1. What is the purpose of the Torah Writing Campaign?
2. What renders a scroll Pasul (unkosher?)
3. How much does a new Torah Scroll cost?
4. What will happen if we raise more than that?
5. Where can I learn more about the writing of a scroll?
6. How do I contribute to the campaign?
7. I have another question, who can I ask?
1. What is the purpose of the Torah Writing Campaign?
Congregation Ohav Shalom is blessed with possessing nine Sifrei Torah.
Sadly, five of them have been rendered pasul (ritually defective) and can no
longer be used without extensive repair and rewriting. Our remaining ritually
fit Sifrei Torah are growing old and faded. Soon, they too will no longer be
usable for worship, including Shabbat and Holiday celebrations, and Torah study.
On some Shabbat's we need three scrolls, and we also have daily minyans, Rosh
Hodesh (New Moon) Torah readings and other times when it would be difficult to
function with less scrolls.
To address this need, we are taking on the commandment to produce a new scroll. As our sofer (Torah scribe), Rabbi Surazski, said in a D'var Torah at our campaign kickoff Shabbat, rather than being the passive "inheritors" of a scroll, we will be the active builders who take part in the creation of a new scroll. Thus, our Torah Writing Campaign gives each and every one of us the opportunity to take part in this most special and blessed act of creating a new Sefer Torah which will be handed down from generation to generation. During the writing of the Torah, our entire congregation, as well as the greater Jewish community, will have numerous opportunities to learn more about the writing of a Sefer Torah as well as to continue our never-ending task to learn more about its contents and its teachings.
2. What renders a scroll Pasul (unkosher)?
In an answer to this question, Rabbi Howard Gorin of Tikvat Israel Congregation in Rockville Maryland wrote:
As someone once quipped, “If a Torah scroll is 99% kosher, it is 100% unkosher.” That is, if even one of the 304,805 letters is missing or defective; if even one of the words is not in the proper order or is misspelled, ... the Sefer Torah is considered “pasul,” invalid and unfit for reading at synagogue services, until the defects are repaired.You can see more of details of his answer and pictures of some of the flaws that make a Torah pasul on his blog entry about this.
3. How much does a new Torah Scroll cost?
The cost of having a new Torah scroll written varies widely based on the size of the scroll, the quality of the materials it is written on, the quality of the writing, and a host of other factors ranging from how well known the sofer is to whether one wants a computer scan to check every letter. The costs also include the "extras" such as the Torah cover and the wooden Torah rollers. Scrolls generally cost tens of thousands of dollars, with small ones starting in the $20,000 range and large ones by well-known scribes ranging up close to $100,000 in total. The one we are purchasing for Ohav Shalom is expected to run in the $50,000 region with some additional costs to cover expenses involved in our celebration of the creation of the new scroll.
4. What will happen if we raise more than that?
Additional funds from the campaign will be used to support not just the to purchase of the new sefer Torah, but also for the ongoing maintenance of this and our other kosher Sifrei Torah.
Additional funds will be used to address the educational, religious and spiritual needs of the congregation: adult education, award-winning religious school and religious programming as well as supporting the religious functions of our synagogue. How much we will be able to do will depend on what we raise, but just as the new Torah will enrich the religious life of our congregation for many years to come, so too can the additional funds enrich the programming we offer and our synagogue in which we offer it.
5. Where can I learn more about the writing of a scroll?
There are a wide number of online sources that provide more details of how a sofer (scribe) produces a kosher Torah scroll. The Wikipedia page on "Sefer Torah" is an excellent starting place.
6. How do I contribute to the campaign?
Download the Torah Writing Brochure and the Torah Writing Order Form, go to the Ohav Shalom Web Site or call the Synagogue Office at (518) 489-4706.
7. I have another question, who can I ask?
Send email to jim.hendler@gmail.com and the subcommittee maintaining the FAQ will work to get you and answer and to have it added.