Micha Bar-AmIsraeli, 1930Torah Scribe, Jaffa
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
In Jewish tradition, it is a hard-earned place of honor to be eligible to transcribe the words of the Torah. Only a scribe, or sofer (סופר), is permitted to officially write ceremonial religious texts, such as Torah scrolls, tefillin, and mezuzot. At its center, a sofer acts as a copyist, carefully transcribing each character of the Torah while saying each character aloud before it is written. These texts, typically written on parchment, have literally thousands of laws for their proper transcription, with each ritual object requiring a different set of specifications so as to ensure no part of the Torah is forgotten. The physical appearance of the written Torah scroll has scarcely changed in millennia because of these detailed regulations. Thus, the only variable factor is the decoration of its various accoutrement.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Particulars
- Accession number
- 98.265.6.7
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — © Micha Bar Am/Magnum Photos
