Adventures with Torah Scribes (Vayikra – 03/21/26)

Adventures with Torah Scribes

Our year-long DEAR program (Dedicating, Education, Advocating and Repairing) culminates in a sacred act of remembrance: the dedication of a Torah to those who perished on October 7, 2023. In Judaism, we honor the past to safeguard the future. By dedicating this scroll to the 1,200 lives lost that day, we ensure their memory remains a living part of our people. When we look at our new Torah cover—inspired by the Prophet Jeremiah’s vision of dancers returning to the land—we see a testament to a spirit that cannot be broken.”

I will build you firmly again, O’ Daughter of Israel!

Once more, you shall take up your hand drums and go forth to the rhythm of the dancers.

To fulfill our mission, we first required a Torah for the dedication. Our congregation currently has two scrolls that are not in use because they need repair. We realized that by restoring one of these Torahs, we could transform it into a meaningful tribute for the victims of October 7. Between the two options, we decided to proceed with the lighter scroll, as it would be easier to carry around the synagogue and lift during “hagbah.”

However, after showing the pictures of the lighter Torah to a friend of mine, a Sofer, from my yeshiva days. He said the problem we have is systemic. These blotches, smears, and incomplete letters are due to a flaw in the parchment’s processing during manufacture (it’s 90 years old). We had initially thought there was only one area that needed fixing, but after scrolling through the Torah, we realized my friend was right. These issues could be found throughout the whole Sefer Torah.

We then turned to the other Torah. It is large and has a big, beautiful, artistic print. It’s a pleasure to read. On the other hand, it’s tall and very heavy.

Even it we fixed it up, we couldn’t use it regularly because most of our Shabbat morning daveners don’t curl 50 pounds!

Upon inspection of the Torah, we came to realize that it’s not because of its large print, but because of the excessive amount of border (blank parchment) above and below the print. I asked my friend if we could cut off some of the excess border. In his heart, he felt that if the work benefited the Torah by making it more usable, it should be allowed. But he wanted to first obtain permission from one of his rabbis.

He called four top rabbis. Three refused to answer his question, and the fourth said he’d have to look into it and would get back to us after Passover. Well, that wasn’t going to do. We needed an answer sooner.

I call a friend of mine who is a top rabbi, a “Posek-a decider of Jewish Law.” Very quickly, he answered my question, citing three rabbis over the ages who have addressed this issue. The Talmud says that we need a three-fingerbreadth border at the top of the Torah, and four fingerbreadths at the bottom. The rabbis then conclude that anything beyond that amount is not necessarily serving the Torah and could be removed or used for other purposes. Compared to our other scrolls, this Torah contains a parchment surplus of more than 1 inch at the top and 1.25 inches at the bottom. Since cutting the Torah will make it more usable, our Posek decided that we can remove the excess border.

That didn’t convince my orthodox friend, for he wanted to receive permission from his rabbi. So I had to find another Sofer, one who would be willing to rely on my Posek. So I searched, and found a talented Soferet (woman scribe), Leana Tapnack, who is highly qualified and desirous to make our beautiful Sefer Torah more accessible to us.

Then I had to receive permission from the Gaynes family, who originally donated the Torah. In 1971, Paul and Lena Gaynes bought MHJC its first Sefer Torah in honor of their six-year-old daughter, Alice, who had passed away a year before. After I explained that shortening the Torah would enable it to be read more often, they were thrilled with the idea. Moreover, they felt that it would be their honor as well to have their Torah devoted to the 1200 Israelis who lost their lives on Oct. 7, 2023, as well as their daughter, Alice.

So now, we wait to deliver the Torah to our Soferet, and await the completion of the new Torah Cover (mantel). Our whimple, what we’ll use to bind the Torah, will also have the names of the 1200 fallen inscribed upon it, similar to how our “Holocaust Torah” has the names of the victims of the Kolin massacre written on it.

If you haven’t joined in with this great year-long endeavor, there’s still time. Check out all our DEAR literature^[1]. On September 6, we’ll have a Sofer in-house to inscribe the verses and chapters that you sponsor. Throughout the year, we’re hosting programs on Israel and antisemitism, so keep your eyes open.

Amidst the challenges of these turbulent times, it is heartening to see MHJC actively working to bring more light into the world. May the One who brings peace in the heavens inspire a lasting peace for us, Israel, Iran, and the world.

R’ Neil

^[1] https://www.manettohilljc.org/the-dear-torah-project/