Sefer Torah Centre

SEFER TORAH FACTS

Some interesting facts concerning a Sefer Torah

Aron Prys

To write a Sefer Torah is one of the 613 Mitzvot (commandments). In fact, it is the last Mitzvah to be mentioned in the Torah. It occurs in Parshat Vayeilekh, Sefer Devarim, chapter 31, verse 19, where Hashem tells Moshe Rabbenu: "And now, write this song for yourselves and teach it to the children of Israel, place it in their mouth, so that this song shall be a witness for Me against the children of Israel". According to the plain meaning of the verse "this song" refers to the song of "Ha'azinu" which the Parsha following Vayeilekh derives its name from. But our sages take it to refer to the whole of the Torah (Sanhedrin 21b). The Torah is also compared to a song in Mishlei, chapter 25, verse 20: "he who sings songs" i.e. "he who teaches Torah". (See Rashi a.l. and Chullin 133a).

According to chasidic thought the Torah has 600,000 letters corresponding to the 600,000 Jews who received the Torah at Mount Sinai. In fact there are only about 300,000 letters in the Torah, but if you count the gaps between the words and the crowns (tagin) on top of the letters it comes to about 600,000. The crowns are actually very significant and the famous Rabbi Akiba was able to discover many new Halakhot (laws) by searching their meanings (Menachot 29b. See also Eruvin 21b with reference to Shir ha-Shirim chapter 5, verse 11). They are placed on top of 7 of 22 letters constituting the Hebrew alphabet. The text of the Sefer Torah has been very carefully preserved. Moshe Rabbenu himself wrote 13 Sifrei Torah on the day he died (7th Adar 2488, 1272 B.C.E.). He gave one to each of the 12 tribes and the 13th he placed in the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle. It was therefore always possible to check the "master copy" to prevent forgery. (Midrash Rabbah, Devarim, Parshah 9, Siman 9). Later on a copy of the Sefer Torah was also placed in the Temple. Yemenite Jews are considered to have the best-preserved traditions in Judaism. In the years 1948-1950, during "Operation Magic Carpet" they were transferred to Israel. When their Sifrei Torah were checked against the local ones it was found, that there were only a few very insignificant variant readings concerning full and defective spellings.

It was also Moshe Rabbenu himself who introduced the practice to read the Torah publicly on a regular basis on Shabbat and Monday and Thursday during Shacharit (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Tefillah, chapter 12, paragraph 1).

Let us now briefly highlight a couple of landmark event in the history of our nation where a special public reading of the Torah played a key role. Solomon built the First Temple in 2928, 832 B.C.E. It stood 410 years. The Bible relates that Chilkiah the high priest discovered a Sefer Torah in the Temple. This happened in the 18th year of the reign of the righteous king Yoshiahu (reigned 3285-3316, 475 B.C.E.-444 B.C.E.), when the latter was 26 years of age (3303, 457 B.C.E). It was towards the end of the First Temple period. Yoshiahu's great-grandfather Chizkiah (reigned 3199-3228, 561 B.C.E.-532 B.C.E.) was a righteous king who fought against idol worship, which was prevalent among the Jews during most of the First Temple period. However, his grandfather Menasheh, who reigned for a record number of 55 years (reigned 3228-3283, 532 B.C.E.-477 B.C.E.) and his father Amon, who reigned for two years (3283-3285, 477 B.C.E.-475 B.C.E.) re-introduced idol worship, Judaism was all but forgotten and it seems that copies of Sifrei Torah were destroyed and this is what made the discovery so exciting. After being presented with the Sefer Torah and reading it, King Yoshiahu was overcome with remorse for unknowingly not keeping all its commandments. Following this realisation, he and the Jews of his kingdom Judah made a covenant to keep all the commandments henceforth. Yoshiahu eradicated all traces of idolatry and then - after a long time - Pesach was observed in exactly the way it is set out in the Torah. (See Melakhim II chapters 22 and 23). The Pesach celebrations of that year are described in great detail in Divrei ha-Yamim II, chapter 35, verses 1-19.

We can be sure, that Yoshiahu also read in the Sefer Torah which was found, that the king had a separate Mitzvah to write his own Sefer Torah in addition to the ordinary one, which he kept in his treasure house. It had to be always at his side so that he could read it and remind himself of his duties as it says: "And it shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life" (Devarim, chapter 17, verse 19). He took it with him when he went into battle, when he returned from battle, when he sat in judgement and when he sat down for a meal. (Mishnah Sanhedrin, chapter 2, Mishnah 4 and Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Melakhim, chapter 3, paragraph 1).

