10 Comments

Excellent article, I always learn so much. Better, it gives me positive things to think about as I go about my day. I never thought too much about the different wordings that I have seen on the Ten Commandments. I am glad that so many organizations have opposed the posting of them.

So glad that the Torah scrolls were saved and restored in Australia. Those that destroyed that temple of God sure weren't following the Ten Commandments. Also, I had no idea what a Torah looked like so appreciate you posting the picture(s).

I live in a blue state so as far as I know we have not had to deal with that. Not to say that the red county that I live in might not try to do something locally.

Thank you

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Thanks so much for the comment, Susan. It's really amazing to look at Torah scrolls, inside and out. They are so individualized to their time and location, yet the words inside have remained exactly the same for so many centuries. (When you go back 2,000 years to the Dead Sea Scrolls, you see some discrepancies. But amazingly few, all things considered. Feel free to share any questions you may have about the Torah - I'm sure others will be interested.

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Beautifully written

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Thank you, Laura!

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...and to think that a Torah scribe must destroy his painstaking (what an understatement!) work should he make one mistake. Even if it is the very last letter! Am I correct?

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You are correct in that a Torah scroll can't have any mistakes and it is painstaking work, but some errors can be corrected by a scribe and one can discard (by burial) small sections of the parchment (a few columns) that are sewn into the whole scroll. Thanks for the comment!

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Well, I tell my version to my little school kids and it has really helped their concentration when they have classwork that involves copying words or a text 😀

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Sounds like a plan :) The fact is that the finished product does have to be perfect. It takes at least a year to write an entire Torah.

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Thanks so much, Ruth. Nothing to be embarrassed about! That's why I'm here. It's just commendable that you are open to learning.

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Rabbi Joshua, thank you once again for composing an enlightening essay. I always learn so much from you, I appreciate it. I'm embarrassed that I know so little about my Jewish sisters and brothers, and history.

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