
physical. While performing this final and most
sacred commandment, congregants gain knowledge and
devotion to their heritage. At the same time, the
congregation welcomes generous dedicated donations
as well.
Ultimately the more effort and preparation that goes
in to the planning of the Project, the more a
congregation will reap the rewards of such an
endeavor.
Selecting the Torah Script
| The first stage in
planning a Torah Project is choosing the type of
writing and Klaf for the Torah. Writing a Sefer
Torah takes the better part of a year’s time to
complete; therefore, deciding the dates for your
Project will depend primarily on the amount of
time it will take to complete the scribing of
the Torah. Occasionally congregations will opt
to select a Torah that is already in progress,
in order to fit into a pre-selected timetable.
Following this, a Project can be planned. We are
available to guide you through all stages of the
writing and concluding of the Torah. |

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When making a decision
regarding commissioning the writing of a new Sefer
Torah, there are a few fundamentals to consider:
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The script -
the clarity and beauty of the script, the
formation of the letters and spacing of the word
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The Klaf -
the quality of the parchment, texture, size and
weight
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The cost
The recommended Torah scroll commissioned today, is
a medium-size, good quality, lightweight scroll in
the $35,000 - $40,000 price range. This includes:
A-grade parchment, the scroll writing, a computer
check of the script (this is a must to insure you
are getting an accurate and complete Kosher Sefer
Torah), any corrections, all shipping costs from
Israel and my inspections and verifications that the
scroll is according to the agreed requirements.
The most popular size is a medium Sefer of 17 ½” -
19 ½”, written on A-grade lightweight very fine klaf.
When finished it should weigh only about 11 pounds!
This size Sefer is usually chosen because it is
large enough to read easily yet light enough to lift
and maneuver.
We have many scribes of various talents writing
Sifrei Torah. Most scrolls today are written in
Eretz Yisrael. We provide many script samples so you
are able to choose that which appeals to you. These
scripts range in clarity, beauty and cost. Once a
script is selected, we commit that Sofer for your
project and oversee all aspects of the writing until
the conclusion.
We can provide you with samples of scripts that are
in the lower price range from $25 - 30,000 but they
are understandably, not as beautiful and flowing.
There are scrolls that are over $45,000 but they are
usually priced this way based on the reputation of
the Sofer and not only his script.
Please note that the scripts are usually being
viewed by other congregations at the same time and
are contracted on a first-come first-serve basis.
The other costs to consider other then the price of
the Torah, are:
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Atzei Chaim averaging
$500 - $1,000, depending on adding decorative
silver etc. (the basic ones start at around $250) |
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Any other ornaments
required by your Congregation |
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Our services by way of
educational programs and fundraising. See section
– Costing of a Torah Project.
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Payments for a Sefer Torah are
usually divided in to six equal payments. The first
amount is for the down payment and the purchasing of
the parchment; then, five equal payments are paid
after each of the five books are completed,
received, and examined to our satisfaction.
Once the Torah selection process has been completed
one last decision has to be made - requesting the
correct amount of letters (from the scribing Sofer)
to be left outlined, so the congregants can
participate in filling them in. More than 50
outlined letters will usually incur an extra charge,
since it takes the Sofer much longer to write an
outlined letter than a regular one. See more
information on this concept under the fundraising
section.
We are also available to begin the writing and
completion for the Siyum. At other times throughout
the year, we will visit your congregation, to fill
in letters with congregants in different parts of
the Sefer Torah and to educate and teach as needed.
Click
here to view script samples.