The penultimate Mitzvah, called "Hakhel", "gather", mandates that every seven years everybody gathers together and the king reads to them part of the book of Devarim from a Sefer Torah. (Devarim, chapter 31, verses 10-13 and Rashi a.l.). It took place during Sukkot following the Shemittah year. The reading was performed with great pomp and ceremony and the king stood on a wooden platform erected specially for this purpose in the Temple courtyard (Sotah 41a).

Scripture testifies about Yoshiahu in connection with his monumental act of repentance: "And there was no king before him, who turned to Hashem with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might according to all the Torah of Moshe; neither arose one like him afterwards" (Melakhim II, chapter 23, verse 25).

Yoshiahu died in 3315, 445 B.C.E. Not much later, on 9th Av 3338, 422 B.C.E. the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. It was re-built 70 years later, in 3408, 352 B.C.E. and stood 420 years, when it was destroyed by Titus on the 9th Av 3828, 68 C.E. However, the level of religious observance among the Jews in Palestine at that time was very low and intermarriage was ripe. Things changed when Ezra the Scribe arrived in Palestine in 3413, 347 B.C.E. He was helped in his task by Nehemiah, who arrived in Kislev 3426, 334 B.C.E. On the following Rosh ha-Shanah Ezra publicly read the Torah from early morning until midday to the whole populace. This made an enormous impact and a fortnight later the Jews kept Sukkot in a way not seen before since the days of Yehoshua (Nechemiah, chapter 8). During each day of Sukkot Ezra again publicly read passages from the Torah as we still do today. The 24th of Tishri was a great day of repentance and the Jews separated from their foreign wives. Again Scriptural passages were read.

Ezra is called "a swift scribe (literally counter) in the Torah of Moshe which Hashem the G-d of Israel had given" (Ezra ch.7, verse 6). This refers to the fact that he counted all the letters of the Torah and was responsible for the masoretic text and also counted the Halakhot of the Oral Law. (Yerushalmi Shekalim 13b as explained by Korban ha'Edah a.l.). He was the last prophet (according to the Megillah 15a Ezra is identical with Malachi) and at the same time the first head of the Sofrim whose task it was to study and transmit the Oral Law. Thus he formed a bridge between the Written and the Oral Law. It was at the beginning of the Second Temple period that the Sofrim, who were later on called Chakhamim, sages, took over the mantle of spiritual leadership of the Jewish people from the prophets. The Vilna Gaon explains, that Hashem abolished the evil inclination for idol worship at that time at the request of the Anshei Knesset Hagedolah, Men of the Great Assembly (another term for the spiritual leaders of that time) and prophets were therefore not needed any more to fight idol worship. As head and founder of the Sofrim Ezra introduced 10 new enactments, two of them relating to public Scriptural readings in addition to those introduced by Moshe Rabbenu (see Bava Kamma 82a). Had Moshe Rabbenu not preceded him, Ezra would have been worthy of receiving the Torah for Israel (Sanhedrin 21b). Ezra died in 3442, 350 B.C.E. or 3448, 344 B.C.E., thus ending a 1000 years period of prophecy, which started, according to some opinions, with Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah to Moshe Rabbenu, the first and greatest prophet at Mount Sinai in 2448, 1344 B.C.E.

Today we still use quill, ink and parchment to write a Sefer Torah as did Mosheh Rabbenu over 3000 years ago. Most Sofrim immerse themselves in the Mikvah (ritual bath) before writing the ineffable name of Hashem. It is enough if they do so once a day and the Sofrim therefore go to the Mikvah every morning since hardly any day passes when they don’t write His name. A Sofer has to concentrate very hard, since even the slightest mistake can render a Sefer Torah pasul (unfit) for use. It is therefore almost impossible to write for longer than a few hours a day and many Sofrim write in the mornings and learn in the afternoons. The letters of a Sefer Torah can be written in any order. The Sofer can therefore correct a mistake even if it is only detected later on. This doesn’t apply to one of the names of Hashem, which must not be erased. In contrast, Tefillin and Mezuzot have to be written in order. If a mistake is detected later on they cannot be used and the Sofer has to start afresh. A Sofer has to master the scribal art and the many laws associated with writing a Sefer Torah as well as being on a spiritual level commensurate with his holy task. It takes about one and a half years to write a Sefer Torah and it is therefore very special and precious. Halakhot regarding a Sefer Torah are mentioned in various tractates of the Talmud and two entire minor Talmudic tractates - Sofrim and Sefer Torah - are devoted to these Halakhot.

In the last 20 years or so it has become more and more popular to commission a Sefer Torah and then donate it to a synagogue. In many congregations people get together and buy a Sefer Torah collectively. Usually one person or several persons buy one of the 54 weekly portions. For nearly 20 years children' Sifrei Torah have been organised on a world-wide basis, each child buying one or several letters. So far 3 have been completed and a fourth is on its way.

