Torah?

Torah is a Hebrew word meaning instruction, specifically referring to the law of God. It has a wide range of usages. Torah is used to refer to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) written by Moses and recorded, preserved and read in an annual cycle in the synagogue in scroll format. The counterpart to the Torah in book format is called the Pentateuch. The Torah is copied by a highly trained professional scribe, called a sofer, and the work is carefully regulated by rules that safeguard the accurate and acceptable transmission of the text. One of the most notable features of the text of the Torah is that it lacks vowel points, punctuation, cantillation signs, chapters and verses. The Torah is only comprised of the consonantal text of the first five books of the Bible.

The Torah is the basis for faith and practice for Judaism. The text of the Torah has been divided into 54 weekly portions called parashot (singular: parashah) corresponding to the Hebrew calendar. Select readings are also read on Jewish festivals and fast days. The Torah is read in its entirety each year and all Jewish communities around the world read essentially the same portions at the same time. The divisions of the Torah readings may date to the time of Ezra (5th century BCE) or perhaps as early as the Babylonian Captivity (6th century BCE). They appear to be firmly fixed by rabbinic times (1st-6th century CE). The modern-day readings are based on a list provided by the medieval Jewish sage Maimonides (d. 1204) which, it is thought, he derived from the 10th century Aleppo Codex (unfortunately, Genesis through Deuteronomy 28:16 are missing now). The Torah section is publicly chanted by readers in prayer services in the synagogue. A partial reading is given on the afternoon of Shabbat (Saturday) and during Monday and Thursday morning services. The full reading of the parashah is given during the Shabbat morning service. It is followed by a reading from the haftarah which contains paired passages from the Prophets called the Nevi’im.

Torahs are written on the processed skins of kosher animals, typically calf, sheep or goat skins. Torahs can measure over 100 feet in length and be comprised of well-over 40 skins, depending on the size of the skins and the format of the scroll. It takes a sofer (scribe) around a year to copy an entire Torah. An individual scroll could be used for hundreds of years. They would be used until they could no longer be maintained as prescribed. Because Torahs are continuously handled and rolled, they require constant attention to fix fading and flaking letters and to provide any necessary conservation to the skins and seams. When a Torah can no longer be maintained to conform to the ritual standards, it is considered pasul or no longer valid.