Seventeenth-Century Torah Scroll
A Torah scroll contains the Five Books of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch. The text is handwritten on vellum by a sofer, or specially trained scribe. The parchment sections are sewn together and attached to two wooden rollers, which are unwound when passages from the Torah are chanted in the synagogue. When not in use, the Torah scroll is rolled up, covered with decorative ornamentation, and stored in an ark in the sanctuary. On display are narrative passages from the Book of Exodus. The column on the far right displays the “Crossing of the Red Sea,” as the Israelites flee slavery in Egypt; the column fourth from the right side displays the Ten Commandments (Exodus 15:1–21 and Exodus 20:1–17).
A Torah scroll contains the Five Books of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch. The text is handwritten on vellum by a sofer, or specially trained scribe. The parchment sections are sewn together and attached to two wooden rollers, which are unwound when passages from the Torah are chanted in the synagogue. When not in use, the Torah scroll is rolled up, covered with decorative ornamentation, and stored in an ark in the sanctuary. On display are narrative passages from the Book of Exodus. The column on the far right displays the “Crossing of the Red Sea,” as the Israelites flee slavery in Egypt; the column fourth from the right side displays the Ten Commandments (Exodus 15:1–21 and Exodus 20:1–17).