It is customary for the Sofer just to outline the last letters, so that people have a chance to participate in the writing by filling the letters in themselves under his supervision. After completion of the writing the Sefer Torah is brought to the synagogue under a canopy, accompanied by singing and dancing. Then a Se'udat Mitzvah (a festive meal) takes place and appropriate words of Torah are said. The first and the last letter of the Torah are especially important. They constitute together the word Leiv, heart which constitutes an essential ingredient in the Service of the Almighty.

Public reading of the Torah is performed in an annual cycle and as soon as we finish reading the Torah on Simchat Torah we start anew with "Bereishit bara Elokim et ha-Shamayim we-et ha-Aretz", "In the beginning Hashem created the heaven and the earth". This demonstrates the connection between the end and the beginning of the Torah. Sifrei Torah play an essential part on Simchat Torah and there is no better feeling than to dance with your own Sefer Torah around the Bimah on this occasion.

The Mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah is a pivotal Mitzvah. It concludes the 613 Mitzvot and, in a sense, it encompasses all the other Mitzvot, because when we write a Sefer Torah we are reminded of all the Mitzvot contained in it. At the same time, being placed towards the end of the Torah, it is near the account of the creation of the world. The Midrash tells us, that the whole world was created for the sake of the Torah (see e.g. Vayyikra Rabbah Parsha 23). By writing a Sefer Torah we demonstrate that we understand the purpose for which we have been created: to keep the Torah and its commandments.

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Teshuvah through trials, tribulations and...Torah
- thoughts towards the Ten Days of Teshuvah

Aron Prys

Once again we are approaching the end of the yearly cycle and are about to celebrate the collective birthday of mankind, Rosh ha-Shanah. On this day we reaffirm Hashem's kingship over us and we look forward to the time when the whole of mankind will do likewise. Rosh ha-Shanah is also the inaugural day of the 'Asereth Yemei Teshuvah which culminate in Yom Kippur. During these days we take stock of our actions during the past year and find that we have been lacking to various degrees in the service of Hashem. As the year renews itself we renew the bond with our Creator.

It is interesting, that Parshath Vayyeilekh invariably either falls during the 'Asereth Yemei Teshuvah, i.e. Shabbath Shuvah or it coincides with the Shabbath immediately preceding Rosh ha-Shanah. This might not be a coincidence, as we shall now elaborate.

We find in Parshath Vayyeilekh (pasuk 16 etc.) that Hashem foresees that the children of Israel will sin grievously after they will have been bereft of Mosheh Rabbeinu's leadership and will have settled down comfortably in the Promised Land. They will eventually do Teshuvah after evil things will have befallen them as a punishment for their sins. As an antidote to this eventuality, which is almost inevitable, due to their yeitzer, evil inclination (see pasuk 21), Hashem commands Mosheh Rabbeinu to write a Sefer Torah (pasuk 19): "And now, write this song (shirah) for yourselves and teach it to the children of Israel, place it in their mouth, so that this song shall be a witness ('eid) for Me among the children of Israel". According to the plain meaning of the verse "this song" refers to the song of "Ha’azinu" which the parshah following Vayyeilekh derives its name from. But our sages take it to refer to the whole of the Torah (Sanhedrin 21 b). The Torah is also compared to a song in Mishlei, chapter 25, pasuk 20: "he who sings songs" i.e. "he who teaches Torah". (See Rashi a.l. and Chullin 133a).

We can shed some light on the unusual - as applied to a Sefer Torah - expression "shirah", "song" in pasuk 19 if we draw an analogy between it and "Shir ha-Shirim" the opening words of Shir ha-Shirim, Song of Songs from which it derives its name. Shir ha-Shirim, the Song of Songs is, according to our sages, an allegorical love song between a husband and his wife whom he had to send away because of her unfaithfulness, but who now remember their erstwhile love. Shlomo, who authored Shir ha-Shirim, foresaw with Ruach ha-Kodesh, with Di'vine inspiration, that a time will come when, due to her sins, Hashem will have to punish Israel. She will be driven into one exile after the other and one catastrophe after the other. At that time she will remember her former status as His "special treasure of all the nations" and will proclaim: "I will return to my first husband (i.e. to Hashem), for I had it better then than now" (Hoshea, chapter 2, pasuk 9). Hashem on His part will assure her, that He empathises with her predicament, which, however, she brought upon herself through her sins. Her expulsion, though, will not be forever, He is still her husband and will eventually return to her with the advent of Mashiach. (See Rashi's introduction to his commentary on Shir ha-Shirim.)

