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| Torah
Facts |
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And
now you shall write this song...
The
Torah is G-d's gift to the Jewish People.
The last and final Mitzvah of the Torah is
a unique expression of G-d’s Divinity in
this world. There is a commandment upon
each and every Jew to write this
‘Song’ – the Torah, for themselves.
Since the time of it’s giving, a Sofer
has completed this sacred task of writing
Sifrei Torah for the Jewish nation. A
skilled and trained scribe who is a G-d
fearing Jew may write a Sefer Torah.
Jewish law is very specific about what
makes a Torah kosher. In fact, every step
in the creation of a new scroll has to be
made with one purpose in mind – Leshem
Mitzvat Torah and only with these thoughts
will the Torah take on its role as a G-dly
vehicle for G-d’s wisdom in this world.
By writing a new Torah we proclaim the
everlasting and eternal connection we
share with our creator. Although, we are
always very careful about treating a Sefer
Torah with respect, over time even the
best scrolls can become pasul-unfit for
ritual use. A Sofer can carefully examine
the scroll to determine the extent of
repair needed.
Facts
& Insights
Hundreds
of laws govern the most minute details of
writing a Sefer Torah, from the materials
used to the actual writing.
It takes an expert scribe anywhere
from 8 months to a year to complete a
single Torah scroll, depending on many
factors.
There
are three basic scripts used today:
Beit
Yosef – generally used by Ashkenazi Jews
Ari
– generally used by Chassidic Jews
Vellish
– Sephardi Jews generally use this
script
Beit
Yosef and Ari scripts are similar,
differing only in the form of 5 or 6
letters.
Vellish is generally a more rounded
hand than Ashkenazi script and can be
written more quickly.
All three scripts themselves can
have some additional variation, such as
some Sephardic and Lubavitch Chassidim.
Some scribes use a reed pen, others
use a feather quill.
After
they are written, the sheets of the Torah
are sewn together with gut from a kosher
animal, but not before they are checked
three times for mistakes, and repaired if
necessary.
With the advent of technology, the
computer is now utilized as well.
A computer scan of the entire Sefer
Torah is accomplished.
The computer is better than human
checkers at locating mistakes in the
consonantal text – missing, garbled, or
extra words – but it can’t substitute
entirely for expert human checkers, who
are able to locate fine breaks and joins
between letters and various other problems
which a computer can’t catch.
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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 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.
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