Chabad of North Orlando's new Torah scroll is coming to completion

To understand the excitement of dedicating a new Torah, think along the lines of Halley's Comet and Flights to the Moon. These momentous, awe-inspiring, once-in-a-lifetime events stir a good deal of emotions in the people fortunate enough to view them first hand.

While publishers can knock out millions of copies with dozens of new titles a week, crafting a single Torah scroll takes over a year to complete. What's the holdup? Computerized printing presses make printing a cinch, although the results often have many errors.

However, ancient Jewish law holds for a certified Torah scribe and everything from the character of the scribe to the quality of the parchment and type of ink are taken into account. Furthermore, each of the 304,808 letters and notation must be scripted to perfection.

The Torah scroll, the most sacred object in Judaism is written with a quill and special mix for ink. The scribe writes the five books of Moses on of parchment, in exactly the same way it has been done since the times of Moses 3300 years ago. The slightest error voids the entire 54-portion parchment.

When a scroll is completed it calls for great celebration by the community greeting it to its new home.

On Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, 11a.m. at the Westin, 2974 International Pkwy. in Lake Mary, the Jewish community of Lake Mary and Chabad Lubavitch of North Orlando will be welcoming their very first Torah scroll.

Expert scribe Rabbi Chaim Pape of New York will complete the final letters of this magnificent scroll. Once the Torah is completed, there will be music, dancing and singing and the Torah is placed under a wedding canopy since the joy of welcoming a Torah is comparable to the joy of a wedding.

For more information www.JewishNorthOrlando.com or 407-878-3011.