Our sages compare the covenant between Hashem and the children of Israel at Mount Sinai to a wedding. Hashem is the bridegroom, Israel is the bride, Mount Sinai is the Chupah, the Torah is the Kethubah and the Tefillin are the ring (Shir ha-Shirim Rabbah). Hashem promises Israel, that the Torah will never be completely forgotten (Parshath Vayyeilekh, pasuk 20 and Rashi a.l.). As such it is a constant "'eid ", it constitutes constant testimony and evidence for the eternal love and bond that exists between Hashem and His Chosen People. Even - or just - when they will have fallen into the trap set to them by the wiles of the yeitzer ha-ra and will be steeped in sin, Hashem will be calling out to them, so to speak, through His "song", i.e. the Sefer Torah not to despair of His love for them and sink completely into their self-made moral morass, but to remember their "marriage" at Mount Sinai and grasp their "Kethubah" and return to Him and do Teshuvah. The Torah is the "life-line", "the tree of life to those who hold on to her" (Mishlei, chapter 3, pasuk 18) in any given situation.

Moshe Rabbeinu on his part also foresees and warns that after his death the children of Israel will break their covenant with Hashem (Parshath Vayyeilekh, pesukim 27 and 29 etc.). He therefore commands the Levites, who carry the Ark of the Covenant of Hashem (pasuk 25): "Take this Sefer Torah and place it in the side of the Ark of the Covenant of Hashem your G-d and it shall be there for you as a witness" (pasuk 26). The Sefer Torah will act as a witness - both eyewitness ('eid rei’ah) and warning witness ('eid hathra’ah) so to speak - in Moshe Rabbeinu's stead. (According to Rabbi Meir the Sefer Torah was placed at the side of the Tablets within the Ark of the Covenant and according to Rabbi Yehudah it lay on the board which projected from the Ark of the Covenant. See Bava Bathra 14a). Later on this Sefer Torah was placed in the Ark of Covenant of the First Temple (the Second Temple didn’t have an Ark of Covenant, see Yoma 21b). Moshe Rabbeinu uses the words "Sefer Torah" in pasuk 26 instead of "shirah" in the parallel pasuk 19 which proves, that in the context of our Parsha the two terms are synonymous. ("'Eid" - like "shirah" - can also be a synonym for Torah. See e.g. Yeshaiahu, chapter 8, pasuk 16 where an abstract form of 'eid - te'udah - is used together with Torah in a parallelismus membrorum). The Sefer Torah carries with it a threat of retribution for those who commit sins, but also a message of redemption on an individual and national level for those who do Teshuvah.

Moshe Rabbeinu wrote 13 Sifrei Torah on the day he died (7th Adar 2488, 1272 B.C.E.). He gave one to each of the 12 tribes and one he placed in the side of the Ark of the Covenant which was in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. It was therefore always possible to check the "master copy" to prevent forgery (Midrash Rabbah, Devarim, parshah 9, siman 9). Maybe the Midrash understands "'eid" in a technical sense as text witness (Text Vorlage in German) which can be its meaning in modern Hebrew. (Yemenite Jews are considered to have the best-preserved traditions in Judaism. In the years 1948-1950, during "Operation Magic Carpet" they were transferred to Israel. When their Sifrei Torah were checked against the local ones it was found, that there were only a few very insignificant variant readings concerning full and defective spellings.)

'Eid - in its abstract form 'eiduth - occurs in the non-technical sense of text witness in Tehillim chapter 93, pasuk 5 as Radak a.l. makes clear. He explains "'eidothekha" etc., "Your testimonies" etc. as the written promises of Your (Hashem's) prophets concerning the eventual rebuilding of the Temple. According to Rashi a.l. " 'eidothekha " etc. also refers to the promises of the prophets regarding the eventual rebuilding of the Temple, but he doesn’t say explicitly, that the psalmist refers to prophecies which were committed to writing. (1,200,000 prophets arose in Israel. Only those prophecies which were needed for the future were written down. See Megillah 14a)

According to the Talmud (Bava Bathra 14b) David wrote Tehillim based on earlier works of ten "elders". Rashi a.l. and at the beginning of his commentary on Tehillim chapter 90 says, that Moshe Rabbeinu wrote Tehillim chapters 90-110. David might therefore be referring, among others, to Mosheh Rabbeinu's own 'eiduth in Vayyeilekh.

It is appropriate, that the last of the 613 commandments, given just before Moshe Rabbeinu's death, should have messianic connotations which are underscored by its two defining words "shirah" (twice) and "'eid" in Vayyeilekh pasuk 19. In fact, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 90b) derives the concept of Techiath ha-Methim from one of the preceding pesukim, which introduce this commandment (pasuk 16).

