BY: ALAN SMASON, Staff Reporter
Rabbi Zushe Greenberg and his wife Miriam, of the Chabad Jewish Center of Solon, are very excited about a new arrival.
It's not another son or daughter (the Greenbergs have eight children), but in many ways it will be one of their family's most exciting additions; it's a brand new Torah scroll.
The Solon center is inviting the entire community to welcome this new Torah scroll, especially commissioned for them, on Sun., Sept. 10. The scroll will reside in their Aron Hakodesh (Holy Ark) next to three other Torah scrolls previously donated to the center by synagogues and individuals during the center's 15 years of existence in Solon.
Funds for Chabad's new Torah scroll were publicly raised. Those making a substantial donation could sponsor one of the 54 individual parshas (portions of the Torah). An individual scroll letter cost $18. Because the goal has yet to be reached, fundraising efforts for the new Torah are continuing. Although the exact figure was not disclosed, prices for new Torah scrolls are typically in the $40,000 range.
The new scroll arriving in Solon from Israel will be accompanied by a sofer (scribe). The scribe used a quill and ink to copy the new scroll onto lamb's hide. It was sewn together with animal sinew and glued. The process began in December and is only now near completion.
The sofer copied all but the last few letters as the scroll was rolled onto two long pieces of wood called etz chaim (trees of life). The Torah's last letters will be filled in at the Torah dedication on Sept. 10.
As soon as the final lettering is completed, the participants will begin celebrations in earnest. The scroll will be closed, and a special mantle and crown will be used to dress it. A special chupah (bridal canopy) will cover it as it is carried outside to a waiting throng of well-wishers.
Led by a procession of children brandishing balloons and accompanied by a live band, community members will march the scroll along a parade route onto nearby Cannon Road and then back to the Chabad of Solon center.
"We celebrate (this) like a wedding,” Greenberg explains. "The Torah is celebrated like a human; you dress the Torah with a special mantle, and you put a crown on top of the Torah. It's like a (bridal) veil.”
Adult procession members will light the way with candles, and children will have magic light wands. "We do this with love and excitement to show how much we love and cherish the Torah,” Greenberg notes.
Back at the Chabad center, an outdoor party will feature live entertainment, dancing, and refreshments. A giant inflatable slide and moon bounce will be available for children.
An exhibit on the ancient technique of Torah making will be on view. At the conclusion of the event, signatures written with quill and ink on a blank piece of Torah parchment will be placed into a "time capsule.”
"Writing a Torah creates a new channel of blessing for the community,” explains Rabbi Greenberg. "It is for the protection of the Jewish people.”
One of the 613 mitzvot requires every Jew to write his own Torah. While this task is close to impossible for most, Greenberg admits, taking part in a dedication ceremony for a new Torah scroll is the next best thing.
The event, beginning at 3 p.m., is free to the public, but children who wish to march in the parade and receive a balloon and "magic light wand” must pre-register with the Chabad Jewish Center of Solon at 440-498-9533 or by e-mailing miriam@solonchabad.com.
asmason@cjn.org
Rabbi Zushe Greenberg and his wife Miriam, of the Chabad Jewish Center of Solon, are very excited about a new arrival.
It's not another son or daughter (the Greenbergs have eight children), but in many ways it will be one of their family's most exciting additions; it's a brand new Torah scroll.
The Solon center is inviting the entire community to welcome this new Torah scroll, especially commissioned for them, on Sun., Sept. 10. The scroll will reside in their Aron Hakodesh (Holy Ark) next to three other Torah scrolls previously donated to the center by synagogues and individuals during the center's 15 years of existence in Solon.
Funds for Chabad's new Torah scroll were publicly raised. Those making a substantial donation could sponsor one of the 54 individual parshas (portions of the Torah). An individual scroll letter cost $18. Because the goal has yet to be reached, fundraising efforts for the new Torah are continuing. Although the exact figure was not disclosed, prices for new Torah scrolls are typically in the $40,000 range.
The new scroll arriving in Solon from Israel will be accompanied by a sofer (scribe). The scribe used a quill and ink to copy the new scroll onto lamb's hide. It was sewn together with animal sinew and glued. The process began in December and is only now near completion.
The sofer copied all but the last few letters as the scroll was rolled onto two long pieces of wood called etz chaim (trees of life). The Torah's last letters will be filled in at the Torah dedication on Sept. 10.
As soon as the final lettering is completed, the participants will begin celebrations in earnest. The scroll will be closed, and a special mantle and crown will be used to dress it. A special chupah (bridal canopy) will cover it as it is carried outside to a waiting throng of well-wishers.
Led by a procession of children brandishing balloons and accompanied by a live band, community members will march the scroll along a parade route onto nearby Cannon Road and then back to the Chabad of Solon center.
"We celebrate (this) like a wedding,” Greenberg explains. "The Torah is celebrated like a human; you dress the Torah with a special mantle, and you put a crown on top of the Torah. It's like a (bridal) veil.”
Adult procession members will light the way with candles, and children will have magic light wands. "We do this with love and excitement to show how much we love and cherish the Torah,” Greenberg notes.
Back at the Chabad center, an outdoor party will feature live entertainment, dancing, and refreshments. A giant inflatable slide and moon bounce will be available for children.
An exhibit on the ancient technique of Torah making will be on view. At the conclusion of the event, signatures written with quill and ink on a blank piece of Torah parchment will be placed into a "time capsule.”
"Writing a Torah creates a new channel of blessing for the community,” explains Rabbi Greenberg. "It is for the protection of the Jewish people.”
One of the 613 mitzvot requires every Jew to write his own Torah. While this task is close to impossible for most, Greenberg admits, taking part in a dedication ceremony for a new Torah scroll is the next best thing.
The event, beginning at 3 p.m., is free to the public, but children who wish to march in the parade and receive a balloon and "magic light wand” must pre-register with the Chabad Jewish Center of Solon at 440-498-9533 or by e-mailing miriam@solonchabad.com.
asmason@cjn.org
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