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Recently, I have viewed a number of photo essays here on YWN showing a Hachnosas Sefer Torah. The latest posted today covers the event at the Satmar shul in Boro Park.
I am surprised at how small (short) these newly written sifrei Torah are. Being in my 60s, I grew up in shuls that had sirei Torah from Europe (pre WWI) or America (pre WWII). These were tall, heavy scrolls that took a real shtarker to lift and show 5 columns.
Are we raising such a weak generation that smaller sifrei Torah are needed, or is the cost of large, impressive scrolls prohibitive?
One would think that in a large shul, a large Sefer Torah is necessary to be seen from the rear seats when it is lifted.
I believe it costs more for a smaller Sefer Torah than a larger one.
Why is it necessary to be seen from the rear seats?
I totally agree with Joseph
If a Sefer Torah is larger heavier and bigger does that make it holier?
Today we have smaller ones so that even people who need Kiruv can hold onto Hashem Torah and Mitzvahs it also makes it more convenient so we don’t need such large Ahron kodoshim. With crowns on top and being large sofrei Torah they would go through the roof
This year at simchas torah I watched a teen almost drop a torah. It was too heavy for him. Light is good.
Klaf is expensive, so smaller sefarim are less expensive. if it’s a mini, it’s harder to write and the price goes back up.
Smaller is definitely better, large and heavy comes with potential problems.
We need small sifrei Torah so that we don’t need shtarkers to lift them!
Mashiach Agent—“Today we have smaller ones so that even people who need Kirov can hold onto Hashem Torah and Mitzvos”
What does that mean? If sifrei Torah were bigger people would not be able to become frum? What are you trying to say?
It seems that there have been improvements in preparing klaf, so that it is not coated (see how the klaf on many of the old seforim are shiny) and yet easier to write on. This brings downs the weight significantly.
I doubt that the seforim are cheaper to wrote now, nor that klaf is even cheaper. Processing costs have gone up and many people request avodas yad klaf which is more expensive.
Truth is, it is easier to see what is being leined in the typical seforim of today, they very large ones tend to have the top rows farther away.
The sefore are not so small that people in the back cannot see the sefer, either way you have top be pretty close to see the actual words.
Seats in the back cost more?
5 Columns? I though you are not really supposed to open more than three?
The cost of a sefer varies greatly, depends on who is writing it, where it is written, if it totally commissioned, what type of klaf.
I am guessing a sefer now starts at about $30,000 and can go over 100,000.
You can get some of the smaller ones for less (like the ones used on the minyan buses) , but the ksav is not really very nice.
I know that someone by my shul recently bought a very beautiful sefer, and I am sure it was quite expensive, and it was shorter than the typical seforim. It really is exceptionally nice.
Our shul has a server that can’t be more than two feet tall. The father of one our members was a Rabbi and a US Army chaplain in the South Pacific during WW 2. Unlike in Europe, where a sefer could be transported in a Jeep, he had to be able to carry a sefer himself from island to island. So, the Army arranged for a Sofer to write a server to his specifications.
As less and less people do physical labor they have less muscles, unless they workout in the gym. It is hard to find someone who will lift these heavy Torahs and so they are rarely used. Do you want to donate a sefer torah that just takes up space? Or one that is read from.
Hagba’ah is much more about technique than strength. I’m not particularly strong but I have no problem doing hagba’ah on a very large sefer torah.
Someone should give hagba’ah lessons
Troll alert
I am one of the old starkers whose thin frame hides strength and technique, and mind over matter overcome any gravity. I am also a baal kriah, and I treasure the old sefarim for the distinct ksav and layouts that have variations from today’s universalized ksav. In my semi retirement I lain as a spare in several places. One has only an old sefer, the klaf yellowed but beautiful ksav, the gallgalim are ebony with bronze backing, with embedded twisted gold wire,and studded with semi precious stones. The tops are some of the finest filigreed ivory I have seen.
One shtarker tale: I do not lower the sefer and lift by bending over the shulchan, that can damage the letters. I use the eitzim and gallgalin as levers when it is to heavy to lift up straight. I was honored one yomtov last with hgabaha for maftir and the etz broke off in my hand. With some help from the baal koreh, we managed a three column full circle hagbaha.
I am a Gabbi of last resort at my weekday minyan and although we have a light small sefer torah many people refuse hagbaha. I have spoken to some sphardim ( those from middle-eastern descent) and they too complain about heavy sefer torahs, in their case it the case holding the sefer which is covered in gold and silver making it hard to carry.
The way most people do hagbaha on a heavy sefer is to pull the bottom of the sefer so it about a quarter off the table then bend your knees and press down on the etz chaims. You will be using leverage to lift the sefer up. The only problem with this method is that it puts pressure on the klaf and if the ink is old and dried out it can crack over time. This is the problem with the old sefer torahs. Once it starts cracking in one place and you repair it a little later it happen somewhere else. Pretty soon it’s going to cost you more to repair it then to buy a new one.
I have no idea of what your shule Aron looks like, but if you have 8 sefer that are not being used, Are the families active in your shul? Many families may have moved away or there financial situation may not allow them to maintain the their sefer. Sooner or later you are going to run out of space in the Aron if new Sefer Torah are donated.
The solution maybe to repair these old sefer torahs and replacing the etz chaims and montale, (covering) and rededicate them. It would probably be cheaper than having a new sefer written and the extra money can be used for it’s upkeep. Check with the rabbi and the owner of the sefer before you try to do this.
Typically when someone “donates” a Sefer Torah to a shul, with an hachnosos Sefer Torah and all, is the Torah owned by the shul or by the sponsor? If the latter, that would seemingly mean most shuls don’t own their own Sifrei Torah. Do folks takes their Sefer with them when they move or even just change shuls?
Joseph:
In theory I guess the owner can claim it back but it would have to go to an another shul, not kept in a drawer but in most cases it stays with the original shul. I am from Brooklyn where neighborhoods change and so it’s rare that families go to the same shul generation after generation for almost a hundred years.
What I think happened is that years ago a grandfather donated a sefer torah, the children and or grand children have no relationship with the shul and don’t want to pay for the upkeep. The way I look at they are giving up their right the sefer to the shul. The Klaf can be whitened and a treatment to prevent the ink from drying and cracking can be applied that together with new etz chaims and a montale (Cloth Covering)and it will look like a new sefer at a lower cost.
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