The penultimate Mitzvah, called "Hakhel", "gather", also occurs in Vayyeilekkh and is connected to a Sefer Torah. It mandates that every seven years everybody gathers together and the king reads to them parts of the book of Devarim from a Sefer Torah. (pesukim 10-13 and Rashi a.l.). It took place during Sukkoth following the Shemittah year. The reading was performed with great pomp and ceremony and the king stood on a wooden platform erected specially for this purpose in the Temple courtyard (Sotah 41a).

Let us now briefly highlight a couple of landmark events in the history of our nation where the Di'vine Providence and Moshe Rabbeinu's forethought were realised and the "song" or "clarion call" of Torah, i.e. its harmony and intrinsic beauty was revealed to the wayward children of Israel in a special public reading and inspired them to perform the Mitzvah of Teshuvah on the highest level - from the heart, Teshuvah meAhavah.

The Bible relates that Chilkiah the Kohen Gadol discovered a Sefer Torah in the Temple. (Melakhim II, chapter. 22, pasuk 8). This happened towards the end of the Second Temple period in 3303, 457 B.C.E , the 18th year of the reign of the righteous Yoshiahu, King of Judah (reigned 3285 - 3316, 475 B.C.E. - 444 B.C.E.). Yoshiahu was then 26 years of age. (See Melakhim II, chapters 22 and 23 and Divrei ha-Yamim II, chapters 34 and 35 about Yoshiahu).

In order to appreciate the significance of this event, we have to know a few salient facts about the history of our people in the First Temple period. David (reigned 2884 - 2924, 876 B.C.E. - 836 B.C.E.) epitomised all the qualities required of a righteous Jewish king. Nevertheless, because he had blood on his hands due to the wars he waged against the surrounding nations, Hashem told him, that it wouldn’t be him, but his son Shlomo who would build the Temple. (Divrei ha-Yamim I, chapter 22, pasuk 8). Shlomo (reigned 2924 - 2964, 836 B.C.E. - 796 B.C.E.) built the First Temple in 2928, 832 B.C.E. It stood 410 years. During most of this period idol worship was prevalent among the Jews, Judaism was all but extinct and Sifrei Torah lay forgotten. It was Shlomo himself who was influenced by his foreign wives to introduce idol worship in Eretz Yisrael. When, under his son Rechavam (reigned 2964 - 2981, 796 B.C.E. - 779 B.C.E.), the Ten Tribes seceded from the Kingdom to form their own Kingdom of Ephraim in 2964, 796 B.C.E., they continued this practice until they were exiled, 241 years later, by Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria in 3205, 555 B.C.E. They are lost till this day. When Mashiach will come, Hashem will gather them in and bring them to the Eretz Yisrael, together with the rest of Israel. (See Yeshaiahu, chapter 27, pasuk 13 and Sanhedrin 110b on this pasuk and Hoshea, chapter 11, pasuk 11 and Shir ha-Shirim Rabbah on Shir ha-Shirim, chapter1, pasuk 15 and chapter 4, pasuk 1 on the latter pasuk).

Their first king was Yerovam ben Nevath (reigned 2964 - 2986, 796 B.C.E. - 774 B.C.E.). He set up high places and other idolatrous objects as well as two golden calves for idol worship one in Beth El and one in Dan as a "substitute" for the Temple in Jerusalem (Melakhim I, end of chapter 12), thus pointing the direction for the idol worship which continued during the entire 241-year duration of his kingdom. When Yerovam sacrificed to the golden calf in Beth El on the altar next to it, a prophet foretold Yerovam, that a scion of David by the name of Yoshiahu would burn the bones of the idolatrous priests on this very altar (Melakhim I, chapter 13, pasuk 2).

So overpowering was the yeitzer ha-ra for idol worship in those days, that even in the Kingdom of Judah, where all the kings were direct descendants of David, it was often they themselves who were the worst perpetrators and lead the people astray. (See e.g. Sanhedrin 102b). Righteous kings of Judah who fought idolatry were few and far between. Notable exceptions were Assa, Shlomo's great-grandson (reigned 2984 - 3025, 776 B.C.E. - 735 B.C.E.), and Assa's son Jehoshaphat (reigned 3025 - 3049, 735 B.C.E. - 711 B.C.E.) and later on Chizkiah (Yoshiah's great grandfather, reigned 3199 - 3228, 561 B.C.E. - 532 B.C.E.) and last, but not least, Yoshiahu himself. The excesses of the kings - with the exception of Chizkiah - were getting progressively worse and worse nearer Yoshiahu's time. They even attacked Sifrei Torah. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 103b) relates, that Achaz, Chizkiah's father (reigned 3183 - 3199, 577 B.C.E. - 561 B.C.E.) sealed Sifrei Torah, Menasheh, Chizkiah's son and Yoshiah's grandfather (reigned for a record number of 55 years, 3228 - 3283, 532 B.C.E. - 477 B.C.E.) cut out the Name of Hashem from Sifrei Torah and Amon, Yoshiahu's father (reigned for two years, 3283 - 3285, 477 B.C.E - 475 B.C.E.) even burned Sifrei Torah. Rashi on. Melakhim II, chapter 22, pasuk 8 explains, that the Sefer Torah which they found "was hidden under a layer of stones where they had concealed it when Achaz burned the Torah".

