The Torah

Torah means “teaching” and refers to the five books of Moses-Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

·         A Torah scroll is made from sheets of parchment, which is made from the skin of a kosher animal

·         It is written by hand in Hebrew by a professional scribe, called a sofer. Hebrew is read right to left.

·         The sofer takes at least one year to write out the Torah.

·         He is not allowed to write from memory. He must copy from a book of the Torah, and keep checking for mistakes. Letters must not be smudged or touch another letter.

·         If the sofer makes a mistake, he scrapes off the letters using a glass tool.

·         The most sacred word he writes is the Hebrew name for God. He cannot correct this- he must start the whole sheet of parchment again. The sheet with the error on is buried in a Jewish cemetery.

·         When all the sheets of parchment are finished, they are sewn together and wound around wooden rollers.

·         The Torah is regarded as holy, and is decorated as beautifully as possible.