KILAUEA – The Jewish people’s covenant with God, the five books of Moses handwritten – the Torah – is a sacred work of art. This weekend, Kauai will receive its first ever newly-scribed Torah scroll. “It’s a gift from heaven,”
KILAUEA – The Jewish people’s covenant with God, the five books of Moses handwritten – the Torah – is a sacred work of art. This weekend, Kauai will receive its first ever newly-scribed Torah scroll.
“It’s a gift from heaven,” said Rabbi Michoel Goldman.
It will be his first time celebrating the completion and presiding over the inauguration of the sacred handwritten parchment.
“It took a full year for an expert scribe to write it working full time every day,” Goldman said. “One person from beginning to end.”
Parchment made from cow hide, a goose feather quill and a special ink were used to prevent fading of the lettering. Before shipping the torah from Israel, where it was created, to Kauai, the last few lines of the new Torah were left intentionally blank.
A visiting rabbi from New York on Sunday will guide the hands of local community members as they fill in the final words with intention one letter at a time.
“It’s an historic moment for Kauai,” Goldman said. “We’ve had other Torahs but they are both older and fading. Hopefully, the new one will inspire more people to study it. It will enable new channels and blessings for our people and everyone in Hawaii.”
A new Torah can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000, according to Goldman, depending on the font styles used and the expertise of the scribe. He said the new one for the Gani community on Kauai was written in an exclusive style called K’tav Alter Rebbe.
The funds for the Torah were donated by the Richard Seigel family in honor of his father Bennett Seigel, who was recently buried on Kauai after passing away at the age of 97.
