Fwd: Trip to The Sofer

Did you know that there are 5,000 haclahot pertaining to the writing of a Torah? What about that a quill use for writing the Torah may be made out of a goose feather?

We learned these facts and so much more on our trip to the Sofer Today!

As part of our preparation for the upcoming Mesibat Siddur, the entire Kitah Bet had the opportunity to visit Rabbi Grossbaum at Congregation Beth Tefllah, right down the block from BPY in Paramus!

When we arrived, Rabbi Grossbaum showed us a completed Torah. He explained that it takes an entire year to write a Torah! Then, Rabbi Grossbaum showed us the different tools that are used by a Sofer to write a Torah:

קלף- Parchment

קולמוס-Quill

דיו-Ink

We got to feel real animal hide that is used to make parchment, and Rabbi Grossbaum explained the soaking, drying, and scraping process that is used to prepare the parchment. He also explained that ink used to write a Torah is super-permanent, and he showed us a beautiful section from a 200-year-old Torah to prove his point. Finally, Rabbi Grossbaum explained that a Sofer is called a Sofer סת"ם, 

because they write:

ס-ספרי תורה-Torah

ת-תפילין-Tefillin

ם-מזוזות-Mezuzot

Finally, the big moment arrived! We got to write our names with a quill, on parchment, in calligraphy! We worked very carefully, as we filled in the letters with the delicate quill and ink. When we were finished, each child got the chance to read from a Sefer Torah! Everyone enjoyed this hands-on learning experience, and this trip has really increased our excitement to receive our very own Chumash!