Sandton’s Jewish community rejoices
JOBURG - For the Chabad community of Sandown, 16 August isn’t just Rosh Chodesh Elul (the beginning of the sixth month in the Jewish calendar); it will also mark a momentous occasion as they celebrate the completion of a Torah scroll commissioned by the shul (synagogue).
The Torah, known to the wider world as the Old Testament, is the most sacred object in Judaism. It is the Jewish God’s ‘instruction manual’ for how Jewish people try to live their lives.
Elul is a month of preparation before the high holidays of Rosh Ha Shana (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and the completion of the Torah on this day is highly symbolic.
To be authentic (‘kosher’ – roughly translated as good in English) a Torah must be made from exactly 84 portions of parchment – tanned, scraped and prepared according to the exact specifications set out by Halacha, the Jewish code of law that is set out in the Torah, and explained by the ‘oral’ law of Judaism.
An expert scribe, known as a Sofer (so-fer ‘st-am in Hebrew), inks the entire scroll in the exact way that Moses purportedly did 3 300-years-ago. The process used is laid out in Jewish oral law – contained in the Mishnah Torah and explained by the Babylonian Talmud.
The Sofrim, or scribes, are among the few remaining inkers who still apply their tradition by hand. Their job is not as easy as it may sound – to be kosher, a Torah scroll must contain exactly 304 805 Hebrew letters. Each letter has very specific meanings based on where it is placed in relation to other letters. The entire 54-portion parchment must be absolutely correct, as the slightest error voids the authenticity of the scroll.
Following the completion of the Torah, the sacred scroll will be taken to the streets under a traditional Chupah canopy in a joyous procession that will include food, live music, torches and dancing. The scroll will be completed on Grenvile Avenue in Waverley, and then transported to Chabad House in Sandton Central.
Chabad Sandton dedicates this Torah to the memory of Elliet Hodaya, a young girl in the community who recently passed away.
Members of the wider Johannesburg Jewish community are invited to the ceremony and to participate in the Torah’s writing by dedicating a part of it to themselves or a loved one.
Details: rak@chabad.org.za
