A Torah that was stolen from the Young Israel of Phoenix last week has made its way back.
How exactly it made its way back remains a bit of a mystery — as is the question, whether a reward placed on the website Craigslist for the Sefer Torah return played a role. The SEfer Torah, valued at $35,000, was recovered by detectives Friday, said Sgt. Steve Martos, a police spokesman.
Officials are still investigating the case and no arrests have been made.
A member of the Shul reportedly placed an ad on the popular website offering a $500 reward for anyone who could help locate the Sefer Torah or for the burglar to bring it back, Rabbi Reuvan Mann said.
Police could not say Friday whether the Craigslist ad led to the return of the Sefer Torah, or elaborate on the circumstances on how it was retrieved by investigators.
The Young Israel Synagogue of Phoenix, near Seventh Street and Maryland Avenue, was burglarized Monday and one of the Shul’s three Sifrei Torah was among several items taken.
“We are extremely appreciative,” said Rabbi Mann, “It was returned in perfect condition, which is more than we could have hoped for.”
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(Source: AZ Central)
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The story I heard, here in Phoenix, was that it was found in a garbage dumpster behind a local McDonald’s or Burger King, Rachmona litzlon.
From the Artscroll Sefer Yehoshua, Perek 7, pasuk 6, footnote: “According to Rambam (Hil. Taanis 1:1-3), it is a positive commandment of the Torah for every individual to cry out and search his ways at a time of national calamity, for G-d visits calamities upon Israel to inspire each Jew to repent for his misdeeds. If someone fails to recognize that tragedies occur through an act of G-d rather [than] through happenstance, he is considered cruel, because he will not be motivated to improve his behavior. as a result, G-d will beset Israel with more troubles, until all are motivated to change their ways.”
In this case the calamity was mitigated but it is ironic that the Torah was said to have been found in a dumpster behind a McDonald’s since the rabbi of the Young Israel in the adjoining state refers to Young Israel as “the McDonald’s of Orthodox Judaism”.
(From CNN’s Dan Gilgoff) Stolen Torah returned to Arizona synagogue after Craigslist ad:
A Torah that was stolen from an Arizona synagogue on Monday has been returned after a Craigslist ad offered a $500 reward for the scrolls, the synagogue’s rabbi said Saturday.
“The hardest thing to figure out is what this person was expecting to do with it,” said Rabbi Reuven Mann, who leads the synagogue in Phoenix. “There is a market for people that buy and sell Torahs, but it has do be done legitimately.”
A member of Mann’s congregation, Young Israel of Phoenix, posted the Craigslist ad Tuesday, a day after the Torah – which the rabbi says is valued around $35,000 – was discovered missing in an apparent theft.
“I thought that the person who took it didn’t know what they were doing,” said Sam Saks, who placed the ad, noting that a prayer shawl and tefillin – boxes containing scripture that some Jewish men wear during prayer – were also missing.
“The Torah itself was a big enough heist,” Saks said. “If you’ve already stolen a Lexus, why would you take an ashtray?”
“Reward – Torah scroll, Hebrew – $500” his ad said, “…no questions asked.”
The ad included pictures of Torahs – which contain the first five books of the Bible inscribed by hand – in case someone had found the congregation’s scroll but didn’t know what it was.
Saks said he received an e-mail response later Tuesday, from a woman who claimed to have found the Torah in a Phoenix trash can.
When the woman did not immediately agree to return the Torah, Saks e-mailed her a message from Mann and the congregation’s president explaining its significance and asking to get it back in time for Friday night services.
“The trick was to let the person know we were not interested in legal action and that we just wanted to the Torah back,” said Saks, who is an attorney.
Saks asked her to meet him at the synagogue on Friday afternoon. She showed up Friday morning instead, dropping off a garbage bag containing the Torah, in the same condition as before, the prayer shawl and the tefillin.
The congregation’s president, Farley Weiss, said that he has asked Phoenix police not to press charges. “The explanation that this woman gave us is that she had nothing to do with the crime,” Weiss told CNN.
The Phoenix Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday night.
Saks declined to share the woman’s e-mail address, saying he promised to maintain her anonymity.
She has not yet claimed the reward.
“We may not share the same religion,” Saks said the woman, who described herself as a Christian, wrote to him in an e-mail Saturday night. “I believe there is a higher power and believe that there is a right and wrong.”