(There is no known source for this statement. Achaz had died 120 years before the discovery of the Sefer Torah and it is not likely that no Sefer Torah was available during all that time. Furthermore, his son Chizkiah taught Torah to the whole of Israel (Sanhedrin 101b) and in his generation more Torah was learned than in the generation of Moshe Rabbeinu and Yehoshua (Sanhedrin 20a and Rashi a.l.). Sifrei Torah must therefore have been available in Chizkiah's time. Amon, on the other hand, was Yoshiahu's immediate predecessor. Whilst Achaz sealed the Sifrei Torah, he didn’t, according to the Talmud, go as far as burning them. We would like to suggest therefore, that in our printed editions of Melakhim II the name Achaz was by mistake substituted for Amon.

It is quite easy for the copyist of a manuscript to exchange the two names by mistake, since the Hebrew letters of Amon and Achaz are similar: They share the same initial letter, aleph. Mem and cheth are very similar in Rashi script as are vav and zain. This leaves only the final nun of Amon to be accounted for. It might be that the copyist of the manuscript mistook the final nun for a vertical line put there by mistake. We have to bear in mind as well, that Achaz is, generally speaking, much more familiar than Amon. Achaz is mentioned in the well-known first pasuk of Yeshaiahu with which we start the haftarah on the Shabbath before Tisha be-Av, called Shabbath Chazon after the first word of the pasuk. This haftarah is recited in a special sad melody, which moves the heart and makes the words stick in the mind. Amon, on the other hand, only ruled for 2 years, and hardly anything is said about him in the Bible.

Rashi doesn’t mention that Menasheh cut out the names of Hashem from the Sifrei Torah, although there were only two years of Amon's rule between the end of his rule and the beginning of Yoshiahu's rule. One of the reasons might be that according to the Talmud (Sanhedrin 103a) Menasheh repented during the last 33 years of his life and Sifrei Torah, therefore, became available again during that time. Alternatively one might say, that Menasheh "only" defaced the Sifrei Torah by cutting out the names of Hashem, but left them otherwise intact and still readable.)

According to Rabbi Yitzhak Abarbanel the Sefer Torah which they found was the very same which Moshe Rabbeinu had written by the command of Hashem and this was the reason for their surprise.

After being presented with the Sefer Torah and reading it, Yoshiahu was overcome with remorse for unknowingly not keeping all its commandments. Following this realisation, he and the Jews of his kingdom Judah made a covenant to keep all the Mitzvoth henceforth. After reading the Sefer Torah Yoshiahu purged the entire Eretz Yisrael, his own Kingdom of Judah as well as the former Kingdom of Ephraim of all traces of idolatry. He thereby completed the task which Assa and Jehoshaphat had started many years earlier in their own Kingdom of Judah (see Shabbath 56b). In the process he also burnt the bones of the idolatrous priests on the altar (Melakhim II, chapter 23, pasuk 16) thereby fulfilling the prophecy of well over 300 years ago which we mentioned above. Finally, 98 years after the conquest and subsequent exile of the Ten Tribes and only 35 years before the conquest of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar and the subsequent Babylonian exile the whole of Eretz Yisrael was rid of any obvious signs of idolatry. This state of affairs had not existed since the times of David. In fact, Scripture gives Yoshiahu the ultimate accolade by comparing him to David (Melakhim II, chapter 22, pasuk 2 and the same pasuk Divrei ha-Yamim II, chapter 34, pasuk 2). All this was due to the inspiration the reading of the newly discovered Sefer Torah provided to Yoshiahu. (According to Divrei ha-Yamim Yoshiahu followed in the footsteps of David already as an eight-year old, as soon as he ascended the throne following his father's death. He redoubled his efforts after the discovery of the Sefer Torah. Also according to a dissenting opinion in Shabbath 56b Yoshiahu never sinned and consequently never was in a position to become a Ba'al Teshuvah).

