A 400-year-old Sefer Torah, rescue in Iraq, has found its way to a Reformed Congregation in western Howard County – reports the Baltimore Sun. It was reportedly found by US soldiers among the ruins of a Shul in Mosul, Iraq.
A Jewish expert in Torahs who leads a worldwide effort to rescue Sifrei Torah like this got it out of Iraq and repaired it. The congregation plans a year of educational events centered on this Torah and the Jews of Arab nations.
(Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun)
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19 Responses
A disgrace that a real Sefer Torah should be in a fake (reform) ”synagogue”.
What shame…..Surviving 400 years and ending up in a reform congregation
What an absolutely terrible Busha for the Sefer Torah, to end up – after all this time – no better off than it was while in Iraq. The Sefer Torah’s words and holiness will still be treated like dirt, and it’s laws will be buried as antique and outdated.
Boruch Dayan Emes.
What a shame !…..Surviving 400 years only to end up in a reform congregation.
The sefer did NOT ‘find a home’? It is being held captive!
If you are so concerned…buy it off them.
Who is this Jewish expert, and why did they sell it to the reform congregation? Aren’t there any frum shuls or private people that would have bought it?
Hopefully some good will come from it and the Jews will become closer to Avinu SheBaShamayim, and learn about His mitzvos and the beauty of His Torah.
The reform often keep such Sefer Torahs in a locked display case in their shuls. It may never get read.
Town Crier # 10,
No one here “hates other jews.”
We just love the Torah more than reform Jews.
Please put your priorities in the proper place.
re: town crier
you’re missing the point. no one is judging the people. we are talking about the synagogue.it is a place of “kfira”.reformed hold Torah is not min Hasomayim.the gedolim assered to go into their places as far as to say it is yehareg vaal yavor.and to put a kosher chashuva sefer torah there is real TZAAR.i’m sorry you don’t feel it.
gives an understanding to the chazal”afilu sefer torah sha b’haichal tzoreech mazal.”
What I find interesting is that most people here are quick condemn the Reform synagogue for having thie Sefer Torah. No one however considers the ethics or religious sensibilities, of the perosn who sold it to them. That person was probably an Orthodox Jew. Is it ok to sell to Reform bur forbidden for them to buy it? Has anyone ever considered who sells the tefillin worn by non-Orthodox women?
Cantoresq,
You raise a valid point. But we really don’t know who the seller was, so it would be hard to comment on it or to speculate.
The only thing I know is that this holy Sefer Torah ended up in a place that not only will not appreciate it, but will cavalierly toss out its most basic tenets.
This is the tragedy.
Cantoresq,
I agree.
If there is “blame” to be placed here, it is on the seller (if he is aware of the magnitute of this act), not the Reform buyers, who likely had no evil intentions in its purchase.
At the same time, every Jew who holds the Torah dear feels the acute pain of a rescued Sefer Torah being tossed into the company of those who value and recognize its antiquity more than its Divinity.
Torah-observant Jews do not appreciate when blustering soap boxers rush to accuse them of “hating” other Jews. It is childish, and quite revealing. I, like thousands others, love all of our family- Jews of every stripe. That does not mitigate our searing pain at the thought of how a Sefer Torah is viewed and treated in a Reform place of worship.
Being that I have friends of all stripes, I get to hear difficult things. Here’s one story: A Reform Rabbi wished to better aquaint his congregants to the Torah. He had all congregants sit on the floor, and spread out the parchment on the the people sprawled over the room. This gave an opportunity for the congregants to better explore and “experience” the moment.
Did the Rabbi mean well? Almost certainly. Does this not cause you intense pain, and an intense desire that congregations such as these not have an opportunities to acquire Sifrei Torah? For most of us, absolutely. For the “Town Crier”, I’m not so sure. Sad and painful.
I think its ridiculous and an embarassment for a reform shul to be in possesion of this Torah. It especially breaks my heart because my family is Iraqi, and Iraqi Jews are known for being traditional and loyal to our past history. Even though a large number of Iraqis may not be religious, we are not reform. Let them study this Torah, maybe they will come to the realization that the Torah cannot be “reformed” but has been this way forever and so on.
I’m familiar with a real expert in Maryland who leads a worldwide effort to rescue and repair sifrei torah. He and his small group of sofrim are yirei shamayim, very frum, heimish people who do so for the mitzvah. They then often find the hard task of locating proper homes for the sifrei torah, with people willing to pay the costs (I know they make no money from this) of restoring the sefer torah etc. If this is the same expert who was written up last year in a local paper as assisting a local Conservative synagogue in acquiring a kosher sefer torah, he seeks to be a kiddush Hashem. I’ve seen as yet undedicated rescued sifrei torah in his shop which as of now have no home (apparently, I didn’t ask though) Why not look upon this as a good thing that the Reform want to get a proper kosher sefer torah? Maybe this will assist some there in their quest for their Jewish roots? Rather than scorn, we should encourage our Jewish brethren to find the true path with kindness.
http://www.saveatorah.org/index.php
two yeshivaleit from baltimore AMAING CAN’T BELIEVE THEY DO THIS!!?????
I’m curious does anyone know of a teshuva or psak dealing with this issue? I can see the issue goig either way. On the one hand, Reform and Conservative Jews are ubiquitous. To forbid dealers in tashmishei kedushas from selling to them, would severely impact their parnasah. And yes hephsed nerubah, especially as concerns an entire class of people is a Hlachik concern. On the other hand this might be viewed as an issue of “mesayeihu l’davar avairah.” Anyone know of a definitive psak on the issue?