Chapter I
What it means
Torah The five books of Moses; more broadly, the whole of Jewish teaching. Glossary means “teaching” or “instruction”. In the narrowest sense it is the five books of Moses; in the widest, the whole of Jewish teaching. The scroll is its physical form, and it is the holiest object in the synagogue.
When the scroll is taken from the ark, the congregation stands. It is carried around the synagogue, and people touch it with the fringe of their prayer shawl or with a prayer book, which they then kiss. The scroll is dressed like royalty, in an embroidered mantle or a decorated case, with a breastplate and silver crowns.
Chapter II
Where it comes from
Jewish tradition traces the writing of the Torah to Moses. Public reading of it is described in the Bible, in the time of Ezra (5th century BCE). The rules for writing a scroll, set out in the Talmud and later codes, are strict: special parchment and ink, a quill, and an exact copy of every letter, about 304,805 in all.
Communities treasured their scrolls through every exile, and many saved from the Holocaust are now lent to synagogues around the world.
Chapter III
Where you see it today
Every synagogue keeps at least one Torah scroll. A portion is read each Sabbath morning, as well as on Mondays, Thursdays and festivals, so that the whole Torah is read in a year. Completing a new scroll is a festive event for a community.