Tuesday, October 20, 2015

A New Torah - part 2

Here's a few more shots from the ceremony of writing the final lines into the Torah scroll. Natural light was streaming in from a picture window on the right. That, combined with the light of the lamp and my bounce flash made for a very dynamic scene.






Sunday, October 18, 2015

A New Torah

I happened to stop by the Chai Center cheder this morning to deliver some photos. When I said hello to the rabbi, he invited me to a Torah celebration at his brother's synagogue. His congregation was writing the last few lines of a newTorah and bringing it to the synagogue to place in the holy ark.This is a celebration of the most important and most deeply loved book in Judaism. The wisdom written in these scrolls is the source of all other rabbinic commentary found in the Mishna, Gemara, Maimonides' Mishna Torah, Rabbi Zalman's Tanya, and many other texts. The completion and installation of a Torah is and event of great joy and celebration.

I've  had opportunity to photograph the completion of the last words of the Torah and posted about it in the past (unfortunately the photos were deleted from my Google account). But I've not had the chance to photograph marching with the Torah under a chuppah through the streets. There was a truck playing music preceding us and many neighbors came outside to watch the procession of members of the congregation dancing and marching in the street.