Later that year - after a long time - Pesach was observed in exactly the way it is set out in the Torah. The Pesach celebrations of that year are described in great detail in Divrei ha-Yamim II, chapter 35, pesukim 1-19. Yoshiahu also ordered the Levites, that the Ark of the Covenant, which must have been removed from its place in the Holy of Holies of the Temple at some stage, be restored to its proper place (Divrei haYamim II, chapter 35, pasuk 3). Certainly they also put the newly discovered Sefer Torah back in the Ark of the Covenant, its rightful place.

We can be sure, that Yoshiahu also read in the Sefer Torah which was found, that the king had a separate Mitzvah to write his own Sefer Torah in addition to the ordinary one, which he kept in his treasure house. It had to be always at his side so that he could read it and remind himself of his duties as it says: "And it shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life" (Devarim, chapter 17, pasuk 19). He took it with him when he went into battle, when he returned from battle, when he sat in judgement and when he sat down for a meal. (Mishnah Sanhedrin, chapter 2, Mishnah 4 and Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Melakhim, chapter 3, paragraph 1).

Scripture testifies about Yoshiahu in connection with his monumental act of Teshuvah: "And there was no king before him, who turned to Hashem with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might according to all the Torah of Moshe; neither arose one like him afterwards" (Melakhim II, chapter 23, pasuk 25).

According to Radak and Rabbi Yitzhak Abarbanel (Melakhim II, chapter 22 pasuk 11). the Sefer Torah which they found was open at the Tokhachah - which is also read at Hakhel - on the spot where it says "Hashem will bring you and your king whom you shall raise over you unto a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known" (Devarim chapter 28, pasuk 36). This was a poignant warning to the Kingdom of Judah and in particular to Yoshiahu himself. (As we saw, the Kingdom of Ephraim had already been exiled 98 years earlier). Because Yoshiahu did Teshuvah he was spared from seeing the evil which was going to befall the Kingdom of Judah, i.e. the destruction of the Temple and the state and the Babylonian exile (Melakhim II, chapter 22, pesukim 16 - 20).

The warning began to materialise after Yoshiahu was killed in battle against Pharaoh-Nechoh. in 3316, 444 B.C.E. In 3320, 440 B.C.E.Judah came under the rule of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. King Yehoiakim and King Yehoiachin, a son and grandson of Yoshiahu respectively were both exiled by Nebuchadnezzar in 3327, 433 B.C.E. On the 9th Av 3338, 422 B.C.E. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple and the Jews, including King Zidkiahu, another son of Yoshiahu, were lead into exile.

In 3389, 371 B.C.E. Darius the Mede conquered Babylon. He was succeeded in the following year 3390, 370 B.C.E. by Cyrus the Persian. In that year Cyrus granted the Jews permission to return to Eretz Yisrael and rebuild the Temple. 42,000 Jews returned and started to rebuild the Temple. Due to protestations by the Samaritans the Temple construction came to a halt after three years in 3393, 367 B.C.E. In 3408, 352 B.C.E. Darius II, son of Esther and Achasuerus (see Vayyikra Rabbah, parsha 13, siman 5), authorised the resumption of building work which was completed four years later in 3412, 348 B.C.E.

The Temple stood 420 years, when it was destroyed by Titus on the 9th Av 3828, 68 C.E. However, the level of religious observance among the Jews in Eretz Yisrael at that time was very low and intermarriage was ripe. Things changed when Ezra the Scribe arrived in Eretz Yisrael in 3413, 347 B.C.E. He was helped in his task by Nechemiah, who arrived in Kislev 3426, 334 B.C.E. On the following Rosh ha-Shanah Ezra publicly read the Torah to the whole populace from early morning until midday. This made an enormous impact and a fortnight later the Jews kept Sukkoth in a way not seen before since the days of Yehoshua (Nechemiah, chapter 8). During each day of Sukkoth Ezra again publicly read passages from the Torah as we still do today. The 24th of Tishri was a great day of Teshuvah and the Jews separated from their foreign wives. Again Scriptural passages were read.

Ezra is called "a swift scribe (literally counter) in the Torah of Moshe which Hashem the G-d of Israel had given" (Ezra, chapter 7, pasuk 6). This refers to the fact that he counted all the letters of the Torah and was responsible for the masoretic text and also counted the Halakhot of the Oral Law. (Yerushalmi Shekalim 13b as explained by Korban ha-'Edah a.l.). He was the last prophet (according to Megillah 15a Ezra is identical with Malachi) and at the same time the first head of the Sofrim whose task it was to study and transmit the Oral Law. Thus he formed a bridge between the Written and the Oral Law. It was at the beginning of the Second Temple period that the Sofrim, who were later on called Chakhamim, sages, took over the mantle of spiritual leadership of the Jewish people from the prophets. The Vilna Gaon explains, that Hashem abolished the evil inclination for idol worship at that time at the request of the Anshei Knesseth Hagedolah, Men of the Great Assembly (another term for the spiritual leaders of that time) (see Yoma 69b) and prophets were therefore not needed any more to fight idol worship. It was Moshe Rabbeinu himself who introduced the practice to read the Torah publicly on a regular basis on Shabbath and Monday and Thursday during Shacharith.

As head and founder of the Sofrim Ezra introduced 10 new enactments, two of them relating to public Scriptural readings in addition to those introduced by Moshe Rabbeinu (see Bava Kamma 82a and Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilkhoth Tefillah, chapter 12, paragraph 1).

Had Moshe Rabbeinu not preceded him, Ezra would have been worthy of receiving the Torah for Israel (Sanhedrin 21b). Ezra died in 3442, 350 B.C.E. or 3448, 344 B.C.E., thus ending a 1000 years period of prophecy, which started, according to some opinions, with Mathan Torah, the giving of the Torah to Moshe Rabbeinu, the first and greatest prophet at Mount Sinai in 2448, 1344 B.C.E.

According to kabbalistic and chasidic thought the Torah has 600,000 letters corresponding to the 600,000 Jews who received the Torah at Mount Sinai (see e.g. Megalleh 'Amukoth on the first pasuk of the Torah, quoted by Yalkut Reubeni). In fact there are only about half that number (304,805 letters to be precise) in the Torah, but if you count the gaps between the words and the crowns (tagin) on top of the letters it comes to about 600,000. The crowns are actually very significant and Rabbi Akiva was able to discover many new Halakhoth by searching their meanings (Menachoth 29b. See also Eiruvin 21b with reference to Shir ha-Shirim, chapter 5, pasuk 11). They are placed on top of 7 of the 22 letters constituting the Hebrew alphabet.

Today we still use quill, ink and parchment to write a Sefer Torah as did Mosheh Rabbeinu over 3000 years ago. Most Sofrim immerse themselves in the Mikvah before writing the ineffable name of Hashem. It is enough if they do so once a day and the Sofrim therefore go to the Mikvah every morning since hardly any day passes when they don’t write His name. A Sofer has to concentrate very hard, since even the slightest mistake can render a Sefer Torah pasul for use. It is therefore almost impossible to write for longer than a few hours a day and many Sofrim write in the mornings and learn in the afternoons. The letters of a Sefer Torah can be written in any order. The Sofer can therefore correct a mistake even if it is only detected later on. This doesn’t apply to one of the names of Hashem, which must not be erased. In contrast, Tefillin and Mezuzoth have to be written in order. If a mistake is detected later on they cannot be used and the Sofer has to start afresh. A Sofer has to master the scribal art and the many laws associated with writing a Sefer Torah as well as being on a spiritual level commensurate with his holy task. It takes about one and a half years to write a Sefer Torah and it is therefore very special and precious. Halakhoth regarding a Sefer Torah are mentioned in various tractates of the Talmud. The Minor Talmudic Tractate Sofrim is devoted to the Halakhoth of writing Sifrei Torah, Tefillin and Mezuzoth. The Minor Talmudic Tractate Sefer Torah contains the Halakhoth connected with a Sefer Torah.

It is customary for the Sofer just to outline the last letters, so that people have a chance to participate in the writing by filling the letters in themselves under his supervision. After completion of the writing the Sefer Torah is brought to the synagogue under a canopy, accompanied by singing and dancing. Then a Se'udath Mitzvah takes place and appropriate words of Torah are said. The first and the last letter of the Torah are especially important. They constitute together the word Leiv, heart which constitutes an essential ingredient in the Service of the Almighty.

Public reading of the Torah is performed in an annual cycle and as soon as we finish reading the Torah on Simchath Torah we start anew with "Bereishith bara Elokim eth ha-Shamayim we-eth ha-Aretz", "In the beginning Hashem created the heaven and the earth". This demonstrates the connection between the end and the beginning of the Torah. Sifrei Torah play an essential part on Simchath Torah and there is no better feeling than to dance with your own Sefer Torah around the Bimah on this occasion.

Writing a Sefer Torah is a pivotal Mitzvah. It concludes the 613 Mitzvoth and, in a sense, it encompasses all the other Mitzvoth, because when we write a Sefer Torah we are reminded of all the Mitzvoth contained in it. At the same time, being placed towards the end of the Torah, it is near the account of the creation of the world. The Midrash tells us, that the whole world was created for the sake of the Torah (see e.g. Vayyikra Rabbah, parsha 23, siman 3). By writing a Sefer Torah we demonstrate that we understand the purpose for which we have been created: to keep the Torah and its